So I think I finally figured out why the Babylon Bee is so funny to some people & completely unfunny to others. More often than not, the BB isn't satire; it's sarcasm.
Satire takes a more objective posture, poking fun in a way that reveals foolishness but isn't necessarily interpersonal. Sarcasm, OTOH, is *primarily* interpersonal b/c the joke depends on the reader having a shared (negative) emotional perspective.
In satire, everyone can laugh b/c even if a joke pinches, it's not about the person so much as the foolish/funny behavior. But sarcasm is laden w/ interpersonal & emotional baggage & as a result will only be funny to those who already share similar frustrations.
This is why the BB only appeals to a certain set of readers while something like the Onion has more diverse readership & can reveal our foolishness. The BB is funny to folks who already share its assumptions but pretty impotent at moving anyone who doesn't.
All that to say, satire can be instructive & productive b/c it challenges us & helps us see our own foolishness. Sarcasm isn't instructive b/c it reassures us that our frustrations & perspectives are shared & thus valid. It coddles us instead of challenging us.
(It's unlikely I'm the first person to have this observation about BB so don't get too excited.)
And obviously, the BB does put out some pieces that land as satire but not predictably or consistently so, especially when they're handling those to whom they're ideologically opposed.
Also, we've lost a lot of good humor in the last 5 years--across the political spectrum. When personal insecurities & fears are driving jokes, they just aren't funny, at least not universally funny.
To paraphase a comedian friend of mine, "The worst thing about the Trump years is that they killed comedy."

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More from @sometimesalight

16 Oct
Do you all know of Christian colleges that meet need? Not "help you get loans to afford it" or "apply for this competitive scholarship" but actually prorate tuition to match FAFSA expected family contribution?
In unrelated news, my daughter is a senior & we're in full swing of college mailers/applications, etc. It's been fascinating to see how different schools approach financial aid & who their target student is.
E.g. One flier from a Xian school advertised itself via 3 main bullet points:

>95% career outcome rate
>alumni earnings top 12%
>#X Best Career Services Office Nationally

The accompanying text was about the value of studying in community with others who share your values.
Read 7 tweets
15 Oct
Per previous thread: I don't use "elite" pejoratively anymore than I use "grassroots" positively. "Elite" describes those in a community w/ greater access to $, education, & opportunity. "Grassroots" means those who have significantly less. Of course, neither is monolithic.
Unlike some, I don't rage against social hierarchies mostly b/c I think they're unlikely to change. Different hierachies just replace each other--this is the human condition. What I do expect is that those w/ more will act responsibly toward those w/ less.
Unfortunately, class groups are increasingly isolated from each other. Neighborhoods are not integrated & elites cluster together. This sets up a "Who is my neighbor?" conundrum that catches good, well-intentioned people.
Read 5 tweets
15 Oct
Good addition to the conversation about "evangelical elites" HOWEVER... I want to share a brief observation about this conversation from the grassroots
I live btwn 2 worlds. I've spent majority of my entire life in the working class but have a college degree & write for mid-upper class readers. I grew up poor & have lived on small church pastor's salary for 15+ years. But I've also traveled the world & move in academic circles.
For years, I taught conferences Fri-Sat in mid-upper class churches only to fly home to worship on Sunday at my rural church of >100. I've spoken at international conferences while some of my neighbors have never seen the ocean. (We can talk about imposter syndrome later.)
Read 19 tweets
10 Sep
I think it's important to remember that hospitals are full b/c we have the ability to save people from an otherwise horrific death. They are full b/c modern medicine has kept patients alive long enough to have a chance to continue to live.
This must be factored into all our discussions about mandates & safety. Because, even if unconsciously, we are already factoring it into the risk/reward calculus of resisting such protocols. But this is not a freedom shared by those in the developing world.
Which helps us evaluate our own calculus--not of risk & reward--but of rights & responsibilities. What responsibilities do we have *because* we have access to lifesaving modern medicine when others don't?
Read 10 tweets
7 Sep
Just left a comment on a FB post related to COVID vax. Saints, pray for me.
BUT on a related note... someone needs to look into how class divides are affecting people's confidence in vaccines. It's not about "trusting the science" so much as whether you know people you trust who are doing the science.
If you exist in a socioeconomic class that includes doctors, chemists, researchers, clinicians etc, you're more likely to have personal proximity to someone whose work you trust b/c you trust them.
Read 8 tweets
5 Sep
After reading Jonah 4 together this morning, my 15yo son noted that Jonah sounded like a moody teenager. This led to 10 minutes of improv.
"What?!? You're just going to let them get away with that? You're not going to do, like, ANYthing? That's so not fair."

"Fine! why don't you just kill me already?"
"You can't take away my vine! That's my vine."

"Did you pay for this vine? Did you get up every morning & go to work to take care of it? I didn't think so."
Read 5 tweets

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