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Contesting power through satire

Updated Monday, 29 July 2013
Explore the use of satire from Classical Greece through to 2013 with this interactive timeline. 

This page was published over 10 years ago. Please be aware that due to the passage of time, the information provided on this page may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate, and any views or opinions expressed may no longer be relevant. Some technical elements such as audio-visual and interactive media may no longer work. For more detail, see how we deal with older content.

For thousands of years, satire has helped us turn our weaknesses into strengths by allowing us to laugh at our own miseries and poke fun at those who claim to be above us.

To some, satire is about much more than having a harmless chuckle. It brings about social change and helps us fight oppression.

Others are less optimistic. In their view, children and half-wits may well point out that the emperor has no clothes, but, in the end, a half-wit usually remains a half-wit and the emperor remains an emperor.

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