From politics to pop culture, no one is safe from the clever mockery of The Onion. Even through the most serious of topics, nothing can escape the cruel ridicule of this absurd news source. This self-proclaimed finest news source in America is all satire, meant to add a comical aspect to current events for those with a sense of humor. In other words, this satire site lightens the mood on serious news subjects. While some readers find this Lampoon news to be immature or insensitive, I find it to be hilarious.
The Onion is not trying to be nice; it is meant to be savage and cynical towards all those in the public spotlight. How can you expect any less, considering their motto is Tu Stultus es, Latin for “You’re an idiot.” Of course, this is also probably directed at the people who believe that what The Onion posts is true because they read it online. If you are not laughing considerably while reading these articles, either you are not up to date on current events, or you believe these articles are true, in which case, Tu Stultus es.
The Onion’s format is modeled after the traditional news source, with articles on local, national, and international news stories. Everything about this fake news source makes it look real, except the title.
The Onion writers present popular trends and everyday events as newsworthy topics, sometimes adding a surreal or alarmed tone to add a comical aspect to the article. For example, one of my favorite articles is titled “CIA Realizes It’s Been Using Black Highlighters All These Years.” Referring to redacted information, the author then goes on, explaining how the CIA will be conducting an internal investigation to find how the agency highlighted all pertinent information with black highlighters for years.
The Onion also has another section dedicated to America’s very own president, titled “Trump’s First 100 Days.” These daily posts entertainingly jeer at Trump, and almost anyone in relation to him. Of course, if you are a diehard Trump fan, you may not find this as funny as I do.
According to Real or Satire?, a source for confirming the validity of web news, The Onion is “one of the only satire website on the internet that does satire really well.” What makes it so great is this type of satire turns what are usually critical views into humorous views when regarding even the most serious topics. In this generation, where kids spend so much time arguing over politics before they can even vote, it is good once in a while to loosen up and have a laugh, especially when reading some of the best comical ridicule of the world’s worst politicians. While The Onion may just seem vulgar, this type of satire is teaching us two very important lessons. We should lighten up, and not believe everything that we read.