One of the best examples of satire I've ever come across probably wouldn't be funny to anyone who hasn't stepped (or known someone who's stepped) into OPRF's double doors at least one time in their life. OPRF's tumblr page was made by some anonymous hero who decided to make a mockery of our school bulletins on a daily basis. It's formatted in exactly the same way as the originals, but don't be fooled-there's not a single serious line anywhere to be found. The Clubs Corner section is filled with things like Time Travel Club gone missing, Arson and Book Burning Club, and Mustard Club (whose slogan is "
we will cover this earth in a blanket of yellow"...) College Callers has had the College of Universities, the College of Mist and Shadow, Alcatraz, and the University of Michigan. Apparently we've just survived a Zombie Apocalypse, too. It just keeps going.
During class today we were asked to question why we were laughing at the things we were, and this site shows that satire often hits home because it's familiar to us, If I showed a post or two to a Fenwick kid they'd probably laugh at some of the jokes in each post, but they wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the page as they aren't familiar with all the Husky vices and virtues the author make fun of. They wouldn't understand the humor, so they wouldn't laugh as much. It's clear to see that satire is often rooted in familiarity.
http://oprfhs.tumblr.com/
If you haven't stumbled upon this site yet, PLEASE please go there. And we really should get the author a fruit basket. Or a Nobel Prize.
I was hoping someone would post about this! Yes, the posts on that blog are very humorous and satirical because of the hyperbolic nature of the posts that often times shed light on undeniable truths that occur specifically within the oprf halls.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read this I went on over to the page and couldn't stop laughing. And it makes sense that we are laughing through familiarity so I showed the page to my younger brother who did not react in the same way. Good explanation
ReplyDeletePerfect example. It's hilarious only to people of OPRF because of its purposeful mocking of the school. Some posts actually pretty gracefully call out OPRF on real issues but still manage to be funny.
ReplyDeleteSo true. It's really a great way to highlight the obsessions of our school, too. (i.e. the fact that University of Michigan is a daily visitor) But I think that, like all satire, it's a really interesting view into the conceptions of our student body. Sometimes I think the mocking of ideas are fair and sometimes I think it falls flat, but either way it's cool to be able to get that insight into the things that our fellow students (or at least one of them) are unhappy about.
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