I don’t know if it’s the confusing new format, a general decline in the quality of the work, or if (after all these many years) the novelty has just worn off, but it’s been weeks since I’ve actually read an entire on-line edition. It’s just too…
Sucky.
Disclaimer I: maybe they’re in a slump.
Disclaimer II: Yes, maybe I do think I could do better.
Disclaimer III: This ain’t the Pit. Yet.
This should probably be in the Pit.
I don’t really care for the new format, but I don’t strongly oppose it either.
I believe the main factor is that we have gotton use to their particular brand of humor and ways of phrasing, so that even new jokes seem like we’ve heard them before.
But I think that objectively speaking they have managed to stay almost if not just as funny as they have always been…
As evidence, I refer you to today’s article:
U.S. Launches AIDS-Awareness Campaign In Botswana: ‘You All Have AIDS,’ Says U.S.
Hey, I’m perfectly willing to accept that it’s me. The “novelty wearing off” effect I mentioned above.
BTW, the Google Ads seem to be getting smarter - one at the bottom on this thread was “Consumer Reviews”.
It’s more like a cable news site, and less like a satirical newspaper now. I prefer the cleaner look of a satirical newspaper.
I guess being mostly web driven, they decided to take the cable news website approach. Little to busy for my tastes.
Articles: Seem fresh enough. Satire lends itself to the sarcastic style they impose, but there are other ways to approach satire. Everything gets a political (liberal) spin. I’m not saying a liberal spin is bad (sometimes it is)…but always a political spin? Too much.
Spoofing more sports, science, etc. Could use that.
I don’t like the format one bit, and have kind of been avoiding it, too, or only reading a couple of articles and then hitting Savage Love off the A.V. Club.
It has always been, in my opinion, barely amusing. So no change in quality as far as I can see… it always wasn’t that good.
They rearranged the AV club to the point where it totally sucks. And I miss the old newspaper style.
Yes, I have noticed – I was going to make a thread about this if nobody else did. There seem to be way too many political or celebrity focused articles recently, which I rarely even open. It’s the ‘area man’ style articles which I can actually relate to that I love about the Onion. However, what bothers me most is a drift in the style of writing, abandoning subtlety and trying to make clever jokes throughout the articles. There also seems to be more gratuitous profanity.
Take this quote from this week’s “Guy in Philosophy class” article
Does that seem like the Onion to you? I was expecting a parody of the sort of crap that somebody who won’t shut up in Philosophy class might come out with. Instead we get a really contrived gag.
That said, I’ve felt that the Onion is getting worse before, only to be shocked by a solid, hilarious issue. However, it seems like this slump is the longest I’ve seen in at least five years of reading.
Hmm. I thought the Philosophy article was quintessential Onion material.
I agree that the new format is dreadful. But on the bright side, there’s now one and a half again as many of their What Do You Think? bits, which have always been the best feature.
–Cliffy
I still prefer my Onion in hard copy. Fortunately I live where I can easily pick up free copies.
Some of the articles don’t work for me, others still make me crack up. After well over a decade of reading it.
I’m just mad that they haven’t had any Hermon Kornbluth or Smoove B stories for a long time.
For some reason, I love to read what Jim Anchower has to say. That fetal alcohol syndrome created guy cracks me up. He hasn’t rapped at us in a while.