Robot Chicken's Political Satire

Being a huge fan of both Star Wars and Robot Chicken, I decided to post a clip from The Robot Chicken Star Wars' Special entitled "Jedi Master George W." This clip thrives on pure satire and pokes fun at former President Bush's presidential term. Robot Chicken, a late-night comedic animated show featured on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim thrives on presenting satirical and comedic skits to their audiences. Often mocking pop culture, an episode of Robot Chicken runs for about twenty to thirty minutes. In this clip, George Bush becomes a powerful Jedi Master and uses a light saber and the infamous Jedi-Mind Trick against so called enemies like Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. He even uses mind control against his own wife. Although this clip is hysterical, should such material be allowed to be displayed on television?

The answer is yes. Satire is protected speech thus guaranteed in the United States Constitution. This is evident in the case of Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. Jerry Fawell, a southern pastor sued Hustler Magazine for a fake ad that had been issued about him. Hustler Magazine had ran a fake ad of a drunk Jerry Falwell having sex with his mother in an outhouse. Falwell sued Larry Flynt and Hustler Magazine for libel and for intentionally causing distress. Although the case was appealed to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court had ruled that satire was a protected speech and is protected by the First Amendment.

Overall, programs like Robot Chicken are allowed to air parodies due to the fact that they are protected by the First Amendment. Even at the beginning of every episode, Robot Chicken even states that "Any actual names or likeness of celebrities are used in a fictitious and parodic manner." Therefore it is safe to say that Robot Chicken is indeed allowed to produce it's material due the fact that are presenting comedy in a fictitious and parodic manner. If you haven't seen any episode of Robot Chicken, I strongly recommend you to check it out! It's worth watching!

May the Force Be With You,

Lauren