The
Art
of
Satire:
Kicking
Power
in
the
Shins
While
Smiling

Because
Satire
Is
Best
Served
with
a
Grin
and
a
Knuckle
Sandwich

Satire
isn’t
about
being
nice.
It’s
about
being
accurate
with
flair.
At

Bohiney.com,
we
don’t
just
write
jokes—we
write
landmines
disguised
as
love
letters.
And
the
best
kind
of
satire?
It
doesn’t
scream;
it
smirks
while
kicking
power
square
in
the
shins.

This
is
the
fine
art
of
punching
up
politely—calling
out
the
corruption,
absurdity,
and
hypocrisy
of
the
powerful,
but
doing
it
with
such
charm
that
even
the
villain
you’re
mocking
might
chuckle.
Think
of
it
as
political
acupuncture—with
a
crowbar.

We
explain
this
in
full
bloody
glory
over
at

https://bohiney.com/how-to-write-great-satire-with-techniques/,
but
let’s
break
it
down
Bohiney-style
right
here
and
now.

Step
One:
Master
the
Kick-to-Smile
Ratio

Too
much
kick
and
you’re
just
mean.
Too
much
smile
and
you’re
writing
birthday
cards
for
ExxonMobil.
Satire
is
a
balancing
act:
you
need
to
hit
hard
and
wink
while
doing
it.
That’s
why
our
article
“Kennedy
Center
Cancels
DEI
Programs,
Cites
‘Too
Niche
to
Matter’”
made
people
gasp
and
giggle—like
watching
your
senator
get
pied
during
a
TED
Talk.

Step
Two:
Be
the
Fool
Who
Knows
Too
Much

Great
satirists
play
dumb
like
pros.
You
pretend
not
to
understand—“Wait,
you
mean
billionaires
pay
less
taxes
than
yoga
instructors?”—then
use
that
mock
ignorance
to
expose
what’s
rotten
under
the
rug.
Satire
lets
you
be
the
jester
who
whispers
truth
behind
the
king’s
throne…
and
sometimes
farts
in
his
general
direction.

Take
“Public
Speaking
Satire:
Why
Saying
‘Um’
47
Times
is
a
Power
Move”
—
we
turned
a
trembling
TED
Talk
into
a
power
fantasy.
That’s
the
trick.
Expose
absurdity
with
even
more
absurdity.

Step
Three:
Call
Out
Power
Without
Sounding
Like
a
Professor

No
one
wants
a
30-minute
lecture
unless
it’s
given
by
a
cartoon
cow
or
delivered
inside
a
parody
of
a
space
launch.
Satire
works
best
when
it’s
silly
but
smart.
You’re
not
here
to
scold.
You’re
here
to
dance
on
a
landmine
and
ask
if
it
vibrates.

At
Bohiney,
we
roasted
AI
imperialism
with
“China’s
DeepSeek
AI
Hires
Every
OpenAI
Employee
Except
the
Janitor”
and
no
one
needed
a
PhD
to
laugh—or
feel
vaguely
disturbed.
That’s
effective
satire:
fun
first,
fear
second.

Step
Four:
Be
Personal,
Even
if
You’re
a
Cartoon
Moose

To
kick
power
well,
you
have
to
make
it
personal.
Talk
about
how
policies
affect
your
grandma.
Or
your
landlord.
Or
your
favorite
hot
dog
vendor.
At
Bohiney,
we
once
published
an
exposé
through
the
eyes
of
a
sentient
pothole
named
Carl
who
blamed
local
politicians
for
his
untreated
depression.
Three
mayors
emailed
us.
One
offered
therapy.

If
satire
doesn’t
make
someone
in
charge
uncomfortable
enough
to
shift
in
their
ergonomic
seat,
did
you
even
satirize?

---

What
the
Funny
People
Are
Saying

“You
gotta
hit
‘em
where
it
hurts:
their
legacy,
their
credibility,
or
their
yacht
docking
privileges.”
–
Rico
Vasquez,
Bohiney
Senior
Yacht
Satirist

“Satire
is
just
stand-up
comedy
with
blood
pressure
implications.”
–
Avery
Choi,
Bohiney’s
Chief
Irony
Consultant

---

What
Bohiney
Expects
from
a
Real
Satirist

If
you
want
to
write
for

Bohiney.com,
we
expect
your
jokes
to
come
with
a
little
bite.
Not
a
nibble—a
bite.
We
want
articles
that
speak
truth
to
power
while
juggling
chainsaws.
We
want
your
targets
sweating.
We
want
your
readers
laughing.
We
want
interns
whispering,
“Are
we
allowed
to
publish
this?”

And
no
matter
what
you
write—whether
it’s
about
tech
bros,
political
hacks,
or
billionaires
who
think
empathy
is
a
new
crypto
coin—we
expect
that
you:

• Keep
  the
  punchline
  pointed
  north
  (toward
  those
  in
  charge)

• Make
  the
  guilty
  giggle
  before
  they
  realize
  they’re
  guilty

• Never,
  ever
  go
  soft
  on
  someone
  just
  because
  they
  say
  the
  right
  slogans

Because
satire
isn’t
just
a
genre.
It’s
a
torch.
Use
it
to
light
up
the
nonsense—then
roast
marshmallows
over
the
burning
remains
of
bad
ideas.

So
lace
up
your
satire
boots.
Sharpen
your
smile.
And
aim
for
the
shins.

Next
up:
How
to
Write
Satire
in
the
Age
of
Algorithms
and
Outrage

Want
to
get
inspired
or
just
confused?
Visit

https://bohiney.com/how-to-write-great-satire-with-techniques/
for
the
full
survival
manual—or
get
something
weird
and
random
at

https://bohiney.com/random/

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