MetaFilter posts tagged with satire

Not necessary for lesbian summer weddings.

modernnomad — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:48:55 -0800

"You're pretty high and far out, aren't you?"

Blingo — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:17:59 -0800

Greenboy: Prescription for Death is a purported lost Dragnet episode made by writers from Mr Show and Mystery Science Theater. It uses technology first seen in Forest Gump to digitally add actors into the psychedelic "Blueboy" episode of Dragnet 1967. The result is a hilarious story of bad cops chasing after Greenboy, the pusher of a dangerous strain of medical marijuana called Larry in the Sky with Diamonds. (NSFW due to language).

How Having a Boyfriend Can Help You Get the Boyfriend of Your Dreams

Charlemagne In Sweatpants — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:02:43 -0800

Reductress is a new site that does to women's magazines what The Onion does to newspapers. There's also an interview with the site's creators

Coming soon to a theatre near you... OBAMA.

modernnomad — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:43:16 -0800

Daniel Day-Lewis in the role of a lifetime...

Where are all the right-wing stand-ups?

dng — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:59:58 -0800

Stewart Lee asks "Where are all the right-wing stand-ups?" after BBC Radio 4's commisioning editor Caroline Raphael recently admitted they struggle to "find comedians from the right" on shows such as The News Quiz.

The Disentangled Life

seemoreglass — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:17:18 -0800

"There have appeared in history certain extraordinary men whose thinking was infused with passion, whose philosophies have changed the world. Alexander Zuckerkandl, MD, PhD, was perhaps the greatest philosopher of our twentieth century. As Aristotle was to antiquity, as Aquinas was to the Middle Ages, so Zuckerkandl is to modern times. The influence of Zuckerkandl has been such that we are all his followers whether we know it or not. Of these followers none is more ardent than our distinguished guest speaker, Dr. Robert M. Hutchins."

Before Jojo and sweet Loretta Martin...

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 06:47:24 -0800

The song that became "Get Back" began as an anti-immigrant satire so easily misunderstood it remains in the vaults. Writing for Salon, Alex Sayf Cummings delves into the story behind No Pakistanis.

What is "satire" anyway?

Alterity — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:45:17 -0800

Last Monday, New Inquiry blogger Aaron Bady audited the word satire and made it clear. He wrote, "If something is not taken to be satire, it fails as satire. [It's] an effect, and everything depends on how the joke is received, what the author intended, what the circumstances were in which it was made, and so on." It's an interesting definition, both for the way it's made and the assumptions on which it relies. He establishes criteria for the existence of satire based on its audience, citing people who mistake The Onion and The Daily Currant for real news as evidence for the genre's fragility, tying satire's ontology to whether it achieves food for thought for the permanently slackjawed. Leaving aside the fact that a satire's being mistaken for reality is often a satirist's dream, basing the existence of something on the perception of idiots is a powerful argument. Even talking amongst ourselves, however, we noticed that our opinions on satire and Bady's argument were not in harmony. With that in mind, we chose to offer our first open-ended philosophical discussion. We here at Et tu, Mr. Destructo? have always been partial to the old inquiry, wherein one asks questions or challenges the opinions of another in the hope of reaching consensus or synthesis. In the main, it is both arcane and bourgeois, but it is also a timesaver compared to newer inquiries, like asking a room full of people what something is, then asking them if the photographer has arrived yet. Then tweeting. And you can take that *fist pump* to the bank.

Addio a Enzo Jannacci

droplet — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 20:05:42 -0800

Enzo Jannacci, a father of Italian rock and roll, jazz musician, actor, writer, comedian, and doctor had a 50+ year career in Italy. He died yesterday of cancer at the age of 77. His biggest hit song, 1968's Ho Vista un Re (I Saw a King), written by the 1997 Nobel Prize winner for Literature Dario Fo and Eugenio Esposito, was banned on RAI TV and radio, due to its subversive lyrics. Jannacci performed and worked until illness forced his retirement in 2011, though still beloved by Italians of all ages.

Last Post before I DELETE MY ACCOUNT

cthuljew — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:07:24 -0800

'I've had it with lazy devs' - a forum-goer puts a studio on notice

"Politics determine who has the power, not who has the truth."

Fizz — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:18:42 -0800

Breitbarted! [BUSINESSINSIDER.COM] "Conservative news site Breitbart.com duped by fake story that Paul Krugman declared dankruptcy. A satirical item published last week purporting that economist Paul Krugman had filed for bankruptcy has spread to Boston.com and the conservative website Breitbart this morning. The item originated in The Daily Currant, a satirical news site. Austria's Format online magazine picked it up, and their report was subsequently cited by Boston.com [It has since been taken down 404 error.]. Then it spread to Breitbart. It has since been taken down this morning, but here's a screenshot:"

"Krugman responded [NYTimes.com] to the mix-up this morning, writing on his blog that he knew of the fake news item and was asked about it by a Russian television station. He wrote that he did not address it on his blog because he "wanted to wait and see which right-wing media outlets would fall for the hoax."

New Parasites for 2013/ The Cat That Screamed Like A Man/ Coffin Bro

The Whelk — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:13:52 -0800

Liar Town Usa: An alternate USA where our products, signage, headlines, and fads are all slightly more surreal, sinister, and threatening.

But food is so delicious :(

yeoz — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:59:22 -0800

How do I stop eating food? Or really, how do I replace food with a single nutritionally-complete thing, a perennial AskMeFi favorite, seems to have been answered. No guarantee as to whether the product is actually nutritionally-complete and not missing some crucial micro-nutrient that results in your painful excruciating death much later on... But, of course, you can sign up now to be a test subject, if you wish.

The Moose Cleanse

Tesseractive — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:38:07 -0800

Remember, it's not about "not eating" human food. It's about eating more pondweed.

"I did it all in one take!"

The Whelk — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:41:51 -0800

For Your Consideration - Anne Hathaway (Emma Fitzpatrick) reminds the Academy to think of her on Oscar night via the magic of song.

It wasn't an aesthetic statement, really.

Alterity — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:00:26 -0800

"American Pastoral" inadvertently reveals Brooks and Halard to be deeply insecure, crass noveau riche, lowballing their renovations by hiring desperate, dirt-cheap Chinese laborers, and whining about maids who can't get to work on time, just because Hurricane Sandy knocked out train service. Where's the Vogue-style profiles of those poor souls? In the pantheon of repulsive celebrations of New York's most precious resource—the idle rich—Vogue's "American Pastoral" spread is a Mona Lisa snarl, a Gucci jackboot, everything smug, evil and cruel about the one percent, distilled, bottled and sprayed in your eyes. It's not enough anymore to be fabulously rich; the hoi polloi must have some faint awareness that there exist people with rooftop Elizabethan gardens and 40 feet of "unfinished 300-year-old white oak" for a kitchen counter.

It's like a rainbow of ugly.

heyho — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:31:10 -0800

Here we will learn true facts about the angler fish. A nature video.

We're talking classics, here

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:08:49 -0800

The Best of Keith Apicary

Tempest in an imaginary Chamberpot

apricot — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 08:50:32 -0800

The Hairpin publishes a (satirical) article entitled Chamberpots: A Resurgence? about a pair of Park Slope hipsters and their embrace of chamber pots and cheap rent. The article is picked up by Curbed, MSN Money, and the Daily Mail, all of whom miss the satire, and a Slate blogger uses the article to comment on the lack of affordable housing in Brooklyn.

A Far Cry from Satire

Tevin — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:12:18 -0800

"So his view of what’s going on on this island is his own view, and you happen to be looking through his eyes, so you’re seeing his view." Video game writer Jeffrey Yohalem defends Far Cry 3, his most recent work. Released earlier this month, hotly anticipated first person shooter (FPS) Far Cry 3 has been met with critical acclaim - oftentimes "not because of the story, and perhaps even despite it." Yoshalem first defended his work by speaking with Sopie Prell at The Penny Arcade Report saying, "what makes me sad is that people don’t engage with playing the riddle, trying to solve the riddle. It’s like a scavenger hunt where people aren’t collecting the first clue." Though he admires the effort, Rock, Paper, Shotgun's John Walker is unconvinced: "...rather than making us aware of the horrors of the starving Irish when he says they should eat their babies, instead it too often felt like he was publishing baby recipe books to the very hungry."

And Now For Something....

sendai sleep master — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:10:54 -0800

(minor Spoilers should be assumed for most of the post) Fringe, which many have called a cult show, has a pension for playfully populating its episodes with pop culture references and has continued to do so into its fifth and final season. As mentioned previously, the show has gone as far as to release a record by a fictional prog-rock group, regularly tinker with its own opening titles, and lay aside each season's 19th episode in order to play with the show's format. There has been a musical episode, an animated episode, and an episode that takes place in the show's future and includes opening titles similar to the opening of the film, Blade Runner. The show's most recent season is a shorter one, scheduled to last only 13 episodes, and thusly it will not have the traditional 19th episode. That hasn't stopped the show from having a similar amount of fun with this season's ninth episode which includes an homage to Terry Gilliam's technique of cut out animation. While it may be a stretch it is also worth mentioning that the legendary Monty Python comedy group, including Gilliam, were influenced by a comedy stage show called "Beyond the Fringe" which was created via a collaboration between the Oxford Revue and The Cambridge Footlights (previously). This is all somewhat relevant because not only were some of Python's members involved with organizations like the Revue but Oxford is also where Fringe's resident, loveably mad doctor, Walter Bishop, did his Post-Graduate work.

EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY! ...RHAOMI! ...VERSUS... RHYTHM! ...BEGIN!!!

Rhaomi — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:33:49 -0800

Like horn rimmed glasses, but it's a kind of jacket?

acb — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:43:53 -0800

Authentic Wm. Gibson promises “synopses for William Gibson novels that are definitely 100% real, but only in a timeline with greater authenticity than this one.”, and delivers exactly that.

Is America ready for a white, male Secretary of State?

flex — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:16:40 -0800

Erin Gloria Ryan asks: Is America ready for a white, male Secretary of State? She's not the only one satirically contemplating this question - John Norris over at Foreign Policy magazine has also wondered: Is America ready for a male Secretary of State? Ryan: "In January, Hillary Clinton will be stepping down as President Obama's Secretary of State, and rumors are already swirling over who will replace her... While Huntsman and Kerry have both demonstrated that they have foreign policy chops, the US hasn't had a white male Secretary of State since 1997..." (wikipedia: Madeleine Albright, 1997-2001; Colin Powell, 2001-2005; Condoleezza Rice, 2005-2009; Hillary Rodham Clinton, since 2009)

Neutral to the Slibs!

Rhaomi — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:11:51 -0800

Initiate salutation cascade, star-citizens! Seven years ago tonight, Stephen Colbert introduced Tek Jansen to the world. Originally a one-off parody of vanity fiction by media blowhards, the "super-awesome spectacular ultraspy" became the center of a small universe of comics, cartoons, and books, his exploits satirizing awful pulp sci-fi, rampant ~~Mary Sue~~ "Marty Sue" syndrome, and the cheesy melodrama of 1970s Hanna-Barbera. Look inside for US/Canadian links to both animated seasons along with other content available on the web. Full Theme Song (Most episodes are available in Canada via The Comedy Network) Season 1 by J.J. Sedelmaier

Operation: Heart of the Phoenix - Dead or Alive
Tek confronts the evil Abraxxia (Amy Sedaris)
Operation: Destiny's Underbelly: Entrapped! (might be broken atm)
Sidekicks Kevin and Jenny save Tek from certain doom, but at a terrible price
Operation: Aurora Strikes Midnight: Courage's Arrival
Guest George Lucas is teased with a dull, painstakingly detailed short about docking at Space Station Theta-Zeus-Aquarius
Operation: Homecoming's Doorstep: Cat On A Luniharp
This hospital ship is no match for a Bizlarmian Battlewedge... or is it?
Hounds of Hell: Ragtime Billy Peaches
Teleported to the Combatosphere, Tek must grapple with armed guards, angry bees, open-heart surgery, and a very pregnant woman from the future
Operation: Dragontongue: Chocolate Blades Of Thunder
A series of Teks from further and further in the future interfere with each other's attempts to save a lost prince

Season 2 by FlickerLab, which recounts the show's origin story

Beginning's First Dawn: Episode One Beginning's First Dawn: Episode Two Beginning's First Dawn: Episode Three

The series is also elaborated in a graphic novel line by Oni Press, and the original pulp novel serialized on the official site, which includes a wiki glossary of the increasingly outlandish terminology.