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Melanie Slocum Slocum Charlotte Strauwald 6 September 2007 Ancillary #3 On Being a Satirist
"On Being an American" is H.L. Mencken's satirical essay on American society in the 1920's. The power of satire comes from the alteration of enemies into a source of entertainment; things are reduced into farce and made to seem deserving of mockery. Mencken's way of showing people the truth is to attack what is false with ridicule. He tears apart the pedestal of American society merely by laughing at it, which is more effective than most writers who demand uproar of revolution and imprecation. Rather than dismissing America or treating it with an open disdain, Mencken publically responds with a sense of amusement. Even when stripped of its comedic attributes, Mencken's essay can still be seen as offensive to many Americans. Towards the beginning of his essay, Mencken compares America to a young girl, which is not necessarily complimentary. "It is easy to excite them. It is easy to fool them. But it is very hard to dislike them" (506). Though on the surface, this may appear to be somewhat flattering, Mencken is ultimately personifying America as a nave being. He even comments on their "disarming and ingratiating ignorance" (506). Which is not something America desires, or any country for that matter, to be compared to. Though seemingly funny and sarcastic, Mencken is still belittling America, and the country that so many people pride themselves on is used by him as a measly source of entertainment.
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To further comment on America's ills, Mencken describes a circus. "... the whole battalions of acrobats tie themselves into fabulous knots and the handsomest gals in Christendom pirouette upon the loveliest and most skittish horses, and clowns of unbelievable limberness and humor perform inordinate monkey shrines" (507) . He then immediately brings up America's beloved Presidential campaign, leaving reader the no choice but to compare the two. Mencken describes the candidacy as a "nerve wracking battle to the death of Tweedledum and Tweedledee" (507). Which is a comedic statement in a sense, but it still serves as an insult to America. It was a wise tactic used by Mencken to tear apart the potential leader of a group, a leader whom most of the Americans are going to vote for, if Mencken can attack the leader, he pretty much put down the entire population. The hilarity of his writing only further adds to the mockery and offense felt by his American prey. Mencken continues his strategic assault on American politics by comparing it to that of both the English and the German. Even though the "Germans make politics too harsh and implacable, and the English take politics too lightly" (508), America, according to Mencken, is still worse. "Here it is purged of all menace, all sinister quality, all genuine significance--and stuffed with such gorgeous humors, such extravagant imbecilities, such uproarious farce that one comes to the end of it with one's midriff in tatters" (508). Mencken attacks one of America's most important issues by stating how droll he finds it to be. The fact that he finds U.S. elections to be amusing and entertaining is abusive in itself, which were basically Mencken's intentions. Mencken is able to use society's ills as a source of pure joy and entertainment, which can be construed as pure contempt. On its surface, Mencken's essay displays a total lack of compassion and horrible indifference. Whether the reader agrees with Mencken, or finds him exasperatingly incorrect, all can agree that his technique is noteworthy. Mencken knew what to
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compare America to, how to attack the leader, and election in order to get the reader's blood boiling. Though Mencken can be admired for his comedic contributions to satire itself, he can still be seen as insulting to the American people.