The Real "American Vandal"

In this day in age, there are many sources of comedic entertainment. Some of these sources are just funny without any satirical content, but others are funny due to their satirical content. Recently I finished the second season of American Vandal which is a comedy created by Tony Yacenda and Daniel Perrault. The second season of the show is set in a Catholic high school that has just experienced a "Brown Out" and the students and the faculty don't know who the culprit is. The show is a "mockumentary" and a true-crime satire so it takes on characteristics of real-life documentaries but it applies them to ridiculous crimes. This is what makes the show so funny. 

There are multiple elements of satire used throughout the show. The most obvious is parody because that is the main idea of the show. At any point in the show, parody is always being used due to its reputation as a mockumentary. Also, the situational irony is very evident in the characters' interviews and the overall plot of the show. For example, the crimes that are committed are very juvenile and inappropriate and one would not expect that a high schooler committed these crimes, let alone commit them in a Catholic setting. Another example of situational irony becomes apparent in the interviews. For example, when the nun comes on the screen the audience doesn't expect her to speak about such a silly topic.

While watching the show you wouldn't think that it was hiding a deeper meaning that goes beyond creating a satirical "documentary". On the other hand, once the last episode comes around it's clear that the show was criticizing society the whole time. In the show, there is a link that's discussed that exposes some of the students' personal pictures and embarrassing information about them. In the show, the link can be found on an Instagram profile @theturdburglar. But if you visit this link in real life it brings you to a video detailing errors in society regarding social media and more. Not only can the audience get tricked into watching the video in real life, but the video also plays at the end of the show and it has a clear message. American Vandal emphasizes that appearances can be deceiving on social media and that there's more to life than just internet status. The "mockumentary" entertains its audience with comedy for the duration of the show but illuminates a clear message at the end which makes it a satire. This video can change society because it calls out the generation and gets them to think about the impact of social media on a deeper level. If you want to hear the American Vandal message you can watch here: