# The Onion & Our Fair City

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 28, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105 "2003-05-28T20:31:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105/1 "2003-05-28T20:31:21Z")

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So, I go for my weekly dose of quality Onion humor just now, and after chuckling heartily at the independant-minded cat who shits outside the box, I read the front page, making down to the STATshot, featuring my wonderful town. Now, this got me wondering: is the character of Austin, Texas really so well-known throughout the english-speaking world that it makes a viable front-page gag for The Onion? Or are they playing a clever game with IP recognition? Any insight as to either possibility would be welcome.

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**Author:** ![Vorae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Vorae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorae)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105/2 "2003-05-28T21:57:59Z")

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I saw it, and I was reading from Chicago. I guess Austin’s hippietown reputation is a little more well-known than I thought.

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**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105/3 "2003-05-28T22:39:42Z")

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This week’s _Onion_ does seem to have a bit more “localization” than usual, though. Most if their articles don’t specify where they’re supposed to have taken place - but for whatever reason, most of this week’s articles mention specific (different) cities. I have to wonder if that’s a reflection of a deliberate change in style.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105/4 "2003-05-29T01:17:04Z")

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It’s the same in Panama.

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**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105/5 "2003-05-30T00:59:20Z")

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My friend who moved last year from Madison (home of The Onion) to Austin only has a couple hacky sacks, not a whole box of them as pictured in the issue, not sure if it’s on-line pic or not. Totally unrealistic…😉

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**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-onion-our-fair-city/178105/6 "2003-05-30T04:50:47Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Some Guy \*  
> **This week’s _Onion_ does seem to have a bit more “localization” than usual, though. Most if their articles don’t specify where they’re supposed to have taken place**

As an _Onion_ reader of nearly a decade, I’ve got to call you on this one. _Onion_ articles almost always carry a dateline. The location is often unimportant, but it is usually specified just as it would be in a “real” news article.