Apr 19, 2011
If Fox News had existed throughout history
I don’t think I’ve ever watched any Fox News, but that doesn’t mean I won’t participate in making fun of them a little…
(via Dangerous Minds)
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O.o
There is a line between good fun, good satire, and slander. I think the line is just before you imply that people are racist and pro-slavery. That means Spanish Inquisition and Boston Tea Party = Okay. The others, not so much.
I tend to agree. Not really well thought out or executed.
How come no one here was offended when he posted http://twentytwowords.com/2011/04/15/an-apropos-bible-verse-for-next-to-the-toilet/
FoxNews = More sacred than Philippians.
#notoffendedbyeither, #tiredofrighteousindignationbyunrighteouspeople
Dan:
Just because there may have been no/few comments on the apropos bible verse for toilet does not mean that no one was offended. Count me among those who were offended but not bothering to comment. Was a busy day.
I just think it’s telling that people are up in arms over one source of authority, and relatively quiet about another. It says something about people’s commitments, busy or not.
Actually Dan, the answer is pretty simple, and your statement here is pretty unfair, not to mention colored with logical fallacy.
Here’s what you’ve said, while leaving it unsaid:
1. Defending something means you think it’s “sacred.”
2. You concieve of “defense” of a sacred text in the same way you do a person or group of people.
3. Being offended by these photos means you are in the proverbial tank for Fox News.
I was offended by this bit here (or at least thought it was out of line) but I reject all three of the points I listed above. I don’t like Fox News, but I don’t think it’s funny to accuse *people* of being pro-slavery, racist, or liars. I also get tired of people jumping on whipping boy bandwagons, anyway.
Whereas no one (to my knowledge) in the history of interpretation of that Philippians passage has ever seriously argued that Paul was talking about bowel movements. If you have a commentary that suggests otherwise, I’ll be happy to read it.
Why does that matter? Because while there really are people who would accuse certain Fox News anchors (and the whole group in general) of being racist liars, few (if any) people have actually attempted to demonstrate that Paul’s meaning in that Philippians passage has to do with taking a dump.
One is a joke becuase it hints at what may be reality. One is a joke becuase it is nowhere near reality. There’s a big difference, and you should probably take that into consideration before you call down judgement on people for being “unrighteous” when your assumptions about their perspective are anything but charitable.
These images accurately portray the Fox News I have watched over the years. There is no doubt in my mind that Fox News would have seen the Boston Tea Party as a bunch of wild liberals harassing King and Country. Further, I am certain that Fox News would have sided with the Confederacy because it would have seemed to Fox News that this was a “States Rights” issue.
I would suggest that the point of the satire isn’t to suggest that the people on Fox News are racist, but that they will always frame their talking points and reporting based on current political advantage, and I think on that basis it makes the point well. It’s akin to the Onion’s headline: “Republicans to Fight Obama-backed Bill to Save Earth From Giant Asteroid”. Which was, admittedly, funnier, but mining the same territory. Literal interpretations of satire are prone to misunderstanding.
Right. Not funny.
I’m no fox news fan, but this is kinda lame. I’d rather make fun of the people making fun of fox news, now that would be satire!
sounds like you are a fox news fan
It’s this kind of post that makes me not want to read any longer… You do realize that you’re kicking a good portion of your audience in the teeth, right?
Maybe a good portion of his audience shouldn’t be so loyal to one news station and their point-of-view. If this was slandering Jesus or the body of Christ, I would be offended. But it’s making fun of a worldly news station. Not a big deal.
What’s wrong with being loyal to one news station?
A couple of things. For one, it’s probably not wise. Every news station is biased and has a target audience. If you are trying to get the truth, it would seem best to listen to several different perspectives.
Secondly, it’s my opinion that a Christian should be very careful of having strong loyalties to anything other than Jesus and His kingdom. They can interfere with your loyalty to Christ. I have seen many Christians become loyal to one particular political slant and begin to equate their politics with the Gospel. As if the world would be saved if everyone shared their political views.
Nothing at all. That’s why I’m wholly devoted to MSNBC. I get all my news from them and I don’t consider opposing viewpoints. It makes me smarter and more capable of presenting my viewpoints in a logical, considerate way. The last thing you want to do is hear someone saying something with which you don’t agree.
#internetsarcasmalwayscomesoutmeanerthanintended, #pleaseforgiveme, #justhavingfun
All the news stations in America are biased – as are the news stations in all the rest of the world(planet earth) – which is why I watch BBC – OK they’re making fun of us to a degree – but there take on our “situations” seem to be more fact based than our own!
Yes, and “their” command of the English language is so much better as well.
So what youre saying is a “good portion” of a humor website’s audience are humorless babies who cant take a simple joke?
Yup. What the above commenters said.
I agree with everyone here. Why would you post this especially since you said
You’ve never watched Fox News. Slanderous and not funny.
It had to be FOX news because they are tolerant. CNN/MSNBC parody would have been more believable but you can’t risk making fun of them.
Wait… Fox News is tolerant? Pssh. Please.
“Fox new is tolerant”
That statement blew my mind!
sat·ire
[sat-ahyuhr]
noun
1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
2. a legally protected right under the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution
Can’t wait to see what you do with MSNBC!
Yes, and CNN. Satire is at its best when it doesn’t bully just one side. All of these networks tend to do that, and satire on each of them would be very thought-provoking, especially to those who create the programming if they would bother to pay attention.
This is dead-on. Thanks.
Right on everyone. Agrreed. Wondering why they didn’t include any
anti-semetic sentiments….oh yea, that’s the broadcast networks, CNN and MSNBC.
Actually, the posts having to do with Jesus would appropriately be viewed as anti-Semitic. He was after all a Jew and his followers were considered, especially by the Roman empire, to be a sect of Judaism. It wasn’t until nearly a century later that Christianity started being considered its own religion, mainly as a result of external pressure by the Roman empire after several uprisings to flush out radical sects within Judaism which may have posed a threat to further stability of their empire.
While I certainly don’t believe that CNN and MSNBC and BBC and CBC and Al Jazeera, etc. are innocent of this, there is something funny about pointing out the depths of media manipulation.
Stop getting so offended everyone.
I laughed.
I have watched Fox News, and I think the satire is aimed at something that is true–and I think mostly true of most cable news networks. I remember a day when “breaking news” was actually breaking news.
Or, another way to say it: I think most new organizations today try to find the most extreme way to talk about something. I think this post is just playing along, to make a point.
Very disappointed in today’s post. I don’t care what your political persuasion is, today’s post is inappropriate. To call Fox News and their employees, racist and pro-slavery is way over the top. I will be unfollowing you and deleting your blog from my blog reel – I agree with Joe S – not well thought out or executed.
way to over react.
Wow… overreaction a bit??
I won’t be unfollowing, but I do feel it was is poor taste. It’s akin to telling “dead baby” jokes. It’s distastefully funny, but mostly distasteful.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a dead baby joke. Do they start with, “Two dead babies walk into a bar…”? Wow. That’s awfully morbid…and sad. I’m going to go have a good cry now.
Heres one:
“Two babies are being carried by their mother down an Iraqi street. A US missile lands nearby, killing them instantly. Fox News refers to them as ‘acceptable losses’ in the War on Terror”
Get it?
I don’t know what a dead baby joke is, but I would assume Abraham wouldn’t find it funny at all, considering his own story. But, your comment made me think that if people take Fox News as seriously and personally as they could take a joke about a dead baby, they need this kind of humor.
Really? You do know he didn’t create this right? Have you ever picked apples? Its a peaceful and wonderful experience. You spend a day out in the apple orchard with family and friends. Fall is usually starting to set in and the air is nice and crisp. After coming in you begin to sort the apples. Every once in a while you come across a rotten apple that looks really great on the outside…its inevitable, and it’s happened to me many times, but I still eat apples. I haven’t deleted any apple farms from my gps and I don’t plan to. You simply cannot go so crazy after one bad apple amongst a whole harvest of Pink Ladies!
I think many of the people posting responses missed the point. We look at many historically significant events through rose colored glasses because the outcomes align with our current belief. The truth is, many major events that have advanced our society were looked at like wild rebellious acts and were reported on as such. Thanks for provoking us.
kudos nick.
Spoken like a true Faux News viewer.
Maybe something on how CNN would have declared the Japanese the victors of World War Two on December 8th, 1941? So, yes, not one of the better 22 Words posts.
Hey! Good post, Abraham! Good to be aware of how media twists things.
That was very funny.
That’s the way (kind of)some news from the United States are shown to us down here.
Greetings from Ecuador.
BTW: I’m NOT at all affiliated with Rafael Correa (president of Ecuador)who declared Persona Non Grata to U.S ambassador…
“Just saying” ;oD
I don’t think these are accusing Fox News of being racist and/or pro-slavery (although the O’Reilly one probably does). As a former Fox News watcher, and still a staunch conservative, Fox News fails frequently with reporting things correctly. Whether it’s a mis-typed crawler or headline, or just a lack of facts. All news networks do that but Fox News is frequently singled out, probably due to their own tagline “Fair and Balanced”. They kind of bring this kind of ridicule on themselves.
For the record, I found them pretty funny. Borderline distasteful, but mostly funny.
Another thing that bothers me, besides the obvious that most have pointed out, is that this appears to come from the thinking that it looks cool to dog the team that you know most of your blog followers are on.
Wait, so you’re claiming this blog is read predominately by dour, judgemental conservatives with absolutely no sense of humor or self-awareness? Somehow I doubt that’s the case.
I know Abraham was going for funny, and 10.5 out of 12 readers so far have responded “not funny,” but there *is* an interesting thought experiment here:
How would the news have been reported if today’s 24/7-ness and open-secretly ideological “reporting” were crossed with various prevailing prejudices in the past?
It might not have been called “Fox,” but do any of you “not-funnies” really doubt something like this would have been on your basic cable menu?
exactly
Truest comment on here.
No way. Great find Abraham!
How can you watch 30 minutes of Fox News and not see a little bit of truth here? And yes, you could easily do a similar thing for CNN on the opposite side (which we Christians do every day), but we have to be able to laugh at our ridiculous blind trust/love of Fox news.
If you watch Fox news and seriously come away with thinking they are racist, then you don’t understand what you are watching.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think the point of the creator of those images was to say Fox is racist. I think KP’s comment hit the nail on the head:
“How would the news have been reported if today’s 24/7-ness and open-secretly ideological “reporting” were crossed with various prevailing prejudices in the past?”
It’s not that Fox News is racist, it’s that they regularly interpret events through their own lenses and lose objectivity. All this post does is take their practices (albeit at a sarcastic level) and put them in a different time frame, so that if you follow their journalistic philosophy to its logical conclusion, you would have something similar to the images above.
And it’s funny. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then we really are in trouble.
I smell a “too cool for school” attitude. Lame.
Its so wrong to accuse FOX news of being racist. I also think its wrong to encourage that accusing FOX news of being racist is funny.
It’s called satire. Fox itself allows the writers for the Simpson’s and Family Guy freedom to poke jabs at Murdoch and his News Corp. Get over your misplaced indignation and move on.
I find it interesting that people assume there are “sides” in media reporting. Fox is decidedly slanted to present a conservative POV, because it’s aim is to balance what it perceives from CNN, etc. as a “liberal” POV. MSNBC has decided to present the anti-Fox network, hoping to capitalize on the audience Fox leaves behind. CNN is just trying to hang onto what it had when it was the first and only 24/7 network by bringing in whoever commentators the other networks haven’t claimed. Most of the “liberal” media aren’t choosing to report from a liberal POV, they are liberals who happen to be reporters. They may have a predisposition to liberal ideas, and those predispositions definitely come through, but there’s no dogmatic intent. Fox and MSNBC are intentionally choosing “stories” and presenting them in a certain way to reinforce a POV. There’s a difference, and that difference SHOULD be pointed out and ridiculed, as it was here.
I’m also amused that many of the folks in this thread who are quitting this blog and taking their ball and going home, so to speak, are mad at the implication that Fox is racist, but not really commenting on the depiction that implies Fox would choose Rome over Jesus!
That’s where this post is wrong. I think Fox would choose the pharisees over Jesus. :)
Ha!
Ding ding ding. You win!
+1 internets for you.
KC, I am not one who has decided to take my ball and go home, but I do wonder if those that have said that are doing so because this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I know there have been other posts (although not political) that have disappointed me including those with inappropriate language or videos with immodest women. So, I wonder if this made them decide it’s time. Just a thought. I have no real way of verifying that unless they come forward and say so.
Absolutely – this was the last straw. There have been numerous questionable posts and it is time delete the blog from my reel. It is not appropriate content. Inappropriate language – innuendo – picture – videos – etc. Why waste my time when there is so much other uplifting content available.
you’re probably that person that annoys the crap out of every pastor. see you later… let me know when you find that perfect church…
Lawl!
Where are the “questionable posts”? Somehow I missed them.
It’s important that you draw a fence around yourself and only come into contact with clean people and things. Otherwise, you might become unclean and incur the wrath of God. I have a Torah for you.
*Talmud (stupid fingers type faster than I think)
I recommend you only read the 1611 KJV Verse-a-Day blog, you’ll find that more in line with your sensitivities. Although, on second thought, that may be too much too it does have a lot of sex, violence, and references to “jackass”…
Hmm, maybe you should only subscribe to Ken Ham’s blog.
I thought it was funny.
Me, too. Satire isn’t well-done unless someone gets offended.
Thanks for sharing this. I thought it was delightfully humorous. These other people just need to submit to Jesus as their authority and rest in His imputed righteousness. ATTENTION: Glenn Beck is not YAHWEH!!!!
HE’S NOT?!
:o)
Gotta love the irony of the guy pulling the Jesus juke accusing *others* of taking themselves or the situation too seriously.
It’s disturbing to me that people actually think the news organizations like Fox, CNN and MSNBC are worth defending.
Really people. If you still think that these organizations provide anything more than a product for sale for your hungry consumption of crap then you’re widely deceived.
They call this kind of argument/propoganda the “straw man” fallacy. While I don’t always like Fox News, it’s an obvious straw man argument that pushes the line a bit, on equal footing of a mockup of NBC or ABC saying “John Wilkes Booth: murderer or MARTYR?
That would be pretty funny, though only with FOX News. It would just be blah with NBC or ABC.
Thank you for posting this Abraham!
Bill O’Reilly is a jackass…
Making fun of Fox News does not bother me, I can no longer visit a site that would post anything such as the death of our Lord and Savior as a “Carpentry Accident.”
That is ridiculous Abraham.
It wasn’t saying the death of Jesus was a carpentry accident. It was saying that Fox News (or any media, really) might have tried to spin it that way.
April, I think spoco’s point is that it’s probably not in good taste (to say the very least) to call yourself a Christian, and then make light or joke about the cross of Christ in such a flipant manner. Of course it wasn’t saying the death of Jesus was a carpentry accident, but it’s still offensive because it’s making light of the most sober and glorious event to ever take place.
The blog entry communicates something to the nature of ‘Fox news would report something like this stupidly’.
That’s the entire point.
I agree with Eric – the world constantly pokes fun of the cross – criticizes the cross – demeans the cross – and slanders the cross. Why would a “Christian” do the same thing in a blog post to get some laughs. Once again this blog has hit an all time low.
In this Easter Season I pray that we lift up the Cross as we celebrate Christ and His death, burial and Resurrection. Thanks be to God for our salvation and redemption.
If you are offended, be offended. But don’t accuse your fellow Christians of sin because they don’t see offense. I only saw this post as making fun of Fox News, a worldly company, not Jesus Christ or His death or His glorious resurrection.
Dude, maybe you never realized this, but crosses are stupid. They are a terribly inefficient way to kill people. Praise God for the guillotine!
But it’s not making light of the cross. It’s making light of Fox News (or really any media)for putting a political spin and bias to make the news say whatever they want. In this case, it’s saying that if Fox News had been around then, they probably would have supported Rome and would not have recognized the death of Christ as the glorious event that it was but may have rather tried to play it off as an accident.
If you are offended, be offended. But don’t accuse your fellow Christians of sin because they don’t see offense.
I really can’t find crosses to be stupid because my lord and savior Jesus Christ died on one for me.
I agree that Abraham really should be nailed to a cross for this blasphemy!!!
Let’s take the civil rights protestors screenshot as an example. At the time, a good portion of Americans — a MAJORITY in many places — thought the status quo was totally satisfactory and that those protestors were violent, selfish people trying to upset a very healthy and beneficial social order. If FOX News existed at that time, you’re telling me you can’t see them reporting on the events with the slant portrayed in the image? Because at that time, what is said on the screen there wouldn’t have been radical or offensive. Just as, at the moment, calling the pro-imigration lobby un-American isn’t that outlandish. But in 50 years, it may seem that way…
I’m an avid follower and I think 99% of your stuff is great, but, personally, this distasteful attack has pushed me over the edge that I was close to anyway because of the advertisement of Rob Bell’s heretical book “Love Wins”,(yes, I have read it, by the way!) that you allow on your site as well. Nothing personal. I just think you’re going a direction I no longer want to follow.
So 99% of the stuff is great, and 1% is not… seems like a better ratio than pretty much anything else in the universe.
You are right about Rob Bell.
Please stop complaining that this is offensive towards Christ or that it’s racist. You’re not getting it. Usually the one who doesn’t get the joke is the butt of the joke. And you might want to stay away from any satire from now on. I heard there’s a great blog called the drudge report that might be safe for you.
I understand that it is not offensive towards Christ, but it is offensive towards Fox News by using an offense against Christ coming from Fox News. I get that. It doesn’t offend you. I get that. People have a right to be offended by things that don’t offend you. Why don’t you stop complaining about being offended by people being offended by this?
You’re not getting it.
[reads comment three times] Um, so who’s on first, exactly?
I didn’t know you could delete a blog from your reel.
I didn’t know you could READ blogs on reels.
Another thing I learned today: FOX News is sacred, apparently, and any form of satire is blasphemous.
Blessed be Glenn Beck’s name.
Who in here is saying blessed be Glenn Beck? Or that Fox News is sacred? I don’t listen to Glenn Beck or watch Fox News, but if you or I did, do you seriously not see how aligning racism, sexism, and anti-christian sentiment with a particular channel would be offensive to those that watch it? What do you watch? What if I drew a connection between what you watch and being a Jew-killing Nazi and Christ-killing revisionist? Would that bother you?
Dude. You’re getting worked up over a cable news channel.
Way too worked up.
One you don’t even watch.
If someone on the Internet accused me of being a satanic one worlder for listening to the BBC and I got upset over it, I hope someone who knows and loves me would kindly tell me that I was insane.
Whoa! I went to lunch and all this happened! I had no idea.
Here’s a thought: For some people, some things just aren’t funny and can never be funny. I cannot look at an image of black people being hosed in Birmingham and attach “funny” to it. It’s a bad joke. I also do not see anything funny about sticking those words in O’Reilly’s mouth. I am not a fan of his. A friend and I at breakfast, oddly enough, commented how Fox News often seems alarmist. I would think it was poor taste to stick those words into anybody’s mouth. Those are fighting words, not funny words.
Just my somewhat more than 22 Words. I did not drop Abraham from my feed. I still like this site. I almost laughed at the Spanish Inquisition. Just so you know.
This is so fascinating! If I had been the first to read this post, before the comments, I wouldn’t have guessed it would be controversial. I don’t think the creator if this image was putting words in anyone’s mouth, so to speak. it’s simply satirically pointing out that media is biased, in this case Fox News.
KP got it right up at comment #18. No one is making fun of the cross, laughing at black people, or calling anyone a racist. If you can’t see that then you either don’t understand the intent of the artist, or you are way too easily offended due to convoluted loyalty to your news entertainment provider or a Pharisaical view of Christianity.
The worst thing about this post is that it just wasn’t very funny. The satire is a little weak, but hardly offensive.
Now I’m offended. Not very funny? Not very funny?! I’m hurt. Deep pain, I tell you.
Sorry, Dude. It’s tough love. We all slip sometimes. We’re human. What’s important is that you get back up, dust yourself off, look in the mirror and remind yourself that tomorrow’s a new day where you can start again.
Be encouraged, dear friend. No matter how far you fall from funny, it’s only one step back home.
relevant:
Thanks for the encouragement, Zach. I think I can speak for all of us, minus those leaving this blog in droves, when I say that.
Abraham, I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson today.
Positivity Wins.
Ah yes, the old, “You are just too dumb to get it” card. Nice.
I don’t watch FOX. I don’t watch O’Reilly. And this does not poke my inner Pharisee. That only leaves me with stupid…which is unacceptable because of how smart I think I am.
Since most of the people that will comment here are the ones that were offended, I just thought I’d reply and say that I found it really funny. And all the more reason that I continue to subscribe.
Then shame on you.
Have to leave you at this, sorry.I know you won’t miss me.There’s just too much to loose at this point in our nation…our freedom. I too would’ve felt better if you had posted today having researched Fox for yourself. We have too much to loose as a country these days, Such influential ridicule,,,not helpful.
/facepalm
Lose.*
wow…
Is this post really worth getting this worked up over? Really?
The post was marginally funny.
The impending comments are a riot.
Thanks Abraham!
Agreed.
Abraham,
I’ve been thinking more about this post today and have coalesced my thinking as follows, either:
(1) You knew people would find this offensive and you didn’t care. Which would be the height of liberal arrogance and snobbery…
-or-
(2) You knew people would find this offensive and it would drive up your site statistics. Which would be the worst kind of careless pragmatism…
-or-
(3) You had no clue people would be bothered. Which, I think, would be quite below your level of intelligence…
In any case, unlike a couple others, I’m sticking around – ’cause I’m just that kind of sheep.
Being a sheep’s nice. :)
I’m casting my vote with the relatively unfunny but get over defending Fox News lot.
Wow, dude. If you drop a hammer and a ruffled feather on the moon which one falls faster?
I just thought this was interesting satire; nothing more, nothing less.
I’m honestly only commenting because I’m shocked that it’s (for whatever reason) such a big issue for people, and I wanted you to know that it didn’t profoundly affect my day positively OR negatively.
I read it. I thought it was interesting. I went back to my life.
This is wrong because its lying about someone. How about post some REAL pictures of headlines of all the crazy racist slants that FOX NEWS really does…then you may have something. Problem is you wont find any like this…and that’s why it is wrong.
Setting aside whether jokes are lies…my favorite is when they declared Elie Wiesel the “winner” of the holocaust.
That certainly competes with most of these in weird, insensitive, turned-around-thinking editing right?
:)
I really don’t get the big deal.
People have completely lost the ability to laugh at themselves.
Do you go to a comedy club thinking you’ll love every joke the comedian tells? Do you think you’ll buy an album (ok, nobody does that anymore but you get my point) and love every song on it?
From what I’ve seen of this blog, its goal is simply to pass along items the blogger found amusing. You might not find something amusing so skip it and move on to the next post.
Since I have four kids, I don’t own a television so I’m really not the best person to comment on these cable news networks. But, from what I’ve read about them, they all seem a bit quirky.
I laughed at this, then saw that it had a billion comments, then read them all, and now I just want to pat you on the back Mr. Piper. I think it’s funny. It doesn’t offend me. I love Jesus. I’ve seen Fox news. I’ve seen Fox news’ devoted followers. I still think it’s funny. I don’t think you did it deliberately to offend people or rack u views, or naively out of stupidity. Rather I think you just thought it was funny and people would laugh, some would probably be offended, but who knew they would take it as sacrilegious or unforgivable. At the very worst I would have assumed they’d be mad a little irritated but think “to each his own.” So yeah, to sum up my thoughts… I thought it was funny.
Completely agreed Stephen.
Yup.
This. I’d tend more towards “funny, with a side of ‘ouch’” though.
Oh look, a post mocking a certain practice followed by commentators mocking one another for not sharing their sensibilities (on either side of the issue).
22 Words transformation into a cheezburger network clone… 85% complete (he said mockingly).
Won’t defend FOX… I don’t really watch it. I don’t really watch the news … have to catch what I can other places.
I have my own opinions and will keep them to myself about the post, but my biggest shock has been the response of your commenters to each other. I know there are sticks-in-the-mud and snobs as well as fair/balanced people out there, but somehow you brought them all to the same place at the same time!
Now to wonder who thinks they are which. :)
Abraham,
I’ve seen posts on 22 Words that I didn’t care for, but who am I to tell you what is and isn’t appropriate?
I think everyone would do well to trust your sanctification to God and how he uses your family and church in conjunction with said sanctification, and since the vast majority of commenters don’t fall into either of those categories, I don’t see how what they say should matter to you in the slightest.
I know that there is a certain amount of pressure on you young’uns to be hipsters, and to not come across as clones of your parents….but, seriously! To begin with ‘I never watch Fox News’… and then to do what you did is disgraceful.
You would have had the Generation X’s with ‘I never watch Fox News, I listen to NPR!’
Shame on you.
Carol’s tries to put you d-down (Talkin’ ’bout your generation)
Just because you post around (Talkin’ ’bout your generation)
Conversely, Carol, assuming you are a part of the Baby Boomers: “You would have had the Baby Boomers with ‘I never listen to NPR, I watch Fox News!’”
I have decided that in light of this internet travesty, I am taking a short holiday. ***10 seconds go by*** Okay, I’m back, what did I miss?
I’m a 34yo who listens to NPR, reads the newspaper, doesn’t watch tv, hits Stephen Colbert on the internet but turns him off when he gets dirty (don’t watch too long, I guess), is passionately unimpressed with the downward spiral of American holiness, doesn’t choose things because they’re “green” or not (since my husband descends from a WWII refugee, our family is original “green” without ever being hip anyway) and and and … I’m so weird in the middle. It’s about impossible to truly pinpoint anyone … but I honestly think that the comments are wrapped in something that has nothing to do with the post itself.
:slowclap:
Well done, Mr. Piper. Well done.
Farewell, Abraham Piper.
Deja vu
BEST. COMMENT. EVER.
OK. That is the funniest comment ever. I have read 22 words off and on for a few years now, and I am enjoying the new, edgier posts. Anything edgy used to be posted with apologies or warnings, to appease the masses I suppose. Seems like Abraham has decided to be brave, and I applaud that.
I still love 22 words but I have to say this was lame
I found it funny, and also found the comments funny. Double plus good!
It was also a great way to clear out some of the folks with a stick up their rear.
Oh, good grief. If you want puppies and rainbows, there is a blog just down the street just for you. If Bill O’Reilly reads this blog and is upset, then let’s hear from him. If there was anything that was beyond satirical to borderline offensive, it was the use of Jesus to make a point. Oh, wait, the cross was offensive, wasn’t it?
I believe what people may be missing is that 22 Words is not a “Christian blog”, but rather a blog written by a Christian.
That’s a pretty good point Jason Anspach. :)
What does that mean? Are there rules that should be followed based on one designation or the other? Is there a real difference between the two?
Can’t you see the forest for the trees? ALL media sources have a spin, even if they say they don’t. People have opinions and motives, both conscious and subconscious, that will come out in their news reporting. Just ask Freud.
This post would be true about ANY major news source if they had existed and had the ability to shape the opinions of millions in 9 second sound bytes taken out of context and used to contort and destroy the original matter. You could easily replace the FOX logo with CNN or MSNBC.
My Mother is a member of the Tea Party (e.g. she bought Palin’s book the first day it hit the shelves).
I registered Democrat just to watch her eyebrows go up.
Don’t get your knickers in a twist, folks. Life is too short to get all riled up about something that someone somewhere made up to show their coworkers.
I was unaware that so many people worshipped Fox news. Who knew?
and oh the controversy of this being holy week. wow.
In all seriousness I wouldn’t have posted some of those pics.
The one with the British flag in the left hand corner was very good and hits at the point I think Abraham was trying to make.
In the annals of human history, from ancient Rome (and not just toward Christians) to British colonialization (and not just in America) to the civil rights movement (and not just for African Americans), civilization has been marked by a conflict between those celebrated heroes fighting for the equal rights of the oppressed, who strove in directing us toward peace and charity for all, pitted against those fighting to maintain power and control over those oppressed. This post says nothing of the events being depicted, nothing directly about the aforementioned conflict- it doesn’t need to, we all already know the stories clearly by hindsight. Nor does this post attempt to change anyone’s perspective of those stories, a task which would be ludicrously futile. This post simply demonstrates on which side Fox News has a tendency of falling in their reporting of modern events (note: events we have not yet made up our minds up on) by contrasting a purely hypothetical, though surprisingly believable, biased news frame based upon the stories we know (note: events we have made our mind up on).
Now, for all who find this offensive: which side do you really believe Fox News tends to bais toward? That which wishes to extend a helping hand to all regardless of race, creed, nationality, gender, sexual tendencies (insert WWJD here) or those who wish to keep the “power” (read government) small by keeping it in the hands of as few people as possible, maintaining the status quo and capitalizing on the social barriers which demonize all who differ?
I personally found this post apt, poignant, humorous, and ultimately a profound interpretation of how Fox News may in fact be out of line with the original teachings of Christ. For those who have blasted this post saying it is offensive to all the Christians who subscribe to it because it calls into question the absolute “Truth” which is Fox News, please pass the obviously thorough categorical processes of analyses which you subjected this hours-old post to back upon that sacred institution you are defending. Then please reflect upon the first, and primary, commandment.
tl;dr
I don’t watch Foxnews either. But I still thought this was a poorly thought out post. I’ve been disappointed with a number of your posts lately–several of which have seem irreverent.
Wait…about what exactly is 22Words meant to be relevant?
No no, reVEREnt. No relevancy here :)
I thought the Titanic thing was the best one.
Maybe this post is less about the post itself and more about the comments it’d generate. Abraham, we see what you did there.
Haha.
As an Australia, I am slightly confused by this posting. You call it Fox News and it I have read comments about it being satire. Is it because they usually talk about foxes, maybe a little fox hunting and how to find nice fox fur outfits but instead they are being slandered because they are reporting historical news instead of their love of all things fox related?
I read this first thing this morning. I thought it was hilarious. Very funny, quality post. Not being sarcastic, just honest.
Cynically clever, but not especially funny.
haha this is awesome!!! don’t ya love how christians get more up in arms when u attack fox news then when u do something that actually matters? lol i never see this many comments on something having to do with children dying of starvation etc. or why dont we comment this much on rebecca black? making fun of a 14 year old girl is fine as long as she isnt a part of the religious right’s news stations :) just joking all. loved the post. i love all that you post. you are your own moderator, not peeps who visit.
Wow. Just wow. I saw these Fox pictures on Buzz feed, and they’re in my queue of things I’ll eventually post on my own blog, because they make a valuable contribution to a discussion about media bias. But some of these comments represent everything that is wrong with the Internet, and dare I say, as an Australian, everything that is wrong with America.
No you may not, as an Australian, comment on what is wrong with America without first providing a Paul Hogan for this generation. I won’t bend on this. ;)
Have you seen the movie Kenny?
The one about the plumber? I haven’t. Should I?
I contend that Shane Jacobson (the star) is the Paul Hogan for this generation. They’ve even been in a movie together as father and son… A passing of the laconic Australian icon baton if you will…
As to whether or not you should see it, I don’t know, it seems America doesn’t really have a satire/irony/sarcasm funny bone… my brother-in-law spent the whole time watching it (it’s a mockumentary) thinking it was for real, and praying for the guy…
When will calling people racist get old. Kind of petty to imply foxnews is racist.
When people stop being racist.
This is the longest I have ever spent on your blog, Abraham. These comments are great! Nice work.
Monty Python reference FTW!!!
Wow. I saw this post earlier today and thought it was hilarious. I started to share it on facebook and decided against it because I knew that, sadly, there would be some who would be offended. Many of them would be members of my congregation, and this was not a hill I was willing to die on. Thanks Abraham for being willing to die on this hill. It’s still hilarious.
This is fun. The best part of the post is not the post itself but the comments! Keep ‘em coming people. I want to repost just the comments on my blog!
I’m learning so much about people and how easily they are offended. Thank you.
And Abraham, keep up the good work.
If I had none that this was going to get so many comments, I so would have ended my comment with *first!*
But for all you patronizing knuckleheads out there who think that I originally posted out of some need to defend Fox News, I can only say that you are terribly and horribly wrong. I have no urge to defend that organization, and I would have had the same reaction had it been against CNN or even NPR, however that would work.
There is such a thing as offensive material. You can’t just slap “satire” on something and play like that makes it okay. Such lousy comedy isn’t offensive to me as a person, it is offensive to the genre!
Not offended, don’t watch Fox…but simply not a wise post. Does make me wonder how you could not know this would stir up a hornet’s nest, or maybe that is the point.
I would never defend a news cable as some people here would. And I am a journalist. Dear News-consumer, news stations don’t care so much about your agenda as they do about theirs. Seriously, I should know this, coz I’m a journalist. If you’re one of the people who ‘religiously’ watch Fox News, ask yourself this, would you be offended if it were any other news channel being depicted here? Stop aligning Christianity with Fox News. Most Christians are not in the Northern hemisphere and they don’t watch Fox News.
Hello Peter,
Could you kindly point to a comment that equated Christianity with Fox News? Or is this satire? I have personally taken pains to demonstrate that I was not offended b/c it was Fox News. You can read better than this, I think. You are a journalist, after all!
The offense isn’t because I, and I suspect others, are slobbering Fox News worshippers. I’ve never, ever, sat down and purposefully watched a single minute of Fox News. It is because the implication that it is a racist, pro-slavery news station is ridiculous and uncouth. Alarmist? Yes, most likely yes. Goofy and seriously begging to be satirized? Probably. Sticking words in a man’s mouth to make it look like he’s pro-slavery? Not, by any stretch of the imagination, a very humble, other’s loving thing to do.
But you haven’t watched Fox News either, so how do you know for sure it isn’t all these nasty adjectives you’ve just used? Asked with respect by the way.
As to your other question:
An example
Aaron says: April 19, 2011 at 11:45 am
“Another thing that bothers me, besides the obvious that most have pointed out, is that this appears to come from the thinking that it looks cool to dog the team that you know most of your blog followers are on.”
Is Aaron implying that because Abe is Christian, most of his followers are Christian, then most of his followers (the Christians) are on the Fox team?
Good question.
I said that I haven’t purposefully watched a single minute. That doesn’t mean I’ve never seen the program. I frequently meet with folks for breakfast at a particular, small town restaurant that is inevitably tuned in to Fox News. I admit that I have laughed out loud on occasion at the ‘alarmist’ way some things are reported, recently it was over how air traffic controllers might, horror of horrors, watch a movie on the job! So, I have seen the show, but I couldn’t really tell one talking head from the other except for Beck and O’Reilly, and I’m fairly certain you’d have to have been under a rock not to at least know them by face.
Secondly, I’m quite certain that if O’Reilly had said anything remotely like the satire quote put next to his face on this page, he would have been rightfully eaten alive. Further, if he actually said something like that, you wouldn’t need satire. Just put the bubble quote next to his head and he’s done.
If the guy is a jackass, put some donkey ears on him and have him hee-haw something ridiculous like, “OMG! The air traffic controller how guides three planes down on a 12 hour shift is watching a movie!! And, look, he’s watching a Michael Moore documentary! Raging lazy, liberal air traffic controller!”
Finally, I am from Alabama. I can’t look at the hosing episode without revulsion. Background can color one’s perception greatly. I simply cannot attach anything funny to that, no matter how it is spun.
Wow some people on here really hold Fox News to be sacred. It’s like Piper committed blasphemy! Piper had better repent.
Wow. Some people still think that this is because some people hold Fox News to be sacred.
I think because I commented first I feel some sort of responsibility in this mess. The internet does weird things to you.
I’m with you. This is what I keep saying!
It’s a straw man argument: “Well if you don’t like it, it’s because you think this _____________.”
Hello Eric
It is hard to read tone in writing, but dare I say, some people seem to have got quite emotional, and in my experience this kind of emotiona is usually shown where people believe they have something worthwhile and personally valuable to defend.
A news network is not, in my opinion, something that worthwhile to defend. I just don’t think a news network should be held so dearly as has been implied in some of these comments.
By the way Brad, you are not the subject of my discontent. Other posters are (just in case you feel you have to respond to this).
Ha! Like I said, being the first to post makes me feel like I started this. Which, in itself, is a patently ridiculous way to feel. I recognize that, but I can’t help it.
Really, it’s all Abraham’s fault. He put up a picture of black people getting hosed with the implication that Fox News people are the type of people that would have condoned it, and then played like he is shocked that anyone could possibly be offended by it because it is, after all, satire. Others assumed that if anyone was offended, it must be because they are Pharisees with sticks in their rear ends and completely unable to get a joke. Or, that they are too stupid to understand satire. One commenter said that taking offense to the image demonstrated what is wrong with American Christianity today. What a weird comment section this has been.
I think an important point to acknowledge here is that Fox News people are indeed “the type of people that would have condoned” what was in the image. But that doesn’t have anything to do with it being Fox. It’s because virtually /all/ white people /did/ condone it. (I must also note that this is taken from my understanding of the Civil Rights Movement, which is almost certainly less than others here, namely those old enough to have been around when it happened.) I think that KP at comment #18 hit the nail on the head with the point.
At the same time, I think that the point would have come across better had images been used that are less close to home, as it were.
And yes. It has been a /very/ weird comment section. :-)
These comments are interesting. The folks who are calling out those who have been critical of the post sound like they’re yelling louder than the others to me. Why are positive commenters on a post ok, but negative ones are stereotyped as a group of object worshipers (Fox News) with sticks up their rears? Is it not permissible to call out content on a blog when you believe it’s in poor taste? Isn’t that the point of comments on a blog, especially one like this? You comment and say what you think about the post, good or bad. How quickly the comments turned into personal attacks on other commenters. Why? I don’t like the post, but am not surprised by it here.
“Why are positive commenters on a post ok, but negative ones are stereotyped as a group of object worshipers (Fox News) with sticks up their rears?”
1. Because people are taking this way too seriously.
2. Because none of the poorly Photoshopped graphics here reflect on Abraham’s views, opinions or beliefs. (He doesn’t even watch.)
3. Because people are misunderstanding everything about this post.
Some commenters here are acting like his thought process was, “Black people getting sprayed by fire hoses. That will be hilarious! THAT’S what’s going on the blog!” They’re completely missing it and making things worse by overreacting.
Personally, I think he knew exactly what this post would do and did it so the people who say they are leaving, would leave. THAT is what I think is brilliant.
1. You’re setting a subjective standard here and judging people and their responses by it.
2. How do you know this? He refrained from stating his opinion on the graphics either way, other than what is expressed by posting it on his blog with his explanations at the beginning.
3. You’re implying that you have complete understanding about this post that at least some people are missing in every way.
Again, why the need to respond to others’ comments instead of respond to the post itself?
LOUD NOISES
You hear that, Ed? BEARS. Now you’re putting the whole station in jeopardy!
Biggest mistake of my life? Agreeing to receive an email update every time someone comments to this blog post.
HILARIOUS. But fyi, you can manage your email subscriptions via the link below the “leave a reply” box.
seems like this might be an appropriate proverb for the folks who create political satire, and then an added word of wisdom to all of us commenters:
Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows
is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down. Proverbs 26:18-29
I think political satire can be very funny and thought-provoking.
Yet I think it is often created by people who really want to be critical and do harm to their opponents’ reputations, but pretend that it’s all in fun. Then we go along with it and fuel the fire. Just my two cents…
You’ve misunderstood Pr. 26:18-19.
Jeremy, I think you are right in that the Lord was not necessarily talking about authors who write satire in this Proverb, but yet I feel convicted. Sometimes we say we’re just kidding about some of this stuff when we really aren’t. I remember the first time I was going on and on about how rotten a President was, and the Lord spoke to my heart, “If you prayed for him every time you complained about him (instead of complaining), things might be different.” And I think of this often when I find myself in the middle of political “discussions,” or when watching any number of “news” channels.
There are serious writers with a gift for satire, and I think what they write is different and more effective than most of the things we laugh about. I’m guilty; I think SNL is hilarious and I laugh at stuff like that, but part of me thinks in the long run people can really get hurt by it.
Not trying to spoil the fun, just adding my typically melancholic perspective.
Fair enough.
I’m just not comfortable implying that Abraham or the authors of the images were attempting to deceive anyone. Jokes are not the same as intentional deception (which is what is depicted in the proverb).
I didn’t mean that Abraham meant to deceive. He was only posting something he felt was funny or interesting. And I don’t even know the person who created this post originally.
Maybe it is a friend who felt s/he was just having fun with the news. Thanks for pointing out the way my comments could have been taken so I could make it right.
I did have some of the nationally known editorial writers and broadcasters in mind, I guess, who create similar things.
I suppose I shouldn’t suspect their motives either, but sometimes I wonder…
I must say, I appreciate this comment and the replies to it. Thanks, guys, for being so gracious in your discussion.
@ Steve LOL!
I meant Proverbs 26:18-20.
A number of these comments are from people (presumably Christians) who are claiming to be offended, as if that’s something to be proud of. My reading of the Bible tells me that it’s the young and spiritually immature who have the right to be offended (you’re better off being drowned than to offend a LITTLE ONE). I can’t think of a Biblical instance in which a mature Christian claims to be offended by the actions of another Christian. There are instances when a Christian tells a person his actions are wrong (John the Baptist with Herod, Paul with Peter), but they don’t say they’re personally offended. People who say they’re offended generally strike me as being self pitying people whose personally feelings are far too easily hurt.
I didn’t even know people watched Fox News anymore.
I’ll stick around and see if this is reciprocted on another media outlet. Fox has become the scapegoat for all that is wrong with American media. Like them or hate them, they take the blame for everything. That is lame.I watch when I get ready for work, the same way anyone else watches Today, GMA or whatever. It is part of my routine, but they are not my idol, I save that for chocolate. Suffice to say much of what is here lately is stuff we as Christians, if you are one, should not partake of. Abe doesn’t need us, except to click on his links to make him some $. I like the blog, but won’t support that anymore. I have in the past. Sorry. What has happened to America, that anything now goes? I know this has been around in the past, but really, this is just as bad as Obama’s face on the chimp. Why haven’t you shown that? Seems exactly the same as this, a piece of satire but in poor taste. Now I understand why 22 Words is no longer 22 Words.
That’s why I only watch BBC World News. :-D
I love BBC…been watching alot of that lately! :)
I think people are offended because Fox is the sole target more than any other reason. If one example had been Fox, another MSNBC, and another CNN – which would be plausible since none are immune from sensationalism – nobody would have batted an eye. Because the person who created these implicated Fox in all of them, people found it offensive. That’s my guess anyway. Nobody can deny that sensationalism is prevalent in the news and that each of these scenarios could reasonably have happened. Pointing that out hardly makes light of the actual events that transpired in history.
I’m surprised these people aren’t more offended by the ad for Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” on the blog.
This is another reminder that I honestly don’t understand America. It puzzles me that politics are such a HUGE deal for you, my Southern neighbours — not saying it’s a good thing that my True North Strong and Free is generally more apathetic, just another observation of the focus on politics that is so different than what I’ve experienced being born and raised in Canada. Interesting.
I for one found the post amusing, but my sense of humour is slightly on the darker side.
The post seems about right to me.
Does anyone practice critical thinking any more? When News is politically slanted it is no longer news it’s opinion. Think for yourself, don’t let news slanted in either direction control your thoughts and views. Fox News is owned by News Corp, an English corporation. Which is run by Rupert Murdoch. Their opinion is slanted to the extreme right. MSNBC is owned by Microsoft, and General Electric. They are slanted to the extreme left. Critical thinking involves questioning things, and not letting your TV decide what you believe. Don’t take my word for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px_XBJHrs4I
I find the comments more funny than the post! Everyone’s completely over-reacting to this! In case you hadn’t noticed 22 Words’ logo, it’s “Curious, Cute, Comical and Crazy”! Who said everything had to be funny here? Geez, calm down people. I don’t want the post deleted, I want all the comments deleted!