Ridiculing somebody to his or her face is a dirty trick. It’s a bullying tactic. One of my articles for the Mesquite Local News, Bullying and Elvis Presley (June 4, 2011), talked about bullying. I also wrote two other articles in 2011 along the same lines—Influence by Being Mean and Nasty (December 31) and Influence by Cruelty (October 1).
Ridicule is making fun of somebody to his face. It’s done to humiliate the other person.
On the other hand, a satire is a short story which emphasizes somebody’s weaknesses—not the weak person himself or herself. The dictionary says a satire usually implies moral judgment.
I’ve been writing a series of satires of a political nature over the last year or so. I call them “Fractured Fairy Tales,” in a tribute to one of my favorite TV shows. Only one has appeared in the Mesquite Local News—my very first one, “When Obama Met BP’s CEO Tony Hayward: A Fractured Fairy Tale.” It appeared on June 19, 2010.
Remember Bullwinkle the Moose and Rocky the Flying Squirrel? I loved watching that show in the 1950s and 1960s. One of the segments was called Fractured Fairy Tales. There were 91 of them in all, and you can learn more about them by going to this website: BrownieLocks.com.
I wrote them to satirize the party in power—the Democrats. When Republicans take over the White House, I’ll write more fractured fairy tales to satirize Republicans. So I’m not making a moral judgment about either major political party. All I want to do is to have fun—and maybe make some money in the process. A publisher and I are talking about putting a minimum of 30 of my fairy tales in a book. I don’t have 30 yet—just 11. I’ve got a good sense of humor, and I hope you’ll agree after reading them. Let me hear from you, please. Suggest other topics for me to write about. Or write your own and send them to me. If they’re good and funny, I’ll include them in my book—with your permission, of course. A website, ReadWriteThink.org, encourages primary grade students to write their own “fractured fairy tales” by combining story lines from several fairy tales. I’ve used some of their techniques to come up with my own fractured fairy tales.
Most of my fairy tales are about President Obama. My latest one, “Nancy Pelosi Arrests Karl Rove and Mitt Romney,” appeared on July 4, 2012, in the conservative website, StupidFrogs.org. It talks about how former House speaker Nancy Pelosi guest-starred on the Andy Griffith Show in 1964 and arrested Rove and Romney when they were in Mayberry to organize a rally for Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. I wrote it as a tribute to Andy Griffith, who passed away on July 3. Also appearing are Pelosi’s maids April, May, and June (triplets), and her butlers October and November (twins)—all from the Philippines. Lyndon Johnson, Karl Rove, Aunt Bee, and Opie also are in the story.
To read this and all my other Stupid Frogs articles, go to www.StupidFrogs.org. Click on “Articles” at the top. You’ll then see all articles dating back to 2010 or so. Click on mine—or on any article you want to read.
Here are my ten other fractured fairy tales. Drop me a line at donhendon1@aol.com and let me know what you think. Or write a letter to the editor at the Mesquite Local news. I read it all the time.
Jeremiah Wright Says “Vote for Romney.” (June 29, 2012)
Wright is extremely sad because Obama has dumped him. The ghosts of Richard Nixon and Saul Alinsky visit Wright while he’s asleep and give him advice. The LDS’ White Horse Prophecy plays a prominent role.
Obama Declares Himself Emperor (June 27, 2012)
After watching Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee on TV, Obama gets jealous. He and Michelle talk, and he decides to declare himself Emperor on his birthday, August 4. But he accelerates his timetable after the House of Representatives declares Eric Holder in contempt of Congress—he decides to do it on June 28. Jan Brewer and Bill Clinton also appear in the story.
What Will Obama Do When the Supreme Court Overturns ObamaCare? (June 25, 2012)
Appearing are the ghosts of Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy. Al Gore advises Obama to dump Biden and pick Charlie Rangel as Vice-President. Obama decides to pick Cory Booker instead. Stewie and Brian the Dog from Family Guy also play prominent roles.
Obama Pardons Eric Holder—Maybe (June 21, 2012)
On January 19, 2013, Obama and his family are packing up to leave the White House, stealing silverware and George Bush’s portrait. Sasha and Malia ask their dad to pardon himself to they can move to Honolulu instead of Indonesia—which has no extradition treaty with the U.S. Eric Holder, Charlie Rangel, Bill and Hillary, and Charlie Sheen also are in the story, as are Obama’s six half-brothers and two half-sisters.
The Real Reason Obama Pardoned Illegals (June 20, 2012)
Obama, Eric Holder, and Charlie Rangel are smoking joints in Obama’s Choomobile, installed at Camp David by the Secret Service. After Obama goes to sleep, three spirits appear to him: Bill Clinton, the Ghost of Elections Past. George Bush, the Ghost of Elections Present. Jimmy Carter, the Ghost of Elections Future. (Jacob Marley is played by John Kerry.) The Carter Ghost tells Obama that if he pardons illegal aliens, he’ll win the Latino vote—and the presidency.
Obama, the Bisexual Gay Pothead (May 28, 2012)
Obama, Charlie Sheen, Rahm Emmanuel, Bill Ayers, Barney Frank, and Bill Clinton are smoking joints in Obama’s Choomobile. Obama is worried about his image after seeing Newsweek’s May 13 cover story calling Obama “America’s First Gay President.” Sheen advises him to become more macho. Ayers’ advice: Start a real revolution. Emmanuel: Start a new crisis—divorce Michele.
When Charlie Sheen Met Anthony Weiner, John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, and Obama (June 8, 2011)
Florida Representative Anthony Weiner, who sent lewd photos of his private parts to a college student, doesn’t want to resign, so he asks Charlie Sheen for advice. Sheen advises him to be proud of being a womanizer—most people are cheaters, and he’ll get the huge cheater’s vote that way. Other cheaters—Bill Clinton, John Edwards, and Eliot Spitzer—agree. By the way, Weiner appears in a clown’s costume.
When Obama Met Charlie Sheen (May 6, 2011. Repeated on May 14, 2012)
Obama, worried about news stories alleging he is bisexual, meets Charlie Sheen in Vegas on his Torpedo of Truth Tour, pays $500,000 for advice on how to be more macho. Sheen tells Obama, “You always look like you’re going out on a date. You’re too perfect. Get a pot belly. Eat greasy foods to give you pimples to go with your mole. Dress like a slob. Grow a beard.”
When Losing Democrats Hold a Reunion in 2011 (August 2, 2010)
Featuring these losing Democrats: Joe Biden, Barbara Boxer, Roland Burris, Jimmy Carter, John Dingel, Russ Feingold, Barney Frank, Al Franken, Kristen Gillibrand, Al Gore, Jennifer Granholm, Alan Grayson, Alvin Greene, Steny Hoyer, Jesse Jackson Jr., Dennis Kucinich, Blanche Lincoln, Jerry Nadler, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel, Harry Reid, Rory Reid, Joe Sestak, Arlen Specter, Peter Start, Bart Stupak, Dina Titus, Maxine Walters, Henry Waxman, and Anthony Weiner. Plus President Michele Bachman, VP Newt Gingrich, Secretary of State Sarah Palin, and Peter King. (Obviously, not all my predictions came true.)
When Obama Met BP’s CEO Tony Hayward (June 16, 2010)
Remember the BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2010? This was written before the two actually met. This, my first fractured fairy tale, predicted in a humorous way what would happen when these two macho guys meet.
Well, that’s all for this month. See you again on August 4.
Dr. Donald Hendon lives in Mesquite. He is a retired university professor of marketing, active consultant, speaker, trainer, and author of 8 books, including 365 Powerful Ways to Influence and the forthcoming Guerrilla Deal-Making. Deal-Making is now available for pre-purchase on Amazon.com. It contains the 100 most powerful tactics from 365 Powerful Ways—along with 400 countermeasures. Download Chapter 1, free of charge, at www.DonaldHendon.com. Play his free online Negotiation Poker game by going to www. DonaldHendon.com/NegotiationPoker. Apps will soon be available. Don’s column appears the first Saturday of each month at www.MesquiteLocalNews.com.