I was watching SNL one night and came across the skit “39 cents”. This skit is a parody on infomercial ads for third world countries. These ads try to encourage the audience watching to donate a miniscule amount of money that they say provides fresh water, food, and shelter for those in need.
In the skit, a man named Charles Daniel, is an infomercial aid specialist for raising money for the “Help fund in Africa”. The skit is setup in a nameless village where he walks amongst the locals and persuades the audience that only 39 cents will provide all of the necessities that the village in is desperate need of. He compares the price of 39 cents to “The price of a cup of coffee”. This comment brings up situational irony because the price of coffee way more expensive than 39 cents. Before long, a crowd of villagers gather around him and starts questioning him as to why he is only asking for 39 cents and not more.
The sketch continues to satirize the international aid industry, culminating in Daniels acknowledging he has no idea what country he's actually in, other than "Africa."
This skit is so accurate and before seeing it I never considered why they ask for so little when they are trying to get you to care about the people in need so much. The satire here is so clear but so funny at the same time. It was a good balance of the two.
ReplyDelete