Posted by The Happy Tutor
So now we non-conservatives are slowly realizing that our last refuge is sarcasm. Yes, I'm casting magic spells to make the Iraq War go poorly. Yes, I've devoted my entire journalistic career to aiding and abetting terrorism. Etc. I count this as a victory of the pro-satire wing of the epic battle of the Wealth Bondage Dumpster. Though perhaps not a victory of the non-conservative movement in this country -- more a strategic retreat. One hopes that sarcasm can unmask the stupidity of mainstream orthodox conservative discourse, which proudly and openly proclaims its historic inability to compete on equal footing with other ideological forms in the public discursive space of classic liberalism (the "liberal media," the universities) -- but one hopes also that people do not continue to embrace stupidity because it "at least" offers something positive, in contrast to the debunking and discrediting strategies of non-conservative commentators.
Sarcasm and irony are matters of tone, all to easily mastered by 14 year olds. What we need is more devasting, what Alexander Pope, I think it was, described as "the wondering face of praise." Don't fight conservative soundbites. They are written by knaves for fools. Instead simply pantomime the response of their "Ideal Reader," a true believer, a human being by nature, and a fool by education, training, and habituation. Sock puppets! To the barricades! We must win the War against Evil! Let your heart lift with joy for We are Good! We are washed in the Blood; once saved, always saved! The world is 1,000 years old. We are Rapture Ready! Bush bears an Annointing! Kill all who say otherwise!
Recent Comments