Journal of International Law, Politics and Society
International Open Access Double Blind Peer Reviewed, Referred Journal
ISSN No. : 3108-0464
ISSN No. : 3108-0464
When Comedy Collides with Law: Satire, Surrealism and Society
Abstract
This article examines satire as a form of expression that unsettles, exaggerates and distorts in order to expose social and political fault lines, while repeatedly colliding with legal au-thority. Moving from Jonathan Swift’s deadpan brutality in ‘A Modest Proposal’ to the participatory excess of the ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ and the anarchic sketches of ‘Monty Py-thon's Flying Circus,’ it traces how absurdity functions as both comic device and critical method. The discussion situates contemporary meme culture within this longer tradition, highlighting the interpretive strain placed on audiences in digital spaces shaped by decon-textualization and outrage. Through concepts such as ‘Poe’s Law’ and case studies includ-ing Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, the article explores when satire is mistaken for fact, or when it otherwise attracts legal sanction. It argues that satire’s ambiguity is not a defect to be engineered away, but a necessary condition of its cultural and democratic force.