Reverend Benny & Mister Sid's At Your Service #47

There's the age old problem of the Artist being misunderstood.

By Glen Bledsoe

(Salem) - When Devo first hit the scene in 1970's their outrageous elevator shoes were meant to be a satire of rock. Devo's first lesson in the reality of pop culture was their over-the-top presentation was taken as the latest trend and (briefly) elevator shoes became the fashion.

Devo's later choice of flower pots for signature head gear, however, was never mistaken for anything other than anti-hip. They were through being cool.

Now take your usual letter to the editor. Maybe a guy gets a ticket for parking in front of Refrigerator World for too long. To make a point the writer types up complaint using biting and sarcastic phrases, right?

But writing a short 150 Letter to the Editor it's hard to tell when the writer is being sarcastic or being serious. Maybe he really does believe that he's supporting the growth and prosperity of downtown merchants by paying a $40 parking ticket, and maybe he will be sure to return to shop in Refrigerator World at his soonest opportunity.

There's the age old problem of the Artist being misunderstood.

So I invented a way for all you satirists and sarcastivores to make yourself understood. I learned the trick from writing html tags back in the 90's.

When you want to be sure your reader knows you're being sarcastic then write your sarcastic remarks between two tags as illustrated below.

[sarcasm] Oh sure, I like to pay hefty fines for parking in front of stores desperate for even the scent of a customer. It makes me feel like a real man. [/sarcasm] -- Everything between the two tags is satire.

Easy, right? The slash-sarcasm at the end shows the reader when you're done being smart-alecky and ready to be straight. It's the equivalent of saying, "...but seriously, folks."

So guys and girls, give it a try and see if the world doesn't get your message right the first time.

[/satire]

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