Posted on 04/18/2010 6:27:37 AM PDT by Lazamataz
The Onion, the United States oldest and most revered satirical newspaper, first published in 1756, has announced that they will close their website and cease all publishing activities, effective immediately.
Said the owner, "No more satire is possible. Nothing can beat the outrageousness of what comes out of Washington today. In a sentence: We are plum out of satire."
Satirical headlines planned by The Onion, such as "Pelosi: Pass Health Care To Find Out What Is In It", "Major Tax Increases To Reverse Recession", and "Obama Bows To Communist Leader", have been superceded by actual news headlines, causing these satirical headlines and corresponding articles to be pulled.
"I was working on this great concept: Obama would win the Nobel Peace Prize within a few weeks of being inaugerated, " said Abe Iggoof, writer for The Onion, "Then it happened."
The National Security Agency monitors Satirical Possibility Quotient, which is the ability to create satire in the United States. Occurances of satire being superceded by real events, it reported, happened at least 189 times from 2009 to 2001, causing the SPQ to plummet to an all-time low of -75.54. Dr. N. Umber Kruntcher, analyst for the NSA SPQ program, testified before the Satire Investigation Panel commissioned by Congress that it made satire nearly impossible.
"How can I work", lamented Sil E. Gouse, "Every time I get a great idea, it's a lead story on MSNBC. I mean, I was going to write something about how the unpopularity of Health Care Reform was a driving factor in its passing, and the next day MSNBC lead with 'Pelosi: Unpopularity of Health Reform Very Positive For Lawmakers'."
The ability to be satirical is projected to plunge further in 2010, said The Onion's owner, making The Onion an unviable business proposition. Bankruptcy has been filed as of Thursday, April 15, and the assets of the firm will be auctioned in the next two months.
It makes me cry.
I bent thyme and spice. And onions.
ROFLMAO!
I!
I remember this post.
...and still TRUE!
Solid Gold, from the frankincense and myrrhth gang...
Apropos.
I have been saying this for years (Poor John Semmens had to listen to me say it every time my blood pressure spiked reading his threads!)
Unless there are Martians eating babies brains or something (and even not always then) it is nearly impossible to do satire that is indistinguishable from reality.
Indeed it is
I meant DISTINGUISHABLE! Dang it.
If you do, it is almost certainly going to result in some kind of sexual harassment charge being filed by someone, somewhere, Laz...:)
I heard that they recently tried to come back, but their breakout story, “Terrorist Numbskulls attack Paris, Brussels and Orlando, FL” went down in flames.
A wise FReeper reminded me.
DLTBGYD
An oldie but goodie..
So it was never a copyright issue?
You can’t hear me clapping Laz. But I am.
Satire is micro-aggressions.
Thanks Laz
Interesting times...
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