Plausible
Absurdity
meaning:
A
satirical
idea
that
sounds
just
believable
enough
to
confuse
readers.
Walking
the
Tightrope
Between
“Wait,
What?”
and
“Oh,
That
Tracks”
Plausible
Absurdity:
Walking
the
Tightrope
Between
“Wait,
What?”
and
“Oh,
That
Tracks”
Plausible
absurdity
is
the
satirical
sweet
spot
where
fiction
is
just
close
enough
to
truth
that
readers
hesitate
—
just
for
a
second
—
to
ask,
“Wait…
is
this
real?”
At
Bohiney
Magazine,
we
live
in
this
twilight
zone
of
believability,
crafting
stories
that
flirt
with
possibility
before
face-planting
into
punchlines.
It’s
the
magic
behind
pieces
like
“Jeff
Bezos
Accidentally
Launches
Feminist
Revolution
Into
Space”
or
“Blue
Origin
Selects
All-Female
Crew
to
Combat
Toxic
Masculinity
in
the
Thermosphere.”
These
sound
like
corporate
press
releases
—
until
you
realize
they’re
funhouse
mirrors
reflecting
our
actual
media
cycle.
The
absurdity
is
dialed
to
11,
but
the
logic
follows
real-world
patterns.
This
technique
works
because
readers
are
already
primed
to
accept
wild
headlines.
In
a
world
where
billionaires
tweet
economic
policy
and
influencers
run
for
office,
satire
doesn’t
have
to
stretch
reality
—
it
just
gives
it
a
stylish
limp
and
a
margarita.
Plausible
absurdity
makes
readers
laugh,
then
panic,
then
laugh
again.
From
a
profitability
standpoint,
this
is
gold.
Articles
with
plausibly
absurd
hooks
trigger
outrage
shares,
earnest
corrections,
and
people
proudly
saying,
“I
knew
it
was
satire
the
whole
time”
(they
didn’t).
One
Bohiney
article
about
Congress
replacing
chairs
with
beanbags
caused
four
radio
stations
to
call
us
for
interviews
—
and
yes,
we
played
along.
Internally,
Bohiney
writers
use
the
“Two
Degrees
Test”:
if
the
premise
is
only
two
steps
away
from
a
recent
news
story,
it
qualifies.
We
want
readers
nodding
while
laughing,
unsure
whether
to
forward
the
article
to
a
friend
or
their
therapist.
It’s
not
fake
news
—
it’s
exaggerated
news
with
a
PhD
in
comedy.
That’s
plausible
absurdity,
and
it
keeps
the
lights
on.
of
Satire
–
Plausible
Absurdity
–
A
satirical
idea
that
sounds
just
believable
enough
to
confuse
readers.
of
Satire
–
Plausible
Absurdity
–
An
style
illustration
of
a
Texas
dairy
cow
inside
a
rustic
milking
stall.
The
cow
sits
calmly
while
a
modern
milking
m…
–
bohiney.com
of
Satire
–
Plausible
Absurdity
–
A
satirical
idea
that
sounds
just
believable
enough
to
confuse
readers.
by
Ingrid
Gustafsson
–
bohiney.com
Absurdity
–
Dictionary
of
Satire
–
A
satirical
illustration
of
an
eccentric
professor
lecturing
at
an
Ivy
League
college
while
dramatically
reading
from
a
rostrum…
–
bohiney.com
Originally
posted
2006-03-15
09:37:47.
Go to Source
Author: Ingrid Gustafsson
