How to recognize satire, even when Poe's Law makes it difficult.

On DU, I occasionally write something satirical as a thread starter. Inevitably, some people don't recognize the satirical nature of what I write. Here's the thing: When I write satire, I include clues to the fact that it is not a news story, even though I write in a typical news style. Others do similar things to provide clues to the nature of the piece of writing. The Onion does that. So do other writers, like Borowitz.

What kind of clues? Well, in a recent post, I mentioned Sarah Huckleberry in the text. Huckleberry is not actually her maiden name, used as a middle name. That's a clue. No news writer would make such a mistake. Another clue is ridiculous exaggeration. As you read, ask yourself whether what was written is a likely thing to have happened. In another satirical piece yesterday, I implied that Donald Trump is rumored to be having sex with a goat kept at the White House. While he is a person of very questionable character, there are actually no goats in residence at the White House, at least not since Steve Bannon was fired. If there were goats at the White House, we would know of it. And despite what you think, Donald Trump probably wouldn't have sex with a goat, no matter how desperate he became. He is the President. He is famous. So, he can grab pussies whenever he likes. At least he seems to think so.

Then, there are sometimes other clues. For example: I typically end satire posts with the evil grin emoji -

Others use emojis like the sarcasm emoji - Such emojis are signals to readers.

If you see something like the things described above, you should probably assume that the post is made in a satirical way for the sheer humor of it. It was supposed to make you laugh, while pointing out something of importance.

It's very amusing when people don't bother to read my posts thoroughly enough to see those clues, and then react as if the post were true. It's also a source of confusion that has to be cleared up at some point, thus lessening the impact of the satire.

I suppose I could just stop writing satirical posts, but what would be the fun in that? Making fun of and mocking stupid, childish public officials like Donald Trump and Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a crucial part of our freedom of speech. Satire has been used almost forever as a type of commentary. It belongs on DU. It belongs in our media. We need to be able to laugh at our puffed-up public figures. Satire promotes sanity.

Note: This post is not a satire, even though it contains some satirical elements.