Indeed, satire is the only way to fight the never-ending excuses to install fear. Satire not only pushes the envelope it tears it too.

When governments of old tired of spending lots of resources to beat the public into submission, they created the court priest, who promoted a theology of obedience. Modern governments, by contrast, maintain power by exaggerating crises (or crying "wolf" about non-crises) -- and clamoring for "solutions" that would give them even greater amounts of power and resources. Both responses are propaganda strategies that exploit the public's psychological insecurities for the benefit of the rulers:

"From top to bottom, the government wants us to be afraid, needs us to be afraid, invests greatly in making us afraid," writes Senior Fellow Robert Higgs, in an insightful new article, "Fear: The Foundation of Every Government's Power."
How Rulers Exploit Fear

Jozef

Gus, while I generally agree with your thrust on issues I have to take up the issue of taste. I feel that the identity card cartoon was well out of order as an innocent man has died as a result of fear.

A heartfelt thank you to all our readers, guests and visitors. At the moment I feel there is not much else left but to spread satire like butter on toast, to express our horror at the actions and porkies of our leaders — and the wishy-washy opposition (here and in the US) which I've been whispered in the corridors of underground secret rumours might improve somewhat soon. There is half a dozen coups being plotted against our Prime Meanster from his own ranks and as for little Geoge he'd better watch his bad-shot geriatric friend...

Anyway, I can dream... and thanks a million for being there. Gus

Well said Gus.

I think we should especially acknowledge David & Nigel for all their ongoing "backroom" endeavours to keep us "live" & also yourself for your endless supply of thoroughly accurate & enjoyable satire.  

As to our many readers, I'd like to encourage you all to think about more direct participation .... making comments, generating debate or writing blogs if you'd like try your hand.

And a "hello" to everyone from Margot & Hamish.

Cheers,

John. 

 

Forget self-driving cars or virtual reality nano-technology algorithms, the newest innovation to emerge from Silicon Valley is square brackets.Facebook is testing a “satire tag” that will clearly label fake news stories from well-known satire sites like the Onion as [satire]. No longer will you need to rely on outdated technology such as common sense to realise that content like Area Facebook User Incredibly Stupid is [satire], the square brackets will do it for you.

It should perhaps be noted that Facebook isn’t introducing the satire tag because it thinks we’re all morons, but rather because it knows we’re all morons. In a statement, the social network explained that it had “received feedback that people wanted a clearer way to distinguish satirical articles from others”.

Some of those people may well be journalists who have had embarrassing lapses of satire-blindness in the past. The Washington Post, for example, was once fooled into reporting that Sarah Palin was, in a somewhat unlikely career move, taking a job at al-Jazeera. And the English-language arm of China’s People’s Daily fell for an Onion articleproclaiming the North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-un, the sexiest man alive, even using the accolade as an opportunity to run a 55-image slideshow of him, complete with quotes from the Onion spoof. Although, it’s possible this may itself have been satire – I’m unsure.

And that’s the problem. The internet has become so weird, so saturated with cats and lists and Buzzfeed quizzes that it’s difficult to know what’s serious and what’s a spoof any more. I challenge you, for example, to identify the Onion piece from these headlines:

• US adults are dumber than the average human

• Hazelnut prices soar, fuelling fears of Nutella shortage

• Tips For Being An Unarmed Black Teen

• Serial chicken smuggler caught in Norway

• Definitive Proof Kale Is The Marilyn Of Foods

The point of this carefully curated list is that you often can’t tell the difference between satire and real news online. 

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/satire-tag-internet-killing-facebook-tag

 

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What? Satire is DYING?... No-one told me... And the Internet is killing it?... Yes I know, the piece at top was truncated when the site got a new provider about six years ago... A lot of cartoon got lost as well, in the transfer... Some good ones and many crappy ones... But nothing can be done about it... I don't have any record of what rubbish I wrote at the top of this line of blogs... No-idea... probably best to let the legend live on...

I still have the cartoons though, but it's hell trying to match them with the past comments... Is satire dying because too many people like me are trying to satirise politicians who already are living satire of themselves?

You don't have to go far to find a Palmer or a Tony to see what I mean. Every time they open their trap is to say something so stupid it's funny... 

 

 

“A lot of people now think satire and fake news are the same thing,” Dikkers said in February.

“It’s satire. It’s totally different from fake news, and it bothers me when those fake news organisations are basically out there printing lies or propaganda [and] label themselves satire.”

The key here is deception. Technically the Onion produces fake news but it’s for laughs – not to intentionally deceive readers, or to promote misinformation for ideological reasons, or to generate advertising revenue.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/aug/28/the-onion-in-the-age-of-...

 

Deceit, fake news and satire came early in human history. Here on this site we try to be as accurately close to the truth as possible with a clear muddleheaded satirical view point. Sometimes it's hard to make do: 14.5 people died — ahahahaha... It's a delicate balance between "news" and "nuz". But let's push on... The article at top was truncated when this site moved providers. I will try to find the original possibly stuck on the desktop of a steam engine computer in the attic. 

This morning in the SMH, the NSW minister for whatever is still firm about teaching fake news in schools:

 

The motion said the P&C would ask Mr Stokes to amend the department's religious education implementation procedures to ensure that "all students participating in special religious education may be granted access to educational opportunities that align with the curriculum during the time scripture is being taught".

But a spokesman for Mr Stokes said the government would not be "revisiting its position".

"Any move to allow students to participate in formal classes during this time will unfairly disadvantage students who have a legal right to attend these classes," the spokesman said. 

The motion came as the NSW Department of Education for the first time published 2016 and 2017 data last week showing the number of students who did not nominate a religion on their enrolment form.

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-nsw-education-minister-rob-stokes-wont-bud...

By this stage, we should all know that the scriptures are fake news by design. Thus the minister is a religious arsehole for not providing the ethical democratic humanistic alternative for those pupils (under their parents' organisation) who don't want to be brainwashed, bored, annoyed, bothered, irked, displeased, catechised, indoctrinated in the fake news of the bible in PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

see also:

of "negative" positivity and the tanking of religion in the west...

 

 

Satire is the art of telling the truth with a grain of salt to make it sweet...

 

Politics is the art of telling lies with a sprinkle of sweetener to make them look like cupcakes.

 

The noble art of being human is to ask questions we know have no answer.

 

Hey! You're not a sacred cow!

 

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Diogenes: Get out of my sun!

Alexander: Imbecile! I am the sun!

 

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From a satirical book on the "erradications of flies":

 

The young man on duty shook the coconut tree and a very old man fell from the top, onto him. Bruised, the young man felt very distressed. The very old man slowly climbed back up the trunk of the coconut tree...

           The African Gazette.

 

 

Read from top.

Sometimes I feel like the old man slowly making his way up the coconut tree (read comment above)... It's harder than it looks. But then I feel privileged that some people end up linking this site and my ramblings with important viewpoints...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ6Mzro3ZXA

 

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Marine1063Published on Apr 12, 2018SUBSCRIBE 10K

 

See the rest at Representative Press https://youtu.be/DSe-1I_N5A8 "Rather than listen to what Syria's UN Representative has to say, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley gets up and leaves the UN Security Council Meeting! Transcript Syria’s UN Rep. Exposes Facts Nikki Haley Doesn't Want to Hear! https://youtu.be/zw-pIx-YcK8 " by Representative Press Nikki Haley

drawing by http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupa...

If I was religious, I would say "god bless you", but as a rabid atheist, I can only offer "thank you".