Discussing
The hopeful sincerity of The Onion’s Oscar apology

Here's a random reference that I think speaks to your point about satire, Bethany. I've been watching the films of the Marx Brothers for the first time lately, and while overall I've come to appreciate their brand of comic anarchy, one hesitation I’ve had is that at times – and in Duck Soup in particular – their insult humor has been directed at vague targets or undeserving ones. This is exactly what Rosenberg is talking about in the quote you cite, where she argues that effective humor exposes something meaningful about its target. Otherwise we’re just dealing in cruelty, and that’s a distinction – especially for Christians – that matters.

Is the _Wittenburg Door still being published? Their satire from the 1980's as I recall was mostly insider stuff aimed at Moral Majority and megachurch trends.

Looks like they still have a website, Jeff, but it doesn't appear to have anything newer than 2008: http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/

I am not about to say that the Onion's joke was effective, but I think you're missing something by saying Wallis was the target. The joke was aimed at the celebrity-obsessed spite and meanness on Twitter, and removing the Onion's tweet from its context - in this case, the rest of Twitter on Oscar night - strips it of its satirical intent. On its own, it looks like a mean-spirited attack on a 9-year-old. In context, it's a pretty sophisticated joke, and one I don't feel required an apology.

On the topic of Christians attempting satire, the one that springs to mind first is the work of Steve Taylor. On his three full-length albums from the '80s (Meltdown, On the Fritz and I Predict 1990), Taylor unleashed a brilliant, sarcastic and powerful satirical assault on Christian hypocrisy, while keeping his eye on the prize (see "I Just Wanna Know").

I think Taylor is Exhibit A in the argument that Christian satire is not only possible, but a worthy endeavor. (See Terry Scott Taylor's work with Daniel Amos and the Swirling Eddies for Exhibit B.)

I don't think the Onion intended to target Wallis, but that was how it was read by many, many critics, familiar with the Onion and the rest of their tweets that night. Even if your intent was noble, it is still the right thing to do to apologize if your results were hurtful.

This is such a great point, Andre. I have been having this conversation with family and friends for months, about what I call the casual meanness of the internet, and I am guilty of it myself at times, because my words do not always come out as intended.
This Oscar night it seemed there were examples everywhere - the same people who spent hours reducing women to clothes hangers and dissecting their fashion in the coldest way possible were outraged at Seth MacFarlane's jokes, and saw no parallels between the two. Then the next night, these outraged people were back on Twitter tearing the women of "The Bachelor" apart.
Still, I'm not sure they are ready to be called out on it yet.

Satire, like any other art form, is a tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. Its cutting edge is what gives it its power, but it's also the aspect that can do the most damage. Dumbing down our communication to avoid the risk of offense can create its own problems. For example, see much of the Christian music being released at the time Steve Taylor was recording "Lifeboat" (On the Fritz--thanks Andre Salles). While there's nothing wrong with middle-of-the-road art, it rarely changes people's thinking. The trick is to use the power of satire in a way that mirrors the way Christ used it against the religious leaders who were straining gnats while swallowing camels. Kind of a wise as serpents kind of thing.

Bethany, thanks for this thoughtful piece. As a Christian, writer and radio satirist (www.rightbetweentheears.com), I live in this tension all the time. And I have wondered at times whether satire (root word: satyr) is just plain wrong. But I think it does serve a purpose, when pointed at our own self-aggrandizement and pomposity. Thanks again for the post!