Satire Is a Dangerous Thing

There's a Monty Python sketch in which a pair of architects present plans for a "block of flats" to investors. During the second presentation, the model of the block experiences various structural failures, including a fire, which the architect glosses over (one of the investors even opines that the structural problems aren't that great, provided "the tenants are of light build and relatively sedentary." While this takes place, a large green graphic reading "SATIRE" flashes on screen.

This dipshit has never seen that sketch. Or, indeed, ever heard of satire before. This pro-life nutjob takes great umbrage with a column written by "Miss Caroline Webber" in which she discusses the joys of having an abortion. Things like ""I am totally psyched for this abortion!" and "I just know it's going to be the best non-anesthetized invasive uterine surgery ever!" One problem - Miss Caroline Webber doesn't exist and the column in question appeared in The Onion, the leading purveyor of fake news on the Net. The ding-a-ling got suckered in and, thanks to the numerous comments (which, unfortunately, he's removed), got caught. Undaunted, he tried to spin the experience positively in a second post, with even less success.

The comments themselves were hilarious in their vitriol. Some of them are preserved for posterity in the comments of this diary at DailyKos, where I got the link in the first place. My personal favorite was:

I'm pro life, but sweet Jesus you're an idiot. For your next post, how about a passionate speech on the need to immediately free Prince Albert from the can?
Boo | 07.08.06 - 12:24 am | #

It's a shame he's taken down the comments. However, he provides continued entertainment value by spinning his stupidity (now it was all a joke - sure it was). What he doesn't appear to get is that the original Onion piece was a satire of the radical pro-lifers, who have created this horde of straw women who go around getting pregnant just so that can have an abortion for fun. The fact that such hordes don't exist doesn't phase them.

Best and brightest, indeed!