Postmodern style often addresses its viewers as sophisticated media readers and consumers. Referring to Sturken and Cartwright's chapter "Postmodernism and Popular Culture," and the Onion News Network clip posted above, describe how the text operates on the level of satire. In particular, how does the clip make use of parody and irony?
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This text is a satire because of its use of parody and irony. Specifically, it parodies both Time magazine and most leading news channels and anchors. First of all, it parodies Time magazine in that it copies Time's fondness for producing issues devoted to lists of people. Every year, Time puts out a list of "The 100 Most Influential People". This clip flips that by producing a list of "The Nine Million Least Influential People". They include minute details of the selection process, shown in the section where the news anchor asks about a "controversial" change in standings. The fake Time representative tells how they averted a "disaster" by discovering that the woman in question actually is influential to her dog.
This clip also parodies major news networks and their anchors by melodramatizing the already ridiculously dramatic Primetime news scene. The anchor in this clip makes a big deal out of everything, even small, inconsequential details. This clip shows the use of irony through the anchor, as well. The anchor uses exclamations like "amazing" in response to the Time representative's stories about these uninfluential people.
These parodies and ironies are effectively humorous because we are all familiar with the subjects being mocked. Most of us have seen Time's most influential people lists, and we are familiar with the standard Primetime news coverage format. This clip wouldn't be as effective if it had chosen to parody less well-known subjects.
Bethany Davey
In recent years that Onion has become extremely popular, known specifically for its parody and comedic twist on national events and icons. The video clip presented to us is no different as we are presented with the least influential people in America. The text used in the video clip adds another level of parody and irony to the discussion between the two men about the least influential people. There are two things being mocked through this video. First, they’re taking a subject, usually featuring the most influential people and making it into a situation where they’re saying who cares about the most influential people. How can you really judge something like that? The other point being made fun of is the stories scrolling across the bottom. They all say ridiculous things, whereas traditionally in the news it would be a breaking story or information on the stock market. Parody has become a signature part of American humor and culture. More and more often we’re seeing movies and music being parodied. We can almost go back to Walter Benjamin and see these parodies and copies hurting the aura of the original. Yes, despite the fact they are funny, these do ultimate hurt the way traditional serious pieces are intended to be viewed.
When text is used to operate in satire it references something that the audience is familiar with. It may also reference something that the audience is not familiar with exactly but knows what the text is implying or parodying. Effective satires use this intertextuality to create irony and parody.
For example, in this clip from the Onion News Network, the text reading "Magazine releases Least Influential People List" references something that the audience would be familiar with. Most of the audience would know about an annual most influential people list that comes out every year and is widely talked about. This clip brings about irony by creating this intense news broadcast setting which people are also familiar with, but then making a big deal about this least influential people list which would not be considered important news to most people.
Jacob Rengstorf
This clip is satirical because of its' great use of parody and irony. It operates on this level of satire by creating a parody of the Times 100 list where instead of listing the most influential people, it lists the 299 million least influential people. Operating on this level of satire forces the creator to assume that the viewer has a certain level media literacy. This clip is obviously a parody of the Time Magazine 100 list, but if the viewer is not familiar with Time Magazine he or she will not understand the intertextual reference and therefore will not understand the satire. This clip also uses irony as a way of creating satire. For example, it's ironic that Jim Stutts is claim adjuster but hasn't actually made an adjustment in two years. It's also ironic that the news anchor makes a big deal out of minute details like the "controversy" surrounding 9,604th place on the list. This melodramatic way of picking apart the news also parodies top news stations like CNN. Our high level of media literacy, paired with this clips' use of parody and irony, make it truly hilarious.
Nick LaVake
Referring to Sturken and Cartwright’s chapter, “Postmodernism and Popular Culture,” the Onion News Network clip operates on the level of satire through its comical set up of a serious news television discussing the topic of the least influential man that has made the list this year. The irony in it all is that what is presented is usually of concern and high interest in the most influential people not caring about the least influential people. Because The Onion discusses the least influential man, it creates a comical presentation of how people pay attention to news that provides information that could more or less affect our lives. Such as, why care who is the most influential? And by making that point, The Onion provides news about the least influential. Not saying that it was The Onion’s main objective to have that message conveyed through their news report, but to point that what news we pay attention to can literally come across as just a type of gossip that doesn’t necessarily place an importance in our lives.
The Onion News Network includes running text along the bottom of the television that is often common in serious news specials such as 20/20 and Primetime. But in irony of that serious format, the Onion News Network makes a parody of the (made-up) list of the least influential people ‘featured’ by Times magazine as well as provide insignificant information to run along the bottom lines of the television screen. Thus, the text used in The Onion news report reflects its level of satire with unnecessary reports of the most absurd news (such as the man who joined the air force just so his girlfriend could use the recruiter’s bathroom) that could mean less to people - making it laughable.
The clip from the onion makes use of parody and irony in different ways. The entire film clip is a parody of the major media outlets primetime news programs. It is set up in similar fashion of an anchor at a desk talking about a news story. It further parodies real life by creating their own list of Time magazines least influential people as compared to real life Time magazines most influential people. The clip goes into in depth interviews with people who know the least influential person-Jim Stutts and have them share their input on him. The alleged other contender controversy for the title is also a parody of real news, trying to build tenion through controversy. The irony in this clip lies in the fact that a nationally known magazine would put out such a ridiculous article on a trivial subject. Much less a news station would bother to report on the least influential people list put out by Time magazine.
The Onion news clip operates on a level of satire mainly because of its goal as a video. This video clip is obviously intended for comical and fictional purposes, it’s just a parody. For one it is an intentional mimicry of an official news cast, we have scrolling news along the bottom, a professional looking news cast with an anchor, people calling in, contributors adding to the anchors story, etc. It’s obviously meant to mock and poke fun at Time Magazine’s most influential people of the year. What’s ironic is how it is about Time Magazine’s least influential people of the year, which is a complete contradiction of the original idea behind Time Magazine to the point where it is comically amusing. The fact that it revolves around Time Magazine and one could say the NN in the corner is from CNN leads to the video being a legitimate parody. Reason being is, usually a parody will reference well known people, places and things, so that a viewer can identify what is being mocked and mimicked and see the ironic humor associated with it. If someone had no idea of the original text being referenced it would be much more difficult to find the humor in it.
Andrew Fleckenstein
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