www.theonion.com
With things creeping back to normality in the USA and world news
focus moving east, it's interesting to see if Americans are learning
to smile again. One of the best known satire websites, theonion.com,
is slowly getting back to its own version of reality. Known for
its classic archive spoofs such as Microsoft patenting the numbers
1 and 0, and the report that links marajuana with sitting around
listening to Pink Floyd, theonion is currently a weird mix of
fact and fiction.
There's a curious sensitivity for fellow Americans' feelings as
links to FEMA.gov, the US disaster site, mix with quotes which
could easily be from a right-wing tabloid - the 'counterpoint'
column weighs up 'blind rage' versus 'measured, focussed rage'.
The voxpop section might also pass for real as a typical citizen
asks "Do we have nukes that can kill just six or seven people?"
Less likely is the report that George Bush Senior has apologised
to his son for funding the terrorists in the first place.
Back on track, a story on Bush urging the likes of Mariah Carey
and Michael Jackson to refrain from recording any sort of all-star
charity ballads - "there has already been enough suffering"
he says. Finally, an interview with God which reiterates "Thou
shalt not Kill - "a four-word sentence with one-syllable
words - how much more clear can I get?" If anything else
theonion.com shows that it's maybe ok for everyone to laugh again
- but for once, WITH America rather than at it.