# Mistaking a Parody for the Real Thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376 "2020-08-30T15:44:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/21 "2020-09-01T05:37:49Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > When “This Is Spinal Tap” came out, there were movie critics who chastised Rob Reiner, etc. for making a feature-length doco about a band nobody had ever heard of before. Well, then they weren’t paying attention or they’re stupid. Because it isn’t Rob Reiner making the film, it’s Marty DiBergi. And it has Patrick McNee and Billy Crystal very recognizably playing people not themselves, not to mention the slightly-less recognizable in 1980 Howard Hesseman, Fran Drescher, and Ed Begley, Jr. The average movie goer might not recognize them, but movie critics most definitely should. OTOH, I did see the album in the campus record store before I’d heard of the movie, and my reaction was nearly identical to Nigel’s. “It’s reduced heavy metakl to the pure essence. There’s nothing. but black!”" ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/22 "2020-09-01T05:39:46Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > There was an SNL commercial parody of kids’ slot car racing that included an ambulance when the cars crashed; the ambulance was called a “meat wagon.” To this day, because of that commercial, I still call ambulances “meat wagons”. (and I had that slot car) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/23 "2020-09-01T06:26:52Z")
This wasn’t a parody, but a Greek restaurant in the Netherlands hung a portrait of Filipina actress Cherie Gil thinking it was soprano Maria Callas. Ms. Gil had played the singer in a 2010 Philippine production of the play “Master Class”. > **[Cherie Gil's portrait mistaken for American-born Greek Soprano Maria Callas](http://pinoyshowbizdaily.blogspot.com/2014/11/cherie-gils-portrait-mistaken-for-maria-callas.html)** > > A Greek restaurant in the small town of Druten in The Netherlands has been displaying a portrait of actress Cherie Gil for two years now to which the owner thought was the American-born Greek Soprano Maria Callas. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/24 "2020-09-01T13:39:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was _not_ intended as a parody. Sort of. It was a satire. Full stop. Verhoeven has said so, and it matches every literary definition of a satire. It’s also, specifically, a parody of Heinlein’s work and of jingoistic military science fiction in general. Parody in this case is a tool of satire, in much the same way that Colbert parodies right-wing pundits in the service of satirizing conservative media. We went through this about a month ago, and RealityChuck insisted, IIRC, that it’s not a satire. That’s factually incorrect. Whether it’s a good satire is, of course, a matter of opinion; but denying it’s a satire is a bit like denying it’s science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/25 "2020-09-01T13:51:38Z")
[Here’s an article that talks about both its satirical and parodical qualities](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/-em-starship-troopers-em-one-of-the-most-misunderstood-movies-ever/281236/); [here’s another](https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/macaulay-culkin-on-the-brilliant-satire-of-starship-troopers.html). [And back on topic, here’s a fun article about when people took The Onion way too seriously](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30339/6-times-onion-had-people-completely-fooled). ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/26 "2020-09-01T17:53:57Z")
I never watched the movie, but I was surprised to find out that it was a parody. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/27 "2020-09-01T18:41:49Z")
**This book** came out in 1977. In it, Novello (aka Fr Guido Sarducci from _ **SNL** _) corresponds with the high and mighty under the pseudonymn Lazlo Toth. A number of recipients apparently did not realize the whole thing was a joke and responded indignantly. I remember one answer in particular that ran something like “I did not respond to your earlier letter because I did not think it worthy of a reply!” Hmmmph! 😠 [![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51bVjAQ5-TL._SX348_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) ](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51bVjAQ5-TL._SX348_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) Much of the text is available on the Internet, and it is hilarious! I understand he’s followed it up with a similar book titled _ **From Bush to Bush** _, which I haven’t read. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/28 "2020-09-01T18:45:30Z")
There were three Lazlo Toth books: The Lazlo Letters, Citizen Lazlo, and From Bush to Bush [Amazon.com: Don Novello: books, biography, latest update](https://www.amazon.com/Don-Novello/e/B000APFMSU/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/29 "2020-09-01T18:46:42Z")
Now on my bucket list! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/30 "2020-09-01T23:08:10Z")
Regarding #3: Someone wrote a letter to my local newspaper and quoted from that story! Whoever reviewed the letters must not have known that The Onion is satire. There was also a story that enough people thought was “real” that Snopes even got involved. TL : DR - Obama’s 19-year-old son, the product of a one-time fling with a truck stop waitress, showed up at the Democratic convention. > **[Obama's 19-Year-Old Son Makes Rare Appearance At DNC](https://www.theonion.com/obamas-19-year-old-son-makes-rare-appearance-at-dnc-1819573864)** > > CHARLOTTE, NC—The first family has turned more than a few heads at this week’s Democratic National Convention, where the president, as he greets delegates and waves to crowds of supporters, is often accompanied not only by his wife and two daughters,... ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/31 "2020-09-01T23:25:32Z")
I remember watching that in first run. I genuinely thought it was a real commercial…till I heard the audience applauding at the end. I realized I had been had and laughed. Some people apparently aren’t so discerning… In an early SNL episode, they had a parody commercial for a correspondence school for diplomats and ambassadors. The technician at the NBC station in New York cut over the feed with a different commercial. Lorne Michaels was so pissed he nearly quit the show. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/32 "2020-09-01T23:41:14Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Complementary [to this recent thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-the-real-thing-for-a-parody/919342). > > In my case it was the _Paul Verhoeven_ Starship Troopers adaptation. Flipping through the channels one day I came across it, when it was about a third done. I kept wondering why the (personality-deprived) troopers in question were doing the stupidest (tactical) things, with hopelessly outdated & ineffective weaponry, and allowing themselves to get slaughtered in droves. I just assumed it was just another dumb testosterone-fueled action flick, and quickly changed the channel in the midst of my boredom. > > Only a number of years later did I discover that it was _intended_ as a parody (of mindless jingoism if not dumb action flicks). Could have fooled me. The parody was fairly obvious in the WWII propaganda film style clips (‘do you want to know more…’) and the chipper and superficially attractive semi-fascist setting. The “outdated and ineffective” weaponry was largely a product of the power armor described in the book being beyond the budget of the film. Not to hijack but… I’m not really sure what people mean by “outdated”. Lack of power armor not withstanding, the Mobile Infantry are basically space-mobile light infantry armed with smallarms and man-portable nuclear missiles, deployed via orbital dropships and supported by tactical bombers fighting an overwhelming number of space cockroaches. Really no better or worse than the Colonial Marines in Aliens. I’m not really sure what would be considered appropriate weaponry and tactics for fighting an endless hoard of giant bugs. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/33 "2020-09-02T00:02:12Z")
I remember when the “commercial” Belushi did to promote the US Army was immediately followed by a _real_ Army recruitment ad. Much laughter ensued in my household! ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/34 "2020-09-02T03:00:51Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I’m not really sure what people mean by “outdated”. Lack of power armor not withstanding, the Mobile Infantry are basically space-mobile light infantry armed with smallarms and man-portable nuclear missiles, deployed via orbital dropships and supported by tactical bombers fighting an overwhelming number of space cockroaches. Really no better or worse than the Colonial Marines in Aliens. > > I’m not really sure what would be considered appropriate weaponry and tactics for fighting an endless hoard of giant bugs. Take off and nuke them from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/35 "2020-09-02T03:09:14Z")
These are multi-million dollar installations. You can’t make that kind of decision. No offense. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/36 "2020-09-02T03:27:08Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > As I understand it, _Scream_ was intended to be a parody of slasher movie cliches, but most people seem to have interpreted it as an actual horror movie (I’ve overheard people saying they didn’t think Scream was that scary, for example). A few years later we even got a parody of _Scream_ in the form of _Scary Movie_ . I saw it in the theater opening weekend and I thought Scream was supposed to be a self-aware parody of sorts. I was surprised when people took it seriously at all. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/37 "2020-09-02T04:27:56Z")
[A recent look at Paul Verhoeven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWcDlNN11sI) from Wisecrack. It also covers Total Recall and Showgirls. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/38 "2020-09-02T15:30:39Z")
The ad rep for the DoD saw the sketch in dress rehearsal, but it was in a different place in the show, so he let it go by. Unfortunately, he left before the live air show, not realizing that they frequently rearranged the running order of the sketches. So the sketch with Belushi aired right before the Army commercial. After the kerfluffle from that gaffe, they put the commercials on cassette as opposed to reel-to-reel, so they could more easily rearrange them in the show. But yeah, the Belushi sketch was funny! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376/39 "2020-09-02T15:36:05Z")
“Gunfire has all the colors of the rainbow!” 🤣 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaking-a-parody-for-the-real-thing/919376.md?page=1)