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Social commentary is the act of usingrhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace about a given problem and appealing to people's sense of justice. Social commentary can be practiced through all forms of communication, from printed form, to conversations to computerized communication，including visual arts, photography, literature, public speaking, music, film, television, comic strips, and digital media. Examples range from visual art like graffiti addressing social issues, photography documenting humanitarian crises, literary and film works critiquing social injustices, dystopian fiction exploring societal control, rap music highlighting racial and economic disparities, to internet-based platforms fostering open discussions.
This list is far from exhaustive. Examples of social commentary may be found in any form of communication. Artistic works of all mediums are often defined by what they say about society. Despite being wordless, the memorable image of theTiananmen Square protests of 1989 may be considered one of the most profound commentaries of the power of the individual.
Inspiration for some artists can come from issues that are present today. Deborah Silverman, Professor of History and Art History at the University of California in Los Angeles, states that the "Analysis of particular visual forms expands to an interpretation of art and artists as carriers of cultural history in the crucible of modernity." This notion has been present in art throughout time. An example isVincent Van Gogh's 1885 painting 'The Potato Eaters'. This picture depicts a group of poverty stricken people gathered in a small room around a table. Vincent Van Gogh created this piece of artwork in order to present a confronting time to the viewer. A modern example isstreet art, also known asgraffiti. With an international reputation, artist and political activistBanksy is known to produce street art that raises public issues such as slave Labour, loss of childhood and the effects of war.[1]
Social commentary photography's purpose is to "expose social issues on ethics, society, religious, the way of life, how people live and other similarities."[2] Sometimes this includes the harsh reality of society such as homelessness, discrimination, war and defenceless children. "Social Commentary artists try their best to create artworks in order to convey messages to the community."[2] Due to the fact that the photos are of real life situations, the contents can be perceived to be more confronting than other visual forms of social commentary. An example are the works of photojournalist and war photographerJames Nachtwey. James Nachtwey's works include the Rwanda Genocide (1994),[3] the Somalia famine (1992) and the Jakarta Riots (1998) and the September 11 attacks in 2001.[citation needed]
Mostpublic speaking constitutes social commentary of some form. Manysermons will describe the ills of society and offer religious solutions. Many politicians may speak in a similar fashion – inShakespeare's Julius Caesar one can seeMark Antony's funeral speech as a commentary. The larger audience offered by radio and television has diminished the significance of public speaking as a means of social commentary.
TheUnited Nations General Assembly is one of the biggest global organisations that focus of planet Earth and humans. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) strive to make the Earth a better place, however without the input of many passionate individuals the UNGA would not be able to achieve this.[4] Influential public speakers such asPope Francis,Malala Yousafzai,President Barack Obama andQueen Elizabeth II,[5] comment of society's issues. This allows the UNGA to directly listen to the issues at hand and address them accordingly.
Allegoricalfictional works such asAnimal Farm clearly contain a social commentary and one can find some degree of social commentary in almost any novel.To Kill a Mockingbird can be interpreted as a commentary on racial issues, especially given the date of its publication (1960). Another example of social commentary isThomas More'sUtopia in which he uses the Utopia to satirize the values of 16th century Britain. Social commentaries have been searched for even infantasy novels such asThe Lord of the Rings, though such connections often require much conjecture, or in modern satirical fables.[6]
Directly speaking to a topic in the social discourse in writing by defining the audience, the bounds of the topic, and the presenting facts and opinions based on the primarily author and possibly on another's perspective.
Fictional works in these mediums have a similar scope to that of their literary counterparts and documentaries to the non-fiction works described above. Television and films often use powerful images to enhance their message, for example,Michael Moore's films utilise this to great effect in promoting his political beliefs. Some examples of films includeFood, Inc.,The Story of Stuff featuringAnnie Leonard, andMorgan Spurlock'sSuper Size Me. And to a lesser degree, the prominent Italianexploitation filmCannibal Holocaust uses graphic violence, shocking imagery, and underlying topics in anthropology to expressRuggero Deodato's distaste for modern society – more importantly – what it has become. West Indian calypsonians participate annually in songwriting competitions with the common use ofdouble entendre, humour and metaphor as well as monikers to avoid legal complications (seeCalypso Music). Theslasher filmThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre also usesanimal rights social commentary, in the form of the movie being ametaphor, the chainsaw victims being treated like animals inslaughterhouses and then put into fridges,tenderised, and hung onmeat hooks and in an interview,Russel Simmons said: "The way that woman was screaming, ‘Aaaahhh,’ and she's running away—that's how every animal you eat is running for his or her life".[7][8][9] TheshockumentaryMondo Cane also provided social commentary, as in one frame, there aredogs being walked inSan Francisco and in the other, inPapua New Guinea people are eatingdog meat, using cultures different from Western culture to shock the viewer and make them feel uncomfortable.[10]Mondo Cane was made to promote "being civil", and uses language in the film such as "savages".[10]
A lot of books and games from theCyberpunk genre, including 2020 video gameCyberpunk 2077 use social commentary usually as a means of questioning technology (ex: "Will technology make us selfish?") or questioningunethicalmegacorporations, as in most Cyberpunk plots the megacorporations areantagonised anddemonised and Cyberpunk also sheds light on poverty-related issues.[11] The video game seriesWatch Dogs, in which the protagonists arecyber vigilantes that rebel against an all-seeing government, uses social commentary againstmass surveillance. 1999 filmThe Matrix and 1932 bookBrave New World provide commentary on theBlissful ignorance effect, where inThe Matrix,the protagonist named Neo can choose the red pill, a dark truth, or the blue pill, a blissful lie to stay in the Matrix or to wake up in the real world and inBrave New World the character has a choice whether or not to takesoma, a drug used by thetotalitarian government to keep the people happy and docile, both inspired byPlato's Cave which some consider ametaphor for life.[12][13][14][15][16]
In a similar situation, thefascist government of video gameWe Happy Few use drugs to keep people in a state ofmania, to forget a certain "incident" that occurred andsecret police are dispatched to kill people who remember the event or don't take the pills and the citizens are forced to wear masks that mold faces in permanent smiles.[17][18][19] The main character is presented with a choice at the start of the game: to take the "happiness pill" or to abstain. If the player takes the pill, the game ends and thecredits roll, whereas if the player pick the latter, they begin the game.George Orwell'sdystopian novelNineteen Eighty-Four is also written as a critique oftotalitarianism.[20]
A lot ofhip hop associated withgangsta rap orconscious rap uses sociopolitical commentary, such asN.W.A'sprotest song "Fuck Tha Police" orChamillionaire andKrayzie Bone's "Ridin", typically againstblack racial profiling andpolice brutality and music from gangsta rap artist2Pac also speak of the poverty ininner cities andracism in the United States and 1991 2Pac songTrapped discusses an incident in which 2Pac was assaulted by a police officer and talks aboutpolice brutality in the United States.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][excessive citations] In a 1988 interview about societal perspective, rapper2Pac said “More kids are being handedcrack than being handed diplomas.” and "Society is like that. They’ll let you go as far as you want, but as soon as you start asking too many questions and you’re ready to change, boom, that block will come".[28] In the interview, he also states his opinions on government action, requestingschool classes ondrugs,“real” sex education,scams,religious cults,police brutality,apartheid,American racism,poverty, andfood insecurity.[28] Othersubjects such asforeign languages, are written off by 2Pac, saying that he doesn't need to learnGerman, he says he can hardly pay his rent, let alone book a flight toGermany.[28]
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An early radiomonologist was the AmericanWill Rogers, with sharp and good-humored observations upon society during the 1920s and 1930s. Current American monologists include:
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There are a number of discussion shows that do not have a call in segments, but which sometimes have discussions (beyond mere interviews) with personages of current interest. In the United States of America, some such shows include:
In the late 20th century through the present, radio and television phone-in shows allow limited discussion and sometimes debate on such issues, although if involving politics or issues exploited for political purposes the discussion is often directed by the "moderator" toward a specific point of view, typically by terminating non-conforming phone calls.
In more balanced forums it is common that a panel of well-known social commentators or experts on aspects of a topic will respond to comments from listeners after an introductory interactive discussion directed by the moderator, with only the obstreperous or extreme caller summarily terminated.
What is probably the most common social commentary is that of theeditorial section of newspapers, where columnists give their opinion on current affairs. The letters section of papers allows a similar platform for members of the public.Editorial cartoons, such as those inThe New Yorker, perform a social commentary, often with a humorous slant.
The conventional comic section is more limited, but sometimes with social commentary, often subtle and oblique, or more bold, abrasive, and consistently pointed as in,Li'l Abner,Pogo,Doonesbury,Bloom County, andBoondocks or inpulp comics such asHoward the Duck. Many other even more explicitly provocative comics (usually with a far left of center point of view) appear in various free weekly newspapers such as theSan Francisco Bay Guardian and theEast Bay Express (in theSan Francisco Bay Area) and theVillage Voice (inNew York City), and similarly in many other locals, often those with a strong university or college presence.
Theweb performs a similar function to the letters section described above. It is ripe with social commentary because it allows the dissemination of ideas by anyone with a computer to a potentially enormous audience, as well as instant comment and discussion. Its international scope is particularly attractive, with language the only major barrier to communication. Discussion and debate occurs in manyforums andchat rooms.
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