Writer’s Big Year: Satire?

I missed this season of 10 Gladwell podcasts, Revisionist History. Number 10, The Satire Paradox, fascinates from a writer’s perspective. Essentially he observes that the best, most savage satires appeal to both the target audience (who appreciate the sharp, righteous irony) and the attacked “enemy” (who see what they want to see). A case of “motivated cognition,” an academic interviewee finds. Colbert attacks Palin and it’s wonderful and it works, but Palin supporters love it also! No viewpoints are altered. Memo to self: satire is a dangerous genre. Go serious. Always. (Maybe?)