NOTE: This is NOT a satirical article

In the aftermath of the recent election, and given our new president-elect, we as a publication have decided to briefly break our traditional satirical voice to discuss our intentions moving forward. It is very abnormal for us to use this space to address our readers in a sincere tone. However, this is also a very abnormal situation to be in — so, we are responding in kind.

An unqualified and bigoted man will soon become our president for the next four years, a situation which itself seems borderline satirical. He has already begun to do and say things that would have seemed completely ridiculous or unacceptable before this election cycle, and he will doubtlessly continue to do so throughout his presidency. It is extremely disheartening for us to know that there will be so much to criticize; nevertheless, we hope to continue to combat the prevalent hateful mindsets and harmful policies to the best of our ability.

We know that the results of this election can not simply be laughed off, and a satirical newspaper can by no means solve everything that has happened or will happen. Addressing this situation will take the daily concern and continued action of all individuals (ourselves included) to build a supportive and united community. We are only a small part of that community, and as a student org, we aim to be cognizant of both our own flaws/limitations and the diverse struggles and situations of our readers when addressing the issues to come. That said, we believe that satire can serve an important function amidst the current political and social climate.

Good satire criticizes existing power structures (and significantly powerful or privileged individuals). Hard-hitting and unwavering criticism of the new political administration will become increasingly important, as it serves as a reminder that discriminatory mindsets should never become normalized or tolerated. When persevering through this setback in American politics, our greatest risk is complacency in the face of our past progress being destroyed. We plan to avoid this at all costs. We vow to provide strong, direct criticism of Trump’s presidency throughout his time in office.

Humor can also, at times, provide a much-needed break from particularly troubling situations. We will continue to incorporate different light-hearted and non-political content into future issues. Our intention with this is not to belittle or avoid larger problems and dire circumstances, but rather to give readers an opportunity to temporarily escape their own difficult realities while laughing at something imaginary.

With the blatant absurdity and surrealness of events already surrounding Trump’s future presidency, it is difficult for us to further exaggerate or create novel ways to look at such a deeply flawed status quo. However, we believe that now more than ever, it is important to present current problems in new contexts that highlight and emphasize exactly why those problems are so unacceptable. Portraying ideas and events through strong symbolism, juxtaposition, and other literary techniques demonstrates how sharply they contrast with the ideals that we should be working towards, and also serves to capture different perspectives or reactions to an issue.

This is the beginning of a long and hard four years. It will not be pleasant or remotely easy to repair ensuing damage or prevent looming chaos. But we’re going to do our best to be part of the solution, through our own satirical angle. We’ll try to address and dismantle the current state of politics as a continued reminder that we, as a nation, can and will do better.