Social commentary

Social commentary is the act of rebelling against a government by means of rhetorical propaganda. This is most often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace about a given problem and appealing to people's sense of justice. Two examples of strong and bitter social commentary are the writings of Jonathan Swift and Martin Luther. Swift exposed and decried the appalling poverty in Ireland at the time, which was viewed as the fault of the British government. Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation against practices of the Catholic Church. Writers who engage in social criticism are commonly well-educated members of the upper classes but might also come from the lower social strata, as did Charles Dickens and Will Rogers. Social commentary is not limited to printed forms, as it is commonly practiced through all forms of communication, from conversations to computerised communication. This list is far from exhaustive. Examples of...