Thursday I wrote about my fear that I could not reliably recognize irony. Today I learn that I can’t recognize satire, or, even worse, that I confuse sincerity for satire. When I read this post at Hullabaloo I figured that the letter allegedly written by Tim Russert must be satire. Could anyone seriously write a paragraph like this:
I have not honked my car horn since September 11 as a gesture of respect to all of [the 9/11 responders]. 9/11 also gave me a whole new insight into my Dad and why he left school in the 10th grade to enlist after Pearl Harbor. I wrote a book affirming his life. It changed my life and my relationship with my father—and my son—forever. We now share openly the love and respect and pride we have in each other. A day doesn’t go by when other sons and daughters want to share stories of their dad with me. Now that’s a journey I never expected, but one which is so meaningful—perhaps even more important than my “career.â€
No doubt you’ve guessed that this was, in fact, really written by Tim Russert. The man who rules the Sunday talk shows thinks that he is somehow honoring the 9/11 dead by not honking his horn. That’s his car horn of course – he never tires of honking his own. The rest of the inspiring column is just as weirdly maudlin.
I don’t think I can be blamed for thinking Digby made this letter up. Had Russert not written it, it would have been an inspired piece of satire.
Post a Comment