I need your best example of Poe's Law.
September 30, 2008 6:38 AM Subscribe
What is your best example of Poe's Law?
I'm trying to explain what Poe's Law is to a friend of mine, but she doesn't fully understand. I want your best example of said Internet Law.
I'm trying to explain what Poe's Law is to a friend of mine, but she doesn't fully understand. I want your best example of said Internet Law.
It reminds me of that skit from the Chappelle Show where he's a blind, black racist. If he where white in that skit, changing nothing, then it would be really offensive. But because he's black it's all parody, whereas the only thing changing is the speaker.
posted by lockestockbarrel at 7:04 AM on September 30, 2008
posted by lockestockbarrel at 7:04 AM on September 30, 2008
The Onion is occasionally taken as an actual news source. This is a little outside Poe's Law, but clearly a related phenomenon.
posted by adamrice at 7:06 AM on September 30, 2008
posted by adamrice at 7:06 AM on September 30, 2008
Nthing Objective Ministries.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:17 AM on September 30, 2008
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:17 AM on September 30, 2008
Best answer: "Anti Spore" is a blog purportedly lobbying to ban the videogame "Spore" because it teaches evolution. Even on the final post, which turns into a Biblical rickroll, most of the commenters didn't get it.
posted by mbrubeck at 8:05 AM on September 30, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by mbrubeck at 8:05 AM on September 30, 2008 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Recently Roger Ebert made this post. Nobody was sure whether it was genuine, satire or a hacker. It turned out he was trying to make a comment about irony is society today.
posted by Midnight Rambler at 8:23 AM on September 30, 2008
posted by Midnight Rambler at 8:23 AM on September 30, 2008
Best answer: Roger Ebert's recent article Creationism: Your questions answered was supposed to be some kinda satire (or something) but just confused the hell out of everyone. In a follow-up, he mentions Poe's Law.
posted by Ljubljana at 8:27 AM on September 30, 2008
posted by Ljubljana at 8:27 AM on September 30, 2008
Response by poster: I think I'm going to use Ebert and AntiSpore.
Thanks guys!
posted by DonSlice at 9:11 AM on September 30, 2008
Thanks guys!
posted by DonSlice at 9:11 AM on September 30, 2008
I know you said this is answered, but here's another idea.
Ask your friend to watch anything by Benny Hinn with the sound off. This is a man that regularly claims to be able to heal by laying on hands and literally blasting magic power into people.
Now ask your friend to imagine he/she is a comedy writer. How would you parody this in such a way that your audience would know it's a parody of Benny Hinn and not the real thing?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:32 AM on September 30, 2008
Ask your friend to watch anything by Benny Hinn with the sound off. This is a man that regularly claims to be able to heal by laying on hands and literally blasting magic power into people.
Now ask your friend to imagine he/she is a comedy writer. How would you parody this in such a way that your audience would know it's a parody of Benny Hinn and not the real thing?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:32 AM on September 30, 2008
The "Landover Baptist Church" site kept having problems with this. These days their stuff is a lot more over-the-top, but it used to be somewhat more restrained, and people were constantly posting comments that suggested that they believed it.
That was especially the case when they'd post about Wicca. Wiccans would swarm the place and respond angrily.
posted by Class Goat at 10:36 AM on September 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
That was especially the case when they'd post about Wicca. Wiccans would swarm the place and respond angrily.
posted by Class Goat at 10:36 AM on September 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Sarah Silverman's comedy.
posted by Rykey at 3:54 PM on September 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Rykey at 3:54 PM on September 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
A British journalist once wrote (paraphrase) "whenever you write parody, make sure the typesetters print it using an ironic font, because otherwise there's always someone who takes it at face value".
posted by AmbroseChapel at 5:26 PM on September 30, 2008
posted by AmbroseChapel at 5:26 PM on September 30, 2008
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Especially the accompanying 'Creationist Science Fair'
(for some reason putting the actual links in isn't working in my browser)
posted by TheOtherGuy at 6:46 AM on September 30, 2008