After a long day of classes and work, nothing feels better than a few laughs to lighten the mood. But at whose expense does the mood lightening come?

Satire has long been a way to both break the ice and make some serious social commentary. According to Nielsen Media Ratings, Jon Stewart's The Daily Show is one of the most popular cable shows on TV. The premise of a (somewhat) fake newscast allows Jon Stewart and his team of rascally reporters like his Senior Black Correspondent to bring out a few late night laughs while shining the spotlight on real issues.

According to Ron Becker, assistant professor of communication at Miami University, satire has historically provided an avenue for criticism that people could use to engage their audience without negative repercussions.

"I think satire has been done by those who value the ability to poke fun at those in power or dominant institutions," Becker said. "Historically, the most highly thought of forms of satire did that."

Although satire hasn't always been funny, it's usually easier to get away with criticism if people are laughing in the process. Along the way, targets are picked, and people are ridiculed.

According to Howard Kleiman, professor of communication, satire is, by definition, pointed at a specific target. Because of the inherent nature of satire, it's virtually impossible to please everyone.

"It's not reasonable to be ethically concerned with targets' feelings because if that were the case, satire would have no point," Kleiman said.

Kleiman also said it's important to keep in mind the subject of the joke.

"The target of satire should be chosen carefully, not people who can't defend themselves or shouldn't be the target in the first place, like private individuals not living in the public sphere," he said.

During the course of the last election, it was often very clear who was the butt of the joke. Tina Fey didn't try to hide that she was mocking Sarah Palin, and many of the cartoons showed now-President Barack Obama in Muslim garb or with oversized ears. It would defeat the purpose of the joke if the target wasn't made clear.

But people do get offended, and it can be difficult to see the line.

Marissa Sims is a junior and co-president of Spectrum. She said she values satire, when it comes from an appropriate source and is aimed at an appropriate target. However, she was recently offended at an article in Miami's MQ magazine. The article was debating chivalry, and the male side argued women have an advantage in the professional world because they can "lay horizontally" and get any job.

"I understand that this was supposed to be satire but at the same time look at how you reinforce gender stereotypes," Sims said. "(You) want to support free speech, that is something that's important, but I have less of a problem with the words that are being said and more of a problem with the people that are writing them and their clear disregard for cultural sensitivities."

Sims said some members of the LGBT community at Miami weren't amused at a joke made in an issue of Amusement earlier this year. The line was meant as satire when Prop 8 passed in California. The issue restricted California's definition of marriage to opposite sex couples only, and while Amusement said it intended the joke as a way to raise attention to the situation in California, for some it hit a little too close to home.

Becker said the line can be drawn somewhere around trust.

"There were various examples of satire in The Miami Student and Amusement that created controversy that stemmed from a lack of trust for the person creating the satire," Becker said.

But some people think society has become too politically correct at times.

Ron Scott is also an associate professor of communication. He said it's important to keep in mind there are different points of view about everything.

"In a way, I think we've gotten to the point where we pretend we don't know the difference between healthy and constructive criticism. I think we lost sight of the fact that we can disagree on issues," Scott said.

He said a role of satire is to encourage dialogue. If someone is offended, the situation should be taken as a chance to talk about the issue at hand. After all, satire is a communication tool to encourage discussion.

Others try not to take things personally.

Senior Lubna Ahmed is president of the Muslim Student Association. She said she rarely gets offended at jokes aimed at Muslims.

"In Obama's case when they were talking about his middle name being a Muslim middle name it just makes me think, why would it matter if he was a Muslim or did have a Muslim middle name?" she said.

Ahmed said she remembers flipping through magazines during the election and seeing cartoons of Obama falsely represented as a Muslim. Instead of getting upset, she said she wondered more about the intent of the author, asking why they are making the joke in the first place.

Becker said another factor that tends to complicate matters is people tend to be more sensitive of satire aimed at a group or minority they belong to, and more dismissive of jokes targeting another group.

Senior Dirk Long is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. He said he can recall several incidents where people made fun of Native Americans, and not everyone responded with a hearty laugh.

"Naturally I'm more sensitive to it because I understand where the humor isn't so funny and it's actually degrading," Long said. "I would like to say I'm impartial in my aversion to degrading humor regardless of what group it comes from or who it's directed towards but it's easier to notice."

The imaginary line becomes even harder to see when it keeps moving around. So far, what is offensive depends on the audience, the creator of the satire and the situation.

But, according to Kleiman, who teaches a class on ethics and media law, even if audiences do get offended, satire is legally protected. Because it's outlandish and obviously not meant to be taken seriously, it cannot be considered libel or slander. Plus, from a journalistic standpoint, it can really help shake things up.

"If you apologize to everyone with hurt feelings, you'd have the blandest reporting," Kleiman said.

While it can be hard to see when satire becomes offensive, it's clear it will always be around.

Becker said it's good to keep in mind that satire can be used constructively, or it can be used as a cover up for inherently offensive comments.

"One could argue that in a culture where we're often asked to be sensitive to diversity and to 'political correctness,' satirical humor and irony allow people to have their cake and eat it too," he said.

And while that cake can be bitter for some people's tastes at times, it can also be a much-needed guilty pleasure for the intellectual sweet tooth.