Yu Wan Mei takeover of The Onion

I’m absolutely loving this Yu Wan Mei takeover of The Onion.

In case you don’t know, The Onion is a satirical newspaper, and Yu Wan Mei is a fictional company.

Dame Edna once said something to the effect “if you have to explain satire – don’t bother”, and that was in reference to the controversy over a remark about Americans learning Spanish and Selma Hayek freaking out about it. I guess I’ll only explain why I’m reveling in it all.

We have techniques in Political Science (in fact, it has it’s own discipline) where by comparing two countries (or institutions) you can learn a lot more by than just by examining each one alone. It’s the comparative method and it’s an awesome way to make differences pop. It’s also the root of disingenuous logic too. What The Onion is really pointing out, in completely clear terms, is the impact that corporate news has.

Take, for instance, how my favourite morning show, Today Now! has been impacted. This, to me at least, is a direct reference to what has gone on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” — now heavily sponsored by Starbucks.

You also get to really think about the impact that cultural and political  norms have on the news as well.

Take, for instance, the article “Potato-Faced Youngster Lauded for Memorizing Primitive 26-Character Alphabet“. Brilliant!

Enjoy it while it lasts. It looks like Yu Wan Mei might not be making as much money in the United States for its line of fish byproduct products as they first estimated.