The Satire Of New Orleans Mardi Gras

The Satire Of New Orleans Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras in our current world has become more elaborate, more commercialized, and a massive tourist attraction to those around the world. Though the tradition has gone through advances and changes as our technology driven society changed, many iconic traditions can still be recognized.

Mardi Gras in Europe had several themes we can still identify in modern day Mardi Gras. Satire was significantly used in order to make statements about the ruling power at the time, or about economic or social issues. We can still see satire used in our current day Mardi Gras, poking fun at corrupt leadership, social stigmas, and even more important issues such as Medicare or Social Security. The parade that stood out to me as having the most satire was The Krewe du Vieux. The parade began in 1987, and incorporates sexual, and satirical themes. The Krewe of Comus was one of the first parades to have themes of satire and parody, covering hot issues during 1897. It is no wonder that these themes continue to make political, and social statements in a light hearted manner.

I attended The Krewe du Vieux this year, and was pleasantly surprised by how humorous all the "sub-krewes" were. Instead of handing out beads, the Krewe du Vieux hands out novelty items. One krewe satirizing Health Care handed me a band aid.

Satire is just another way to tackle important social and political issues, and is perhaps one the best ways to do so in a setting such as New Orleans Mardi Gras.