Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Don't Go There

Can we all agree that mocking the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him (PBUH) however you care to spell his name, is just a bad frickin' idea?

A Danish newspaper published twelve "satirical" cartoons, and a Norwegian Christian magazine re-published them, God knows why. Shockingly, an Iraqi group called for attacks against Danish and Norwegian targets, Morocco's government officially condemned the publication, and various Muslim-themed countries closed their Danish embassies and boycotted their products. On a clear day, we could have seen that coming forever.

And all because "a writer complained that nobody dared illustrate his book about [Mohammed PBUH]." All we have to say to that is, dude, whenever the phone rings next, you'd better hope it's Salman Rushdie on the other end of the line.
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Thursday, January 12, 2006

Organized Religion as a Satirical Target

Around Check Please!, the motto is "We're serious about satire." And we're serious about serious looks at satire, too. That's why this piece on The Friday Project, Respecting the Authoritaah: South Park vs The Catholic Church, caught our attention.

It's worth yours too because, as the title makes clear, it's about South Park, which is very funny or tasteless or both in its satirical execution. But the article also makes strides into the realm of a subject close to the heart of satire - the good old First Amendment.

Regardless of your political affiliation, when we're living in a world where the president and his advisors regularly suggest that people watch what they say, and suggest that voices criticizing the administration (not too far a leap from satirizing) could be construed as giving the enemy aid and comfort, then we're in troubled waters indeed.
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Thursday, January 05, 2006

Workin' on the Railroad

How do we love thee, satire, let us count the ways. There's books, and songs, and websites, and model railroads, and stand-up comedy and - wait, back up there a minute. Model railroads?!

Aye, 'tis true. John Hanks of Laramie, WY, has turned his model railroad collection into a veritable satire diorama. While creating a large-scale reproduction of post-WWII Milwaukee, John started integrating thoroughly modern elements into the scene, including union protestors, a Homeland Security prison, and a newspaper with the slogan "The News That's Right for America."

"It's a way for me to vent my frustrations and laugh. I have to have humor. That's how I survive," Hanks explains. "It's mostly just for self-expression."

I don't know about you, but I now have a respect for the model railroad field that I'd never expected to have.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Another satirist for whom to vote

So, Viktor Shenderovich didn't fare so well in the Russian elections last month, but as we previously noted, he himself didn't expect to win. As the wags like to say, accept your limitations and they're yours, Viktor.

Meanwhile, we've got one of our own in the running for 2006. Kinky Friedman, complimented as "the kooky mystery writer and musician" by Fox News, has announced his candidacy in Texas. He'll be running for governor as an independent.

Satirist Friedman is already making big waves on the fundraising front, and he's already launched his first commercial campaign. What are his politics? Who cares! He's a published satirist! Run, Kinky, run!
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Satire pervades the web, seeping into mailboxes and mainstream news like a spilled cup of coffee. It stains and it won't go away.



The Bitter Cup is a collaborative blog for members of HumorFeed, a collaborative of satire and humor sites that has been making trouble since 2003.