Tophat665

Good morning.

I am not easily offended, and I understand (unlike Shin Wa news) that the Onion is a humor site. Today (4/21/2004) the Onion ran the following as their final News in Brief segment:

I expect occasional bad taste from the Onion, or any humor outlet, but this is just unnecessarily hurtful. Al's (so far as I can tell) one of the good guys, and there is no rhyme or reason in salting his recent wound like this.

urge each of you to contact theOnion at infomat@theonion.com and let them know that this was despicable and
unnecessary.

Here's the text of the letter I sent them:

If you agree with me on this, I really wish you'd let the Onion know about it, and let your friends know about it too.

Mods: If this qualifys as spam, my apologies and feel free to delete. This has me angry enough that I had to do something about it, though.

__________________
Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns.
Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

txlovely

I agree - pretty tasteless. How awful to lose both of your parents in such a tragic and senseless way? But for people to find humor in it is even more tragic.

__________________
Cruel words erode self-esteem like the ocean eats away the shore.

The_wall

I can understand why you're offended, but its just too funny and impersonal for me to really care that much. It's one of those jokes you know you shouldn't laugh at, but its just so damn funny.

__________________
"We do what we like and we like what we do!"~andrew Wk

Procrastinate now, don't put off to the last minute.

phredgreen

we'll remember to guffaw when your parents kick off.

__________________
My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.
- Thomas Paine

Redlemon

Actually, I think that was pretty clever. They probably should have left out the "actual lyrics", as they are pretty stupid. But, the core idea ("Tuft added that the best way for Yankovic to give voice to his pain and loss was by altering the voice of Clapton's pain and loss") is classic Onion.

I'm saddened for Al, and I'm a huge fan of his (I even own Carnival of the Animals), but this doesn't seem over the edge to me.

__________________
I can't read your signature. Sorry.

quadro2000

This one crossed the line for me too. Not necessary.

__________________
You have to laugh at yourself...because you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't. - Emily Saliers

The_wall

Well if you must, I honestly don't think I would care that much. I didn't even shed a tear at any of my grandparents funerals, I personally think this country mourns the dead too much.

__________________
"We do what we like and we like what we do!"~andrew Wk

Procrastinate now, don't put off to the last minute.

Bill O'Rights

I'll be counted with those that feel that some things should be off limits and left alone. I believe that it was tasetless, and over the edge. I'm a fan of The Onion, but this has even me, and my sardonic sense of humor, raising a bushy eyebrow.

__________________
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

mattevil

I like the onion but that was tasteless and unfunny.

Jack Ruby

The lyrics are certainly more offensive than the joke itself. Ask yourself, if a joke like this would've been made about a less popular celebrity in a similar situation, would you be as offended ? Probably not.

__________________
You don't know what you don't know.

Charlatan

Honestly I think that this was a very solid tribute to Weird Al. I don't think the intention was to be mean spirited.

The concept of the joke is funny. I agree, though, that the actual lyrics are lame.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

djtestudo

I'll bet if Al ever reads this, he gets a little chuckle out of it.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

water_boy1999

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the article saying that AL is the one who wrote it in loving memory of his parents? I could see that Al would make such a tribute because he has used humor so many other times to lighten up a situation. If he did write it, which it looks like he did, then why are you so bothered by it? If it was another person claiming that Al wrote it but didn't, then I agree, it is bad taste.

Want to hear something really weird? As I write this, Eric Clapton's "Tear's in Heaven" is playing on the radio. Creepy....

__________________
Doh!!!!


-Homer Simpson

Nisses

water_boy: it's called satire. They're spoof-articles that the onion writes

and I agree, somehow it's a tribute to Weird Al, so the idea was good, the endresult less so

__________________
Moderation should be moderately moderated.

tisonlyi

It's all in how you view life, i suppose.

If life's a precious and wonderful thing, with death being a big bag terrible thing that we should weap and wail over, feel bad about and fear, then the joke is beyond the pail.

If not then it's pretty funny.

You can take a guess as to where i stand. Even on the subject of my own parents deaths, or even my own.

I have cancer. I joke about it myself, as do those around me.

Humour at it's best is about release.

__________________
"I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." - Winston Churchill, 1937 --{ORLY?}--

water_boy1999

Thanks Nisses, I wouldn't know satire if it bit me in the ass.

Actually, I question this because the Onion doesn't just print satirical stories. It also prints stories of the odd, strange, and slightly unusual. Being that Weird Al is slightly unusual, I don't know if this is satire or just printing as usual.

__________________
Doh!!!!


-Homer Simpson

saut

Jonathon Taylor Thomas?!

Kaos

The Onion "pushes the envelope" and quite successfully usually. They just pushed a little too far coming up with the tasteless lyrics. Leave them out, and the article would have been fine.

Cynthetiq

nothing. not even a chuckle from me.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

teflonian

I don't think the article was mean spirited and is somewhat clever. Weird Al uses other people's works to express his feelings and ideas, usually only the odd-ball ones and not too deep ones, but that is sort of the point of the joke. I do not think the article itself is very offensive and in my opinion stays within the limits of good taste. They aren't posting this at their funeral, this is a satirical site viewed by people looking for a little dark humor. Yes Weird Al must be hurting right now, but I think he would be one of the first to try to find a little bit to smile about in a dark time. I am not saying he would fully appreciate the article, but I don't think he would find it fully offensive either.

While I appreciate your concern tophat, I don't agree with your conclusion that it is mean spirited and grossly offensive.

warrrreagl

I don't understand the concept that if you personally disagree with something, you are obligated to do battle and stamp it out.

If you didn't like it (I didn't), then just turn away from it.

__________________
Living is easy with eyes closed.

Jeff

I didn't feel it was all that funny, but I don't find it so outrageously offensive that I'd want its removal.

__________________
For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.
--Charles Bukowski

irseg

No, they don't. 100% satire.

onodrim

I also agree that the Onion went a little too far this time. I don't see a tragic situation as being the subject of a joke.

__________________
"The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides"
-Carl Sagan

CSflim

The article was hardly the Onion at its finest, but I don't feel that they crossed any major taboo here.

__________________

Strange Famous

Its hard for satire to stay the right side of the line sometimes, personally I think that that is a bit much.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

Redlemon

Not entirely true... anything in The Onion A.V. Club is legitimate. Including an interview with Weird Al. I can't find it on their site, and links to Googlecache don't seem to work right, but it's the first hit here:
Google Search: onion a.v. weird al

__________________
I can't read your signature. Sorry.

Lasereth

Me neither. I guess it has to do with everyone's opinion on Weird Al...I find it offensive that he takes artists' music and butchers it with his idiotic lyrics, so The Onion editors might be saying something about this. The quote mentions a lot about him replacing the lyrics to good songs with stupid ones if ya look deep enough.

-Lasereth

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

gnom

it's one thing to egg on people for stupid stuff they've done, how they dress or act in front of people .. but it really is another to make fun of someone dying, especially your parents. i get really protective when it comes to my family, even though i can't stand them a lot of the time.

smooth

I agree, of the people most likely to enjoy this for what it is, it'd have to be Wierd Al.

I don't quite get why people get offended for other people--seems they can get offended good enough by themselves.

__________________
"The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account." -- Walter Lippmann

"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." -- Abbie Hoffman

Derwood

In fairness, you can't have it both ways here. You can't say this is off limits but Michael Jackson's alleged child molestation is fine, for example. Satire is satire, and sometimes satire kicks you where it hurts. So it goes.

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

H12

Good point, and I have to agree with you, sadly enough.

__________________
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
--Aristotle