
During the 2016 Presidential election, there were memes, SNL skits, South Park episodes, and many tweets. All reflect a new culture surrounding the American Political system. With an increase in public information through the internet there has been an extreme shift in the way campaigns are run. Even though the culture and campaign has changed, the constitution has not. The extreme upset of the Trump win through the outdated electoral system produced extreme reactions and feelings of distrust in the system from liberals, while many conservatives argue their voting decisions from desire for political reform. Currently, the United States is divided by ideology and policy but both sides distrust and fear political corruption. HBO’s series Veep and NBC’s show Parks and Recreation depict the American political system federally and locally, respectively, and through a comedic lens. Parks and Recreation displays a strong female lead with a positive attitude and extreme motivations to produce positive change through the government. Veep, in contrast, has a strong female lead with a negative, power hungry attitude. Both of these shows use comedy to provide insight into the flaws of the American political system. 

Leslie Knope shows the ideal government employee. The show portrays her as an effective leader who wants the best for her community. Throughout the series it shows how her community of Pawnee, Indiana, a conservative small town with strong opinions, often resists her efforts even though they are for their betterment. Even with all the push back towards her, Leslie never gives up and always continues to fight for what she believes in. Veep on the other hand shows how politicians can become resentful and look down on the general public. This is seen when Selina Meyer gets frustrated and calls the American populous “stupid” with frustration for their lack of support. Through different situations and viewpoints Veep and Parks and Recreation show the disconnect of politicians and Americans. Often it can be argued that political experience is most important in candidates, as with any career you want a professional who knows what they are doing. When it comes to policy making people get frustrated when they feel their voice is not heard, even if lack of education on subjects cause poor judgment. Interestingly, Donald Trump’s popularity is partly due to his ability to close the gap of communication through Twitter. This gave his party’s supporters an impression of easy and direct communications. 

With Trump’s Twitter communication, many tweets were found to have lack of factual backing and showed emotional instability. Veep shows Selina Meyer during election night as emotionally unstable with a general feeling of incompetence. This portrays how American people frequently feel about political leaders and the common theme of a selfish power obsession. Parks and Recreation does this similarly but with Leslie Knope’s opponent; Bobby Newport. Bobby Newport does not have interest in the city council position other than to, “get [his] dad off [his] back.” He even begs Leslie for the position and says she can still do the work. 

With strong female leads, the sexism in the political system Is displayed in both shows. Parks and Recreation and Veep display the double standard against women in the government and how they are often seen as bossy, bitchy, and unpleasant, compared to a male with the same demeanor, who is instead considered assertive, passionate, and professional.  Though Leslie and Selina are very different women in terms of personality, they both share the same struggles involved with being women in politics. Most similarly is the struggle to be elected when competing against a male candidate. These shortcomings seen in the two-series ended up being very realistic portrayals. In the case of Veep, Selina’s struggle for presidential reelection mirrors that of the Clinton 2016 Campaign, while Parks and Recreation shows the process on a smaller scale election. No matter the size of the election both shows depict America’s deep rooted bias and sexism against women. 

Political comedy is the overarching theme between both shows. This is a very effective method of exposing inequalities and injustice. When a real-world problem is brought to light in a way that can make people laugh it also very often provokes thought through its ability to be understood by many. Even though comedy is often thought of as a lesser art, Parks and Recreation and Veep show the inaccuracy of that statement. They discuss social justice problems, hidden in comedy, that reach many viewers and have a strong impact through their effective means of communicating and appealing to the masses. Both series depict today’s political culture; Parks and Recreation with a positive go getting attitude and Veep with a more sadistic satirical essence. Even though these comedies are effective tools for change it is important to realize that these problems posed in the episodes should not just be seen as jokes, but also be talked about in a more meaningful level. But sometimes the best way to help someone see an injustice is to expose it through a new lens of comedy and make them laugh at the perspective not previously seen. 