Question

What opportunities do today's political, religious or personal satirists have to avoid prosecution by those they attack? Compare the potential for free expression in rap lyrics, cartoons, television entertainment, movies, newspapers, books and on the Web, with that of the broadsides in colonial and revolutionary America.

Answer 1

The satirists that live in present times have a lot more opportunities to avoid prosecution by those they attack. We can find many examples in popular culture nowadays. For example, musicians constantly reference people in power in their songs, sometimes in very negative ways. This is also true of people such as talkshow hosts, comedians and journalists. The main reason why they are able to do so is because the Constitution protects free speech, making censorship for these reasons unconstitutional.

This was not the case in colonial or revolutionary America. During this time period, the Constitution did not exist, which meant that free speech was not protected in the way that it is now. Instead, creators of broadsides were often persecuted for their writings and depictions. One way in which they protected themselves of this was by the use of symbolisms, allegories and metaphors designed to mask the true meaning of their work.