Although the government shutdown is over, it lasted long enough for some very provocative propaganda to rise to prominence in the media. I witnessed this spectacle while watching Saturday Night Live two weeks ago. Miley Cyrus helps the cast of SNL to make a statement about the inefficiency of the government in a hilarious way. However, even though it seems like a mere parody video, “We Did Stop” contains plenty of rhetoric, as well as civically engages us by indirectly raising questions about the government and its status.
“We Did Stop” is clearly a parody of Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” song and music video, and while making a mockery of the stagnant United States government may be rather insensitive, it serves to bring awareness to a civic issue and place the blame. The video targets the Republican Party, blaming it for the government shutdown. Portraying John Boehner and Michelle Bachmann as manipulative, careless, and ridiculous figures discredits their images. The part towards the end of the video when “Boehner” and “Bachmann” are throwing money at “Uncle Sam” is especially effective because it subtly introduces the generalization that the Republicans as a whole are rich, selfish, and only care about their own assets (not the state of the government). The video actually diminishes the ethos of the Republican party, which is an underhanded, backwards ethos appeal.
The video also employs a logos appeal in the form of the lyrics. At the very beginning of the video, the deep voice says “This is our house, we can do what we want . . . vote how we want, defund how we want.” While this line is meant to be humorous and set the stage for the rest of the song, it impacts the viewer in a much more serious way. The line introduces the idea that the Republican party does control the house (of Representatives). They have voted against the budget bill and want to defund Obamacare. Regardless of the manner in which these facts or given, there exists some logical truth to them. They make the viewer of the video believe that the Republican party directly caused the government shutdown by voting against the budget bill and demanding that Obamacare be defunded. These facts are true; however, the makers of the video make it seem like the cause of the government shutdown lies solely in the Republican party, which is certainly a heavily left-leaning bias.
“We Did Stop” brings awareness to the government shutdown and its supposed cause through the use of humorous, shocking images, as well as cleverly written lyrics. Rhetoric is all around us, even in comedy sketches. Whether or not “We Did Stop” accurately portrays the Republican Party and its role in the government shutdown, it certainly leaves an impression through its intelligent use rhetorical devices.
Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1bdoufPt0
Works Cited
We Did Stop – SNL Highlight. 2013. Video. NBC. YouTube, New York, New York. Web. 18 Oct 2013.
Your topic choice demonstrates creative thinking and a hint that maybe you are thinking about RCL even during down time. Just sayin’.
Good job.
I think the idea of analyzing satire is really interesting, and I’m happy you did it! You did a good job distinguishing between what the parody said and what it meant. It’s amazing how many commentaries and satires were sparked from the government shutdown. The anti-ethos presented in the parody is replicated in almost every presidential commercial, so I wonder if the SNL crew was even making fun of that tactic. I also think it’s neat that you picked up on the logical side of this argument, as it’s hard to find a lot of times within satire. Overall, very nice analysis.
This is a great analysis of SNL that criticizes the government for its lack of action. I agree with you that this skit is very left sided and very biased, but it relays a message that is universally felt. Nice work