Article of the Week 3

The Onion is an American entertainment news organization that features satirical articles, news audios, and video among other things. I’ve selected two different articles since both are somewhat short; as satire news tends to be.

First-Ever Gay 'Dear John' Letters Begin Reaching U.S. Troops Overseas
See Article Here

This article focuses on the effect the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy has had on U.S. troops. Apparently there has been hundreds of letters sent to troops overseas this week from their partners informing them that they are starting a new life with someone else. This article was printed in the Onion, which means it is not at all credible. It does however, present new perspectives of the current issue, which is the recent repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t tell policy. Honestly, I’ve no idea what the repercussions may be of the removal of this policy. Apparently though, the onion does. Mostly, I think their purpose is just to poke fun at any current event. The sort of people the onion is focused towards is probably people who also follow normal news stations; with the background knowledge they would actually find the articles humorous. If this article were serious their usage of sentences like “…has left romantically betrayed homosexuals in every branch of the service grappling with feelings of rejection and despair, a momentous milestone in U.S. military history.” Would easily appeal to pathos and ethos, but since the tone of the article is humorous, it just makes the article funny. It is difficult to understand who is being mocked and whose side the author is on. Near the end it makes McCain sound like a jerk, but I don’t know anything about his involvement in gay rights, so I can’t know if they are being serious or sarcastic. Overall though, I think the author did succeed in his goal, he made me laugh.


General Mills Releases New Lucky Charms With 15 Percent Less Leprechaun Meat

See Blurb Here

 This is a very brief blurb about the leprechaun meat used in, the popular cereal, Lucky Charms. "As always, we use only natural colorings and flavorings in our cereals, which is why you may still suometimes find a wee hat in your bowl" I suppose that The Onion is mocking how unhealthy the cereal is… Their ingredients are definitely not natural! Unhealthful foods are always making claims such as having less sugar, or having the power to lower cholesterol, fewer calories. In the case of children’s cereals, which usually have 99% sugar, a claim like having 15% less Leprechaun meat would not be surprising. This blurb makes outrageous claims and uses the same tone that any usual add may have. Just with exaggeration is the satirical aspect fulfilled.