OK, so satire is all about making fun of things—specifically human vices, weaknesses, and shortcomings.

But it's not just pointless or mean making fun. Satire has a purpose.

Think of satire as comedy plus social activism. In other words, satire is about changing things—and

hopefully waking other people up to this need for change, too.

And though satire is supposed to be funny, the author's focus is really on attacking

or criticizing something he or she disapproves of. In satire, though, the author's weapon

is wit.

Satire is everywhere. Charles Dickens used it. So did Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, and

Jane Austen.

Even the guy on the hundred dollar bill used it. That's right: Ben Franklin was a satirist

too!

We're surrounded!

OK, great, you say, but how do you recognize a satire?

Look for things like irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration.

Here's another hint: If you're laughing but also feeling a little uncomfortable, it's

probably satire ... not that burrito you had for lunch.