Satire

Fake news does not exist. Any presentation of an occurrence, whether it be presented satirically, formally, or as an act, a presentation that is informative in any manner should be considered real. Satire, although it is humorous, still presents vital information to society; a satirical presentation brings attention to an ideology or a belief that may not be socially acceptable or to the local ideals, but it can also direct negative energy towards something that may not be wrong in any way.

Satire has no purpose unless it has a reason to exist. Without a motive, there would be no reason to 'make fun' out of someone, or a group of people who practice their individual beliefs. Tim Parks of NYR suggests "There is mockery but with a noble motive: the desire to bring shame on some person or party behaving wrongly or ignorantly." He suggests that when you target someone shamefully, there must be a positive outcome. This means that if satire is to be used to draw attention to an argument, there must be a reason that if you are shaming someone, there will be something that will change, whether that be in an action, or a public opinion.

The First Amendment recognizes an American's right to free speech and the freedom for the press to publish how they choose, but this doesn't mean censorship doesn't happen. Censorship was designed to 'protect' people and to ensure that our country is safe. The Internet is becoming a new place for censorship across the globe. China is leading a pathway of internet censorship by creating new tactics and laws limiting what can be posted and said over the internet. The country worked to erase over 24,000 postings on 6 public pages that were negative towards China. Could USA be next to monitor news networks and social media to protect the identity of America?

If we begin to limit negative comments throughout online, television, and print, the same way that China and North Korea have, some of the most popular stations and programs would cease to exist. Shows like the Daily Show and Saturday Night Live would be altered completely, no longer would they be allowed to use humor to inform America about global news. The same would happen to newspapers and magazines, papers like The Onion or websites like Buzzfeed and Clickhole would no longer be allowed to post news stories in a humorous manner.

Satire is necessary to bring attention to global events. When satire is used the way it was intended to be used, consumers become more informed of the world around them in a manner that makes them more comfortable around the subject. Satire is important to making people feel comfortable and to help them recognize the outcomes of decisions that are made that could have an impact on society.

Not Your Average First Kiss

"I was on vacation during the summer, and we were at a hotel, and there was a guy that I thought was pretty attractive... So, I later found out that he was from Minnesota like me, and we became 'friends'. We would hang out at the pool and the hot tub. One of the nights that we hung out, we went back inside the hotel and were hanging out in the halls and in the hotel room, it was like two in the morning and we decided we should go to bed," descibed a slow to tell, very anxious about her experience, anonymous student.

This was just where the story got interesting and sort of funny though.

"His room was actually across the hall [from her room], so I went over into his hotel room, and I was super awkward because I kind of knew what was happening and I was like 'Oohh, where is everyone it's also like two in the morning' and then I turned around and he grabbed my face and that's it, end of story. Then I was like 'I probably should go to bed now' then I left and the next morning we were leaving and it was kind of awkward because I didn't really know what happened [...] I came back across the hall, and my roomates slammed the door and they were jumping up and down screaming and we were all just having a little party  I got up with my friend the next morning to go get breakfast and he was coming in from a run so it was just awkward timing. He messaged me because we didn't have eachothers numbers yet, he apologized because he didn't know if that was what I wanted. I was like 'oh no, you don't have to apologize about it'," she said.

Despite the greatest probability that your first kiss won't end up outside of a movie theater, an old car, or a truth or dare game, her first kiss was completely random and very unlikely. I mean, your first kiss happening on vacation, and you still remaining in contact with the person almost a year later, that must be special. Even if her first kiss did not mean "true love" or it did not promise an intimate relationship, her first kiss has a story, her vacation that she took will always remain in her mind because of her first experiences with a boy.