Satirical Analysis Essay

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Satirical Analysis How would you feel if the government was watching your every email, call, and text? It seems pretty scary, and most people would oppose it to protect their privacy. Now what if it were to try to capture potential terrorists? That is exactly what the NSA was designed to do. The NSA, or National Security Association, was designed to protect the stability and safety of the American public. Unfortunately, invading the privacy of those same citizens is how they see fit to address this issue. The article “Terrorist Living in U.S. Gets Why NSA Spying Such a Complicated Issue”, satirical news source The Onion addresses this very subject. In the article, The Onion uses a satirical news story to explain the irony of the whole situation to the general listener. It is clearly targeted towards the American public, criticizing their fear of NSA domestic surveillance. Sarcasm is very prevalent in the article, as it is from the eyes of a terrorist who understands why the NSA is spying on him, but also sees why the American public would oppose it. The author is basically poking fun at Americans for being so fearful of losing privacy to NSA spying, which causes them to miss essential opportunities to catch potential terrorists. The terrorist in the article talks about the various phone calls that he makes to other terrorist operatives that could have very well been intercepted and stopped had the NSA been able to tap into the calls. The fact that it is from the eyes of the terrorist is extremely ironic, but it makes the claim very effectively. The point of view creates travesty in the article, touching on the subject of terrorism in the United States. Addressing such a touchy subject in such a humorous way helps to make the point more approachable and shows how if the American public would open up to the idea of NSA domestic spying, it could truly do great things for the United States national security. In the end, the author is just trying to explain that sometimes citizens need to allow government intervention to help them make the United States safer for all. If Americans would realize that the government doesn’t just spy on anybody, it would allow for a lot of progress to be made towards ending terrorism. I personally somewhat agree, but only in times of absolute necessity (such as the rise of ISIS and terrorist attacks towards the United States). It is a very great point made in a very great way, and it opened my eyes further to domestic spying.

Terrorist Living In U.S. Gets Why NSA Spying Such A Complicated Issue
NEWS • Terrorism • News • ISSUE 49•24 • Jun 11, 2013
Facebook1.7KTwitter595Google Plus25

The al-Qaeda operative says he “totally understands” why the issue of NSA surveillance on American citizens is a thorny subject.

UNDISCLOSED—In the midst of the ongoing national debate over the recently revealed NSA surveillance of American citizens, a Yemeni al-Qaeda operative currently living covertly in the United States told reporters Tuesday that he totally understands why the issue is so incredibly complex and multifaceted.

“Look, the fact of the matter is that in today’s world, there are people living in the United States who are aiming to injure and kill as many innocent Americans as they can, and if you’re the U.S. government then you really have to be vigilant about that stuff,” said the committed terrorist, adding that he can “totally sympathize” with the arguments both for and against the NSA's actions. “I think it's fair to say that surveillance of phone records and other contact information is the most effective way—and maybe the only effective way—to learn of these plots and prevent them. I get that.”

“For instance, if someone like myself is placing phone calls to other terrorist operatives, which I am, then I could see why you would want my calls monitored by the appropriate authorities,” the Islamic extremist continued. “That said, I can also completely understand why someone who is
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