America's "extraordinary opportunity" for the Jewish state, Red Cross military gear marked as "humanitarian aid," amazing advice on balancing left-wing views and supporting Israel, and so much more.
Dear Joshua, please continue your excellent deep analysis of the news from Israel. I depend on your writing almost everyday and appreciate your publication very much. It is hard enough to learn about what is going on and too much to take the sarcasm. It is not necessary. Please. ❤️🇮🇱
I couldn’t stomach reading the entire article, being a wimpy senior just home from a moving “Bring Them Home” rally, but unlike Ilana, I say, “Bravo, Joshua! Sarcasm becomes you.” It is one more way, and not one that you overuse, to articulate the craziness we see in the world today.
Joshua, For me the strongest satire was with Griffiiths and the UN. It's difficult to write satire with such a serious topic, and I think while presenting each one and then ending with a punchline of satire was not enough, and needs to be woven throughout. Referring to the Columbia professors and Selma Blair, what truly bothers me whenever I have read about people backtracking are the Jewish apologists, or anyone, for that matter, who speak out against Hamas, Palestinians, etc. and then don't have the courage to stand by their words. They always have half baked reasons why they said what they said, and "didn't mean it the way it sounded." Words have meaning, so yes, they did mean it the way it sounded. I, too, love Douglas Murray, and as he said recently at an event hosted in London (which had to be moved) because the staff were fearful of protesters, a person should think whatever they do about an issue and not care about being labeled left, right, or anything else. No one should feel the need to belong to a club, and unfortunately, that is the mindset of young people and some adults as well. It takes strength to stand behind one's words, and people are intimidated by the noise of these groups and the violence that could erupt, so I get it. Once a week satire can be good to point out the absurdity of what is going on in the world, but your timely articles are the best, and so informative. I look forward to reading your perspective on them every day.
Hi Joshua: I like your regular columns better where you infuse with a bit of well placed sarcasm here and there. Having it concentrated all in one article is too much.
“Auto-Incorrect” correction: change “exasperated” to “exacerbated” here: “One-line, dramatic tweets with a non-contextualized photo do nothing to make the situation better for anyone, but sure, keep acting like you are part of the solution to a problem that you have gravely exasperated, and keep pretending that the only way forward is to continue increasing your billion-dollar annual budget, which only results in more virulent terrorism and hate.”
I’m sick and tired of sarcasm. I don’t find it very useful. .. I don’t have time to try to figure out what is true, what it’s just a joke, and what is an exaggeration. My honest response. For sarcasm I rather watch old British TV shows. Or John Stewart.
It's got to be hard to avoid the impulse to satirize when the daily news is so chock-full of absurdities, outright deceit and preposterous claims. I imagine that there are times, dear Joshua, when you want to jump up and down and scream, but you manage to limit yourself to tossing in a bit of sarcasm. Introducing sarcasm into news reporting, however, is a treacherous path. Many people have genuine difficulty with recognizing sarcasm and irony, especially when it's written rather than spoken. In a video you can roll your eyes or modulate your tone of voice to make sure that your audience gets it, but written text doesn't offer these aids. (Probably why emojis were invented and immediately adopted by everyone.)
Having a weekly column that is focused on the just the weird and preposterous events of this wacky world we're living in is an interesting idea. It has some real potential and I can see why it would appeal to you! ;-) But it's a tough act to pull off. My gold standards in this arena would be SNL back in the 70s, some of Monty Python's dead-pan skits, and Latma circa 2012. These days, The Babylon Bee occasionally strikes gold with their juxtapositions of visuals and captions that make you spit out your coffee. They resolved the issue of satire by splitting their site in two: 'The Babylon Bee' and 'Not The Bee.' The first is tongue in cheek, satirical spoofs; the second is real news that's just weird or incredible.
Part of the artistry in pulling off a satirical presentation is maintaining the tension between presenting the real world and the mocking the real world—and keeping your audience on their toes as they try to figure out what's what. Or, as Groucho used to say, "But seriously folks..", as he would launch into his next joke.
In summary, I would vote with those who have suggested that, for now, you keep the tone of your site as it is. Your presentation of important daily news is invaluable, and your skill in providing it is truly outstanding. On the other hand, I wouldn't give up on the impulse to do something with satire and sarcasm. There's too much good material out there these days to let it go to waste. Keep playing with the idea.
As humor it starts out well but soon becomes less satirical & more polemical preaching the choir. The text needs editing; at one point earlier copy is repeated word for word.
The 10 billion dollar “humanitarian” aid package for Gaza sounds like a huge increase compared to UNRWA funding just suspended by the US and other Western nations. What the hell is going on?
Not to worry! Most of it gets recycled into administrative overhead and political re-election campaigns. Helps us to understand why everyone is busy jockeying to get into position to "help" the poor Palestinians.
Josh, I appreciate the note of sarcasm because it expresses various feelings all at once. 1. The creative use of feelings of frustration without directly using vulgar language, 2. To show the utter absurdity happening in the world right before our eyes, 3. To express pain without becoming maudlin and sacrificing intelligence, 4. To create some emotional detachment from all of the above, 5. To preserve dignity via the detachment (detachment is not disassociation) 6. To entertain some lightness in a world blinded by darkness (unless the sarcasm becomes heavy, dark and mean) 7. Because we know what you mean and we're right there with you 😉✌️
Joshua, here are a few more names to add to the (dis)honour roll:
Francesca Albanese United Nations Special Rapporteur on the 'occupied' Palestinian territories
During the Israel-Hamas War, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that "Palestinians are in grave danger of a mass ethnic cleansing."[24] She further stated that the international community must "prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes", and that "accountability for international crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and Hamas must also be immediately pursued."[24] In February 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron described the 7 October attack as "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century". Albanese responded on Twitter that "the victims of the October 7 massacre were killed not because of their Judaism, but in response to Israeli oppression". The French Foreign Ministry condemned her remarks and the Israeli government declared Albanese persona non grata in Israel and denied her future entry to the country. In response to the reactions, Albanese said "I regret that some interpreted my tweet as 'justifying' Hamas's crimes, which I have condemned strongly several times. I reject all forms of racism, including antisemitism. However, labeling these crimes as 'antisemitic' obscures the real reason they occurred".
Anthony Albanese Prime Minister of Australia and minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong
I wonder if there is any connection between Francesca and Anthony. They share not only a last name, but mixed messages regarding Israel and the Jews. Penny has also issued mindboggling statements.
This is a good time to highly praise Sky News Australia for its consistent and very supportive coverage over these past five months. Good on them, I love Oz! Watch on You Tube!
Douglas Murray is a real treasure, a wonderful human being, a truly righteous gentile.
As for Shai Davidi, let him say or think whatever he wishes. All I (bold) wish he would do, just once, is identify as a Jew. Not as an atheist, not as an Israeli, but shout for all to hear, "I am a Jew."
Nuclear Devices in Space: Danger from Asymmetric Accelerationist Terror Groups
We monitored proposals to put Nuclear Devices into space thirty one years ago (in 1993). Both sides of The Cold War agreed then this was a bad development.
It remains fraught with danger, not the least of which is signal interception (which is easy to do) by small Asymmetric Accelerationist Terror Groups (like The Islamists and the Neo-Nazis) at War with both The USA and Russia, to precipitate a Nuclear War to bring down The West, and Russia.
We could dial down the New Cold War rhetoric, and thus reduce this new risk of War today, by agreeing not to put Weapons into Space, to be used by Tech-savvy Terror Groups.
Accelerationism: The (new ) Nazi Plans for Nuclear War:
The Proliferation of Nuclear War has been part of ongoing plans by both German and International Nazis, monitored here in London by the Antifascists who have been monitoring the Re-formation of The Nazi Party by the Nazis since 2012.
'Accelerationism' is The Nazi plan for wider Nuclear exchanges between the original Anti-Nazi World Powers as Payback, and vengeance, for those who defeated Hitler in 1945.
Then, the Defeat of the original Great Powers of WWII, and the Defeat of Liberal Democracy is planned, to bring in The New World Order for the new Nazi Germany.
Dear Joshua, please continue your excellent deep analysis of the news from Israel. I depend on your writing almost everyday and appreciate your publication very much. It is hard enough to learn about what is going on and too much to take the sarcasm. It is not necessary. Please. ❤️🇮🇱
I couldn’t stomach reading the entire article, being a wimpy senior just home from a moving “Bring Them Home” rally, but unlike Ilana, I say, “Bravo, Joshua! Sarcasm becomes you.” It is one more way, and not one that you overuse, to articulate the craziness we see in the world today.
Yes, I love the sarcasm too. "Excuse my Hebrew!" and so much more. I was laughing, I was shouting, I was -- excusing my own Hebrew.
Hypocrisy is rampant around the world. I think it’s so important that it’s called out. I would never have known about these imbeciles!!!
Keep it coming. It's valuable to continue to point out the hypocrisy rampant in the West.
Joshua, For me the strongest satire was with Griffiiths and the UN. It's difficult to write satire with such a serious topic, and I think while presenting each one and then ending with a punchline of satire was not enough, and needs to be woven throughout. Referring to the Columbia professors and Selma Blair, what truly bothers me whenever I have read about people backtracking are the Jewish apologists, or anyone, for that matter, who speak out against Hamas, Palestinians, etc. and then don't have the courage to stand by their words. They always have half baked reasons why they said what they said, and "didn't mean it the way it sounded." Words have meaning, so yes, they did mean it the way it sounded. I, too, love Douglas Murray, and as he said recently at an event hosted in London (which had to be moved) because the staff were fearful of protesters, a person should think whatever they do about an issue and not care about being labeled left, right, or anything else. No one should feel the need to belong to a club, and unfortunately, that is the mindset of young people and some adults as well. It takes strength to stand behind one's words, and people are intimidated by the noise of these groups and the violence that could erupt, so I get it. Once a week satire can be good to point out the absurdity of what is going on in the world, but your timely articles are the best, and so informative. I look forward to reading your perspective on them every day.
Thank you so much for the detailed feedback, Diane! And the kind words! Means a lot! ❤️
Hi Joshua: I like your regular columns better where you infuse with a bit of well placed sarcasm here and there. Having it concentrated all in one article is too much.
“Auto-Incorrect” correction: change “exasperated” to “exacerbated” here: “One-line, dramatic tweets with a non-contextualized photo do nothing to make the situation better for anyone, but sure, keep acting like you are part of the solution to a problem that you have gravely exasperated, and keep pretending that the only way forward is to continue increasing your billion-dollar annual budget, which only results in more virulent terrorism and hate.”
Good catch, and thanks for the feedback Lisa!
I’m sick and tired of sarcasm. I don’t find it very useful. .. I don’t have time to try to figure out what is true, what it’s just a joke, and what is an exaggeration. My honest response. For sarcasm I rather watch old British TV shows. Or John Stewart.
I loved this! (I would love to know what junior college in the U.S. the professor works at). I would definitely keep doing this.
The name is escaping me. :(
It's got to be hard to avoid the impulse to satirize when the daily news is so chock-full of absurdities, outright deceit and preposterous claims. I imagine that there are times, dear Joshua, when you want to jump up and down and scream, but you manage to limit yourself to tossing in a bit of sarcasm. Introducing sarcasm into news reporting, however, is a treacherous path. Many people have genuine difficulty with recognizing sarcasm and irony, especially when it's written rather than spoken. In a video you can roll your eyes or modulate your tone of voice to make sure that your audience gets it, but written text doesn't offer these aids. (Probably why emojis were invented and immediately adopted by everyone.)
Having a weekly column that is focused on the just the weird and preposterous events of this wacky world we're living in is an interesting idea. It has some real potential and I can see why it would appeal to you! ;-) But it's a tough act to pull off. My gold standards in this arena would be SNL back in the 70s, some of Monty Python's dead-pan skits, and Latma circa 2012. These days, The Babylon Bee occasionally strikes gold with their juxtapositions of visuals and captions that make you spit out your coffee. They resolved the issue of satire by splitting their site in two: 'The Babylon Bee' and 'Not The Bee.' The first is tongue in cheek, satirical spoofs; the second is real news that's just weird or incredible.
Part of the artistry in pulling off a satirical presentation is maintaining the tension between presenting the real world and the mocking the real world—and keeping your audience on their toes as they try to figure out what's what. Or, as Groucho used to say, "But seriously folks..", as he would launch into his next joke.
In summary, I would vote with those who have suggested that, for now, you keep the tone of your site as it is. Your presentation of important daily news is invaluable, and your skill in providing it is truly outstanding. On the other hand, I wouldn't give up on the impulse to do something with satire and sarcasm. There's too much good material out there these days to let it go to waste. Keep playing with the idea.
Greatly appreciate the feedback Sam!!
I don't think it was difficult to discern what was sarcasm - at all.
That clearly indicates that you are unusually intelligent. But some people just don't recognize sarcasm. And sometimes we're just not sure. ;-)
As humor it starts out well but soon becomes less satirical & more polemical preaching the choir. The text needs editing; at one point earlier copy is repeated word for word.
The 10 billion dollar “humanitarian” aid package for Gaza sounds like a huge increase compared to UNRWA funding just suspended by the US and other Western nations. What the hell is going on?
Not to worry! Most of it gets recycled into administrative overhead and political re-election campaigns. Helps us to understand why everyone is busy jockeying to get into position to "help" the poor Palestinians.
Josh, I appreciate the note of sarcasm because it expresses various feelings all at once. 1. The creative use of feelings of frustration without directly using vulgar language, 2. To show the utter absurdity happening in the world right before our eyes, 3. To express pain without becoming maudlin and sacrificing intelligence, 4. To create some emotional detachment from all of the above, 5. To preserve dignity via the detachment (detachment is not disassociation) 6. To entertain some lightness in a world blinded by darkness (unless the sarcasm becomes heavy, dark and mean) 7. Because we know what you mean and we're right there with you 😉✌️
Perfectly said Karen!
Joshua, here are a few more names to add to the (dis)honour roll:
Francesca Albanese United Nations Special Rapporteur on the 'occupied' Palestinian territories
During the Israel-Hamas War, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that "Palestinians are in grave danger of a mass ethnic cleansing."[24] She further stated that the international community must "prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes", and that "accountability for international crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and Hamas must also be immediately pursued."[24] In February 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron described the 7 October attack as "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century". Albanese responded on Twitter that "the victims of the October 7 massacre were killed not because of their Judaism, but in response to Israeli oppression". The French Foreign Ministry condemned her remarks and the Israeli government declared Albanese persona non grata in Israel and denied her future entry to the country. In response to the reactions, Albanese said "I regret that some interpreted my tweet as 'justifying' Hamas's crimes, which I have condemned strongly several times. I reject all forms of racism, including antisemitism. However, labeling these crimes as 'antisemitic' obscures the real reason they occurred".
Anthony Albanese Prime Minister of Australia and minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong
I wonder if there is any connection between Francesca and Anthony. They share not only a last name, but mixed messages regarding Israel and the Jews. Penny has also issued mindboggling statements.
This is a good time to highly praise Sky News Australia for its consistent and very supportive coverage over these past five months. Good on them, I love Oz! Watch on You Tube!
Douglas Murray is a real treasure, a wonderful human being, a truly righteous gentile.
As for Shai Davidi, let him say or think whatever he wishes. All I (bold) wish he would do, just once, is identify as a Jew. Not as an atheist, not as an Israeli, but shout for all to hear, "I am a Jew."
Yes, I absolutely adore Douglas Murray. He is so enlightening, and elegant at the same time!
Sirs
Nuclear Devices in Space: Danger from Asymmetric Accelerationist Terror Groups
We monitored proposals to put Nuclear Devices into space thirty one years ago (in 1993). Both sides of The Cold War agreed then this was a bad development.
It remains fraught with danger, not the least of which is signal interception (which is easy to do) by small Asymmetric Accelerationist Terror Groups (like The Islamists and the Neo-Nazis) at War with both The USA and Russia, to precipitate a Nuclear War to bring down The West, and Russia.
We could dial down the New Cold War rhetoric, and thus reduce this new risk of War today, by agreeing not to put Weapons into Space, to be used by Tech-savvy Terror Groups.
Yours in Vigilance
Sirs,
Accelerationism: The (new ) Nazi Plans for Nuclear War:
The Proliferation of Nuclear War has been part of ongoing plans by both German and International Nazis, monitored here in London by the Antifascists who have been monitoring the Re-formation of The Nazi Party by the Nazis since 2012.
'Accelerationism' is The Nazi plan for wider Nuclear exchanges between the original Anti-Nazi World Powers as Payback, and vengeance, for those who defeated Hitler in 1945.
Then, the Defeat of the original Great Powers of WWII, and the Defeat of Liberal Democracy is planned, to bring in The New World Order for the new Nazi Germany.
All of this has been monitored here in London.
Yours in Vigilance
I don't get it either. Awful.