Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Satire is impossible

Yes, it's satire... or at least an attempt at satire. I'm not offended or outraged.

There is a substantial fraction of the American people who believe everything depicted in this picture is literally, factually true. And there is a substantial fraction of the commercial media (cough Faux News) who would (and will) actually say everything depicted in that picture as the literal, factual truth.

Even I, a reasonably intelligent person with a good sense of humor had to do a double-take — thinking "what the fuck" for a moment — before I realized it was an attempt at satire.

The image tries for satire, but fails; it falls short. That's to be expected. Our society has become so ridiculous, so absurd, that it's impossible for mere human imagination to keep up with reality, much less exaggerate it sufficiently for successful satire.

I'm not offended or outraged, but I am depressed and pessimistic.

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