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Called "...the most consistently hilarious spot on the flogged dead horse of American comedy." by Esquire, "The funniest site on the Internet..." by Time, and "The funniest publication in the United States." and "...the most popular humor periodical in world history..." by The New Yorker.
- Hailed with humor awards from The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek E-Life, PC Magazine, The Thurber House, Time Magazine, The Webby & People's Voice Awards, and Yahoo Internet Life.
- Receives 5,000,000 visits and 31,500,000 page views per month.
- "My fellow Americans," Clinton told a national television audience, "you have truly accomplished a great feat today. By continuing to get out of bed, wash yourselves, dress, work, shop, watch COPS, surf the Net with WebTV, and put food into your bodies at regular intervals to sustain your metabolic functions, you have shown the world just how willing-to-live the American people can pretend to be." - From "U.S. Populace Lurches Methodically Through The Motions For Yet Another Day"
- "'We asked our survey participants if what they were learning in school was helping them become better people and giving them a sense of values and concern for the community," Franks said. "A whopping 89 percent answered, 'Sure,' with the remaining 11 percent split among 'Yeah, sure,' 'Sure, I guess,' and, 'Sure. Whatever.'" - From "Schools 'Fine,' U.S. Teens Report"
- "I never realized the great disparity between the frequency and sincerity of Stephanie's expressions of love and those of my own until I saw it laid out in a vibrant, red-and-yellow pie chart," Straub said. "And when I was presented with a glossy, spiral-bound packet detailing all the rude comments I have made about her best friend Paulette over the years, how could I disagree with Stephanie's conclusion that she can do better than me? I was sold." - From "Break-Up Made Easier With Colorful Visual Aids"
There seems no end to the array of modern absurdities in your life that can get you feeling a bit down - the incomprehensibly boring job, the pointless schoolwork, the perpetually frustrating relationship troubles. Meanwhile, when you grab the paper, or hop in front of the television or Web to get the news, you may find that the world at-large is full of even more overwhelming troubles - workplace and school shootings, corporate scandals and international violence. The combination of bad news on both fronts can leave you feeling somewhat resigned. Luckily, however, there is a sillier side to all of this. Many of the small, familiar trivialities in our lives - the annoying coworker, the problem neighbor, and the inane bureaucracy - contain an element of ridiculous humor. Meanwhile, the larger world of corporations, schools, governments, and others surrounding us provides a virtual goldmine of comedic fodder.
Historically, satirists from Shakespeare and Jonathan Swift to Voltaire and Mark Twain knew both the enlightenment contained in these absurdities - large and small - as well as the power of laughter to create social change. Through mocking the folly of their own eras, they brought attention to fundamental underlying social problems and institutions, lending credence to the cliche that the pen is mightier than the sword. Today, technology has imbued the power of the pen with an even greater dimension. The speed of communications provided by the Internet, along with the ease of accessibility offered by the World Wide Web have helped the Swifts and Twains of our day reach millions of readers in a fraction of the time. Nowhere is this combination of satiric talent and the efficiency of the Web more skillfully employed than in an online newspaper of a slightly different kind - one that jokingly dubs itself "America's Finest News Source". The next time you want to know what's going on in the world - or just down the street - but are looking for a slightly more humorous angle, check out the expert penmanship of The Onion.
The Onion is a weekly satiric newspaper, available in print and online versions, which takes on the gamut of modern inanities - as well as some from our past - with remarkably brilliant wit. Its rags-to-riches history began in the form of a free print newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin in 1988, originally focusing on humor specific to that local area. In its infancy, it published contributions from a variety of local writers and University of Wisconsin students. As it found its bearings, its reputation grew, and it set its comedic sights on a more national scope, launching offshoots in Milwaukee and Chicago. In May, 1996, tired of their material being posted by others shabbily and without credit throughout the Internet, they decided to take their act on the Web.
Having come from the more rigorous world of print publication deadlines and milestones, their high standards prepared them well for rapid Web success. They are commonly cited as a prime example of an abundantly prosperous expansion from print to the Web. The website traffic grew so fast (from 26,000 to over 1 million unique visitors-per-week in just 6 years) that the sheer ability of their Web servers to keep up became a concern. By 2001, the site was so popular that 28 year-old editor Robert Siegel's speech at the Chicago Sun Times - sponsored by the city's prestigious Headline Club - drew a larger crowd than a previous appearance by a Pulitzer Prize-winner. Meanwhile, their archive of outrageous articles, nutty opinion pieces and outlandish surveys grew expansive enough to comprise four books:
- Our Dumb Century (1999) - The Onion's writers go back in time to rewrite America's 20th century - A #1 New York Times Bestseller
- The Onion's Finest News Reporting (2000) - Made the Top Ten New York Times Bestsellers List
- Dispatches from the Tenth Circle (2001) - Made the Top Ten New York Times Bestsellers List
- The Onion Ad Nauseam: Complete News Archives, Volume 13 (2002)
So what is the recipe behind all of this success?
There is a Far Side comic that roasts the corniness of attempting secondhand explanations of cartoons. Indeed, humor is a tenuous thing, and difficult to capture and bottle. In examining a comic mixture like that of The Onion, we must accept that description cannot substitute for the real thing. But, nonetheless, before we serve up some hysterical examples, let us take a stab at summing up the ingredients in this remarkably funny dish.
The Onion's unique blend originates in a staff brimming with editorial and writing brilliance, culled organically through trial and error. Throughout each stage of its steady growth, its staff was whittled down, leaving only the finest and most dedicated half-dozen or so contributors. The origin of each issue in the minds of this core group lends a ribaldly cynical trademark personality to the publication. Whether the topic is inane corporate bureaucracy or the foolishly misguided policies of our educational system, each headline and article bears the distinct mark of this talented staff.
Once that mark is left, a few ounces of irreverence are thrown into the mix and any trace of Political Correctness is meticulously strained. In the true spirit of freedom and democracy, they seem to take aim with equal opportunity. As the New York Press put it, "As with the classic Spy of yore, writers at The Onion target everyone--popular, intellectual and underground culture seem to get equal treatment." So, it stands to reason that it would appeal to everyone. But one warning: if you are easily offended, stand back. Wired Magazine says, "The Onion may be vulgar, insensitive, sexist, racist, ageist, antipapist or even, on occasion, offensive, but unlike its Web rivals, it's bankably funny." Absolutely noone is off limits, from the President and Vice-President to the Pope to our largest corporations.
But it isn't their assailment of such bigwigs that solidifies The Onion's uniquely delicious humor. Rather, it's a healthy seasoning of uncanny, Seinfeldesque minutiae and caricature.
So familiar are the subjects of these articles, that you are likely to find one datelined from a city near you. Meanwhile, the random, hapless citizens featured in the accompanying photos look and sound remarkably like Bob or Jane down the street.
When all of this is blended each week, it adds up to satire that at once explores every topic on our site, extends into utter absurdity, and yet is unbelievably mistaken for reality. In fact, you may wonder if we stole our categorization scheme from them, but trust us, we didn't (*wink*). Unless you've been living in a cave, odds are there is an article on their site with enough relevance to your life to have you falling off of your chair with hilarious recognition. The Onion will prove to be just your cup of tea if you've ever been perturbed or cynically amused by:
- The senseless dress codes, restricted personal expression, and coerced cooperation that leave us grasping for any semblance of individuality in the workplace.
- The insane advertising frenzy and narrow-minded focus on stock charts among the shrinking number of massive corporations.
- The "Lord of the Flies" social hierarchy in our schools and the questionable priorities of some educational leaders.
- Our increasingly invasive, inaccurate, and intelligence-insulting media.
- Our increasingly dictatorial government, focused on quantity over quality, and led by one hapless President after another.
- Dating rituals, post-break-up awkwardness, and differing gender views of the relationship merry-go-round.
- Modern religion's somewhat unenlightened policies, delusions of grandeur, and outright false claims.
This is smart humor, which has earned The Onion countless awards, rave reviews, and a loyal cadre of intelligent, educated readers. A slice of your world cut up by The Onion offers the ideal refreshment whether you're wasting away at your workdesk, lounging at home in escape-the-world mode, or hanging out with friends (it also makes a great gift!).
As our world grows increasingly disillusioning and, in many respects, downright preposterous, a paradox arises. The staff of The Onion will require less and less work to ferret out even more quirky avenues for humor. Less work and more success? We couldn't blame you for being a bit envious of that situation, but you won't hear us complaining. We are all the beneficiaries of this state of affairs. Laughing at our discontent is one of the healthiest outlets, and it's reassuring to know that, for a long time to come, there will be an open seat at the counter and a hearty serving of satire awaiting us day or night at The Onion.
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