Onion reflects reality; society beams broadly (with greenery in teeth)

The Onion has mocked human absurdity since its inception by two undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988. This satirical news outlet produced parodic content so clever that some assumed it was real, while others were just outright absurd, including a headline (“‘No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens”) that has gained dark notoriety after being circulated following every U.S. mass shooting since the 2014 Isla Vista, Calif., incident.

In this adjusted interview, Christine Wenc, A.M. ’08, discusses her new publication “Funny Because It’s True,” concerning the origins of the newspaper that dubs itself “America’s Finest News Source.” Wenc elaborated on The Onion’s legacy, now located in Chicago, the establishment of contemporary news satire, and its status as a respected cultural fixture.

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You were part of the founding team of The Onion. What inspired your involvement?  

I was just 19, and Tim Keck, who created The Onion in 1988, was one of my roommates. Tim was a college sophomore and the youngest member of a Midwestern newspaper family. He sought financial support, and together with his companion Chris Johnson, decided to launch a college publication. When they invited me to join, I thought, “Why not?” since that’s what you tend to do at 19.

Tim gathered a few humanities scholars, and one of them, an improv performer, proposed that the publication should consist entirely of fictitious tales, and that’s how it all started. A couple of years later, I departed with other team members to take on the role of editor at Seattle’s alternative weekly, The Stranger, which was another endeavor initiated by Keck.

How did The Onion cultivate its unique satirical tone?

It didn’t discover its unique voice until later on. Initially, it parodied the National Enquirer. The very first headline read “Mendota Monster Mauls Madison,” addressing a creature sighted in Lake Mendota, close to UW-Madison.

In the mid-1990s, a fresh group of staff developed the dry, satirical tone we now associate with The Onion. It was during this time that the writers debated the publication’s mission and agreed that it should critique society from a progressive perspective.

The founding members hailed from Wisconsin and shared a working-class heritage. Madison is often referred to as the Berkeley of the Midwest, and this microclimate, characterized by a sort of Midwestern progressive underdog ethos, infused The Onion’s satire.

However, from the very outset, The Onion sought to ridicule human stupidity. Its motto was “Tu Stultus Es,” meaning “You Are Dumb” in Latin.

The Onion’s aim was never to be political. The objective was to amuse, but its humor had to adhere to certain principles, such as not mocking women but critiquing sexism; not ridiculing Black individuals but addressing racism. Highlighting issues such as racism and sexism was essentially pointing out human folly.

There have been instances where The Onion’s satire was misinterpreted, leading some readers to take the fabricated stories as truth. Was that a concern?

We were consistently cognizant that some individuals could not differentiate The Onion’s news satire from actual news. There are clearly fictional stories that were accepted as real.

For instance, a report that the Chinese media picked up regarding the U.S. Congress’s demand for a new Capitol; another about the Harry Potter series supposedly leading to an uptick in Satanism; and one announcing the opening of an $8 billion Abortionplex by Planned Parenthood. The latter was shared by a conservative politician.

Satire is a literary craft, and The Onion’s writers were a collective of innovative, artistic, progressive misfits who operated outside the traditional framework and maintained an independent viewpoint, allowing them to observe things that others could not or preferred to ignore.

For instance, The Onion didn’t succumb to the unfounded assertion of weapons of mass destruction during the Gulf War; with headline after headline, it lampooned the situation while mainstream media behaved as stenographers relaying information provided by the administration. It turned out that The Onion’s portrayal was correct.

Recent actual news headlines appear as if they originated from The Onion. How can a satirical publication respond when reality appears so surreal?

At present, the actual world indeed resembles an Onion headline because people in reality are acting like characters from Onion narratives. A level of decorum or propriety has seemingly vanished in the actions of numerous public figures.

Conversely, I believe The Onion’s triumph lies in its distinctive humor, which contrasts a straightforward news format that closely imitates the dry style of an Associated Press article against bizarre content. It’s the contrast between the straightforward tone and the outrageous stories that renders it humorous. What The Onion produces is news satire — effective fictitious news — aimed at highlighting societal wrongs to foster improvement. The Onion has never engaged in fake news, which is concocted as propaganda to create disarray and instill fear.

What influence do you believe The Onion has had on contemporary news satire?

It played a vital role in shaping modern American news satire. Satire has always employed humor to unveil the injustices in our world. It stands as one of the few rhetorical tools effective against distortion or manipulation. By humorously addressing the shortcomings of humanity and society, satire manages to reveal the ridiculousness of existence. It transcends mere joke-telling.

The Onion is highly esteemed within the comedy realm. Numerous Onion writers have advanced to work for comedy programs, including Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report,” among others.

I’m delighted to witness The Onion thriving. Initially, it was Generation X that initiated The Onion, followed by the millennials who supported the Onion News Network, a parody of CNN and Fox News. Ben Collins, the CEO of The Onion, frequently asserts that The Onion can convey messages in ways that traditional news cannot. To me, that embodies the progressive legacy that inspired its original creators.

I believe humor and satire can serve as survival strategies and morale boosters. This is not insignificant, especially during challenging times. Satire affirms that you are not alone in perceiving the absurdity of the current circumstances — and it is always reassuring to realize you are not alone.