Well, yes he did. It’s right there in the bit that I quoted.
I know that. I have been around a long time too. I listed an actual ‘Ask the’ SDMB satire thread from today and we have had many more. I was not referring to the real SDMB ‘Ask the’ threads, only the ones that are meant to be funny.
The reason that I referenced the SDMB threads is because they are much funnier and well done than The Onion ones. The way I see it, The Onion would be much better off actually answering the letters they post using whatever character they choose instead of just having a stupid nonsequitar. The possibilities are endless and that makes much more sense.
I am starting to sound like that dorky guy from ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ that tries to dictate what is funny but it really isn’t that way. I know funny and that isn’t it. It takes too different ideas that would be easy enough to do well on their own and just forces them together in an idiotic way.
It was Esprix.
Well, Shagnasty, that’s the running gag. Its’ kinda like the “Passers-by were amazed at the large quantities of blood.” filler. Sure, they could change it, but the repetition is part of the humor. By the way, my favorite P-bWAATLQoB article was the one with the excerpt “Man, that was the best Black History Month ever!”
I’ll admit, its’ hit or miss, but when it hits its’ amazing.
:smack: That’s right. Anyway, it’s been noted before that “Ask The Gay Guy” is unsearchable, because all four words have only three letters!
Nope. It isn’t. Read it again. It does not say what you think it says.
It can be really funny because people who have to write to an advice column to solve a relative easy to solve situation are exactly the kind that would repeatedly write to someone who will always answer the same things over and over again. (If that makes sense.) And they parody those letters so well; sometiimes I think they just copy them from Ann Landers.
The sincere, naive, clueless people keep writing, over and over again, even though the author is never going to address their ho-hum problem. But it depends on the theme; sometimes it’s not really funny at all.
My favorite is “Ask a Navy Seal.”
That’s why I find most of them unfunny- it breaks a lot of rules, like telegraphing the jokes. But sometimes the sheer weirdness makes it work, and other times insisting ‘this is funny’ can be funny.
I laughed for five minutes today at work when I read this. I had no idea the column was a regular thing. The others linked to in this thread I don’t find nearly so funny, but I almost passed out from lack of oxygen I was laughing so hard at this one.
This was pretty funny
Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New ‘Intelligent Falling’ Theory
I agree as well. I love reading The Onion and it seems like I zip through all of it in about 10 minutes. I’d love if they used that precious space to bring us more funny.
Another chiming in to say I agree with the OP. The Onion has been getting better and better as both a funny and useful periodical this year, and dumping “Ask the…” would be it’s best next step.
I love onions.
I dunno, last night I read the jowel deep in Phyllis Dyller’s pussy one out loud to my mom, dad, and husband and we just about pissed ourselves laughing. So count me on the “funny” side.
I sort of agree with the OP. It’s kind of a one-note joke, though some columns are definitely funnier than others. Usually it’s the premise itself that’s funny, which spares you from actually having to do more than skim the full column. Could they use the column inches more effectively? I suppose so, but then again, these “Ask The…” columns are not that frequent.
Dooku, and anyone else living in San Francisco, Chicago, Denver/Boulder, Madison/Milwaukee, New York, or the Twin Cities, sign up here for your respective Events Newsletter.
Dooku, this Thursday at Kate O’Brien’s downtown at 6pm. Generally, the Onion buys a keg, and that beer is free until the keg runs out, and the next hour or so, it’s $2/$2.50 a pint.
I always find them unbelievably lame, but then, I don’t like a lot of their columnists either. The Onion is fucking awesome when it’s good, but damn, some of their stuff is just so lame and unfunny. At least to me.
The Onion’s not above criticism, just above my ability to provide it. Therefore:
http://www2.warnerbros.com/madmagazine/files/onthestands/ots_424/bunion.html
Thanks! I love them even more now.
Maybe I’m just missing the humor, but the edition online today is pretty awful. The Tyler Sheehan seems pretty tasteless, while the News in Brief shorts are way below standard from what I can remember in the past. The heart warming story in New Orleans and Forty-Year Old Virgin stories seem mailed in to me.