Satire in the Arab world

June 16, 2016 10:39 PM

Proving that satire (and/or bad acting) is alive and well in the Arab world, Egyptian television show "Mini Daesh" takes the concept of a prank show to its ultimate extreme, pretending to have Egyptian television celebrities kidnapped by ISIS..
posted by thewalrus (13 comments total)

Every once in a while someone has an idea like this for a gag. Eventually they're going to choose someone to prank who is carrying, and the result will be very tragic.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:51 PM on June 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Huh. I feel this should be the subject of a film by Chris Morris.
posted by tavegyl at 11:28 PM on June 16, 2016

Celebrities in Egypt don't have bodyguards/a heavy or 2? Or are they 'celebrities'?
posted by quinndexter at 3:20 AM on June 17, 2016

I am sorry for this. It made me cry before breakfast.
posted by Mike Mongo at 3:30 AM on June 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

A: TIMING!
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:31 AM on June 17, 2016 [5 favorites]

Q: How do you know this is a joke and not an actual kidnapping?
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:32 AM on June 17, 2016 [4 favorites]

I heard a similar story on a podcast somewhere about a tourist in Columbia who endured a pant-shitting fake kidnapping by very shady people for a tv show. I don't think this has anything to do with the "Arab world", but everything to do with TV-land.
posted by sneebler at 6:42 AM on June 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

shame on each and every person who continues to watch this disgusting excuse for entertainment ... All it really takes is shrugging off the feeling of morbid curiosity and refraining from watching these shows – a show is nothing without viewers.

This. This is how I feel about every reality show that treats real people horribly (read: most likely every single one), like Honey Boo Boo and all the rest. Just SHRUG OFF the curiosity and think about what you're participating in.
posted by knownassociate at 6:52 AM on June 17, 2016 [5 favorites]

Lisa: Hey, Springfield! Are you suffering from the heartbreak of...Monster-itis? Then take a tip from Mr. Paul Anka!
Paul Anka: (singing) To stop these monsters 1-2-3, Here's a fresh new way that's trouble free, It's got Paul Anka's guarantee...
Lisa: (talking) Guarantee void in Tennessee.
Paul Anka and Lisa: (singing) Just don't look! Just don't look! Just don't look! Just don't look!
posted by filthy light thief at 7:07 AM on June 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is better satire--more ethically made and more effective. (And funnier.)
posted by pxe2000 at 7:13 AM on June 17, 2016 [3 favorites]

What could possibly go wrong.
posted by Baeria at 7:32 AM on June 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

Here's the best hidden camera sketch I've ever seen: A little boy's ball has rolled away, and he asks a patsy bystander at the end of the street to kick it back to him. The bystander gives the ball a kick, but then in mid-air the ball takes a physically impossible 90 degree turn to the right and smashes through the window of a house. The little boy runs away, then an enraged homeowner emerges and stares down the bystander. The poor patsy's reaction always seems to be, in quick succession: 1) that was impossible! 2) no one is going to believe me! 3) I am in so much trouble. It amazed me to see someone feel so much guilt and shame over something they knew full well was not their fault.

It would have been less funny if there were guns involved.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:11 AM on June 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

Guns make everything funnier.
posted by artof.mulata at 2:59 AM on June 18, 2016