For almost 50 years, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been a ubiquitous presence on millions of North American televisions, phones, and laptops in living rooms, cubicles, and train cars. The show’s ground-breaking hilarity quickly made it a favourite among viewers, elevating it to a cultural touchstone.
Celebrity hosts join in performance of comedic sketches, musical acts, satirical news, and digital shorts. SNL’s political spoofs are undeniably funny and incredibly popular. However, SNL isn’t just entertainment; it’s a powerful force with the ability to mould both public opinion and electoral behaviour.
SNL has been doing political parodies since it premiered in 1975. Since then, the show has featured Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Barack Obama, Kate McKinnon as Jeff Sessions, and Larry David as Bernie Sanders.
SNL skits, however, have long been controversial.
After an unflattering portrayal by Baldwin, former-president and current-candidate Donald Trump dubbed the impersonation a “total Republican hit job” and called for “retribution.”
Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2019
Peter Baker, the primary White House correspondent for The New York Times, remarked that although such rhetoric has become commonplace, “it’s worth remembering that no other president in decades publicly threatened ‘retribution’ against a television network because it satirized him.”
It’s imperative, however, to consume parodic political media cautiously.
The show’s portrayal of political debates, campaign rallies, and behind-the-scenes moments can shape public discourse and influence voter opinions. While featuring political content in entertainment media makes politics more interesting and accessible to a broader audience, it doesn’t necessarily translate to constituents casting more informed ballots.
The entertainment talk show audience—unlike the traditional news circuit—tends to be less educated, less politically motivated, and skewed toward a young, female, and liberal demographic.
Unengaged voters are more likely to cross party lines based on the portrayal of candidates on-screen, highlighting the influential agenda-setting capabilities of quippy skits and political parodies.
The compelling proof of SNL’s agenda-setting capabilities, subtly guiding viewers on which issues or character traits to contemplate, is particularly evident in Tina Fey’s depiction of Sarah Palin during the fall of 2008. This skit yielded what is now referred to as the “Feylin Phenomenon” or “Fey Effect.”
The actress’s ill-informed impression of the politician quickly became NBC’s most watched web video, amassing a staggering 17 million views.
Subsequent panel data revealed Fey’s rendition induced shifts in voter preferences and altered perceptions of Palin’s suitability and qualifications as a vice-presidential candidate. This ensured Palin wasn’t competing with her opponent, Joe Biden, but with comedian Tina Fey—having to battle a caricatured version of herself.
While portraying Palin, Fey turned to the camera, delivering the memorable line: “I can see Russia from my house!” While Palin herself did reference the proximity of Alaska, the state she governed, to Russia as evidence of her foreign policy experience, she never mentioned seeing the state from her home.
A search for the phrase “I can see Russia from my house” on Google, however, will reveal numerous sources attributing the quote directly to the politician, seemingly unaware or indifferent to its fictional origin.
Political humour is priming. The more people witness Fey satirizing Palin’s speech patterns, gestures, mannerisms, and perceived lack of knowledge, the more these traits become prominent in their perception of Palin herself. Whether intentional or not, exposure to the actress’ skit inevitably shaped people’s evaluations of the politician being impersonated.
By no means does SNL have a monopoly on political skits, spoofs, and parodies. In the void of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube content, SNL is merely a cog in a cluttered world of content.
As long as SNL continues to provide its signature blend of humour and political commentary, its role as a cultural influencer is likely to persist, ensuring the show remains a relevant and impactful player in the political sphere.
Tags
Politics, SNL, Tina Fey, Trump
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