Written as a parody toward other
keepsake treasuries that magazines and newspapers across the country issued to
celebrate the new millennium. But unlike the other publishing’s, The Onion had
only been in existence since 1988….so they made up 72 years of fake headlines.
Despite this approach to journalism in which
nothing is sacred, The Onion is not trying to be mean spirited, but merely
mocking the ideals and beliefs that no matter how prejudiced to women, blacks,
Asians, and elders, Americans did at one time or another hold dear during the 20th
century.
For example, The Onion runs as
“story” about a man being the first White Man to enter the Negro leagues. In no
way is this story making light of race or the civil rights struggle. In
reality, I believe the Onion was saying that exclusion even if performed by the
excluded is wrong. And the Onion is not the only comedy machine to point out
this anomaly. In a 2004 episode of The
Simpsons , Grandpa Simpson laments not doing enough with his life, including
not breaking into the Negro leagues “…as the first white ballplayer.”
One should remember that history is
record of NOT only the high points on humanity, but we must remember the
mistakes we have made. The Onion in presenting this publication reminds us of
the mistakes we made through parody and satire. (You can’t take a story about
the Bedford Falls Savings and Loan with a serious attitude. in relation to the
light the Onion makes of the Depression. It’s clearly a mock-up of the plot to
It’s a Wonderful Life)
And it’s not revisionist history.
A revisionist skips over tragedies like lynchings or the holocaust. The Onion covers these topics in order to remind us who were never there to never forget. And that’s the point to history; learn from our mistakes in order to not repeat them
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