What to expect in 2023 from The Onion: 20 Years Later
Iraq. Lots of Iraq. Plus, why I do this newsletter and what I'm hoping to achieve (besides digging up laughs)
Welcome back to The Onion: 20 Years Later. We’re still on vacation, but Year 4 of this newsletter begins next week!
Thank you so much for being here. If you’re a newer subscriber, check out the archives for a wealth of old jokes and analysis. And if you’re brand-new, please sign up!
Before next week’s recap of Vol. 39, Issue 1, I want to talk about what to expect in 2023, why I do this and how I try to write fairly and honestly about old humor.
What did The Onion write about in 2003?
Look, this is the year of Iraq. That’s it. Iraq, Iraq, Iraq.
The good news: The Onion acquitted itself well in 2002 by anticipating the White House’s obsession with Iraq and the inevitable march toward war. This should (mostly) continue in 2003.1
But does making good predictions mean you’re funny? That's my big question this year. As we’ll see next week, The Onion got off to a rocky start in 2003 by running a copycat version of a Bush-Saddam story from October 2002.
And yes, talking about the Iraq war will be difficult. I hope to honestly present The Onion as it was in 2003 while also examining its legacy. We’ll critique, but without presuming knowledge The Onion didn’t have.
I was a college student in 2003, and I knew people who were enlisted or in ROTC, so I’ll try to add my memories where possible.2
Not all the Iraq coverage will be depressing. “Iraq, Kentucky Vie For World Shooting-Into-The-Air Supremacy” is an all-time favorite of mine.
What else did The Onion write about in 2003?
Here are some non-Iraq headlines and topics I’m excited to discuss:
“Pope John Paul II: 25 Years Of Laughs” (many people at my Jesuit college did not love this)
“Energy Secretary Just Assumed Cabinet Knew He Did Porn Films In The '80s”
“Internet Social Networks” (featuring Friendster!)
“Independent-Minded Cat Shits Outside The Box”
“King Latifah Returns for Wife”
Any Smoove B column
Front-page headlines that might have been my away message on AOL Instant Messenger.
What am I trying to do with this newsletter?
In late 2019, I wanted a hobby that wasn’t work-related for 2020. I decided to recap The Onion’s old issues because I’d enjoy it — and it’d be just weird enough to stand out. Thankfully, I made the right decision.
This is a free newsletter because this is a hobby, not another job. All I ask is, if you like The Onion: 20 Years Later, tell a friend!
(And if you have a niche podcast or publication that I can somehow add Onion-related insight to, drop me a note!)
In 2023, I’m trying to remain consistent in this newsletter’s purpose:
Recap what happened 20 years ago in The Onion. Give you all the headlines and jokes.
Place those jokes in context (“Last Living Tamagotchi Dies In Captivity.” for example, was a good topical joke 20 years ago, but not so much now). Explain The Onion’s jokes based on 2003 America, not just 2023.
Criticize and praise with a purpose.
Most importantly, help my readers rediscover old favorites or enjoy The Onion’s greatness for the first time.
My Onion writing in 2023 will also be influenced by 2 books I recently read.
The 1st is “On Writing Well,” 2nd edition, by William Zinsser,. The 2nd is a biography of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
These books seemingly have little in common. But both examine 1970s culture and sensibilities. And they largely agree the great humorists who influenced American society.
The MTM book begins by discussing MTM writer Treva Silverman’s childhood influences, including 1930s screwball actresses. Also crucial to her development were humor writers like Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, S.J. Perelman, James Thurber and Tallulah Bankhead.
Zinsser, meanwhile, has an entire chapter of his book devoted to humor writing!3 He worships humorists such as Benchley, Perelman, Thurber and Parker -- not to mention Ring Lardner, H.L. Mencken, Art Buchwald, Woody Allen and Garry Trudeau.
I learned so much from these books about the 1970s and what’s changed during the past 40-50 years. Zinsser’s advice on editing is practically timeless; his advice on humor writing is woefully dated. Meanwhile, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” remains a fantastic television show but doesn’t feel daring or revolutionary to the modern eye.
I say this not to criticize Zinsser or MTM, but to add context. Those long-dead writers were pioneers and still influential. Zinsser’s editing advice remains valuable. The entire TV industry owes a debt to MTM.
But we have so much knowledge they don’t have. We have 50+ years of sitcoms, comedy films, late-night shows, improv and sketch comedy, standup comics, humor books, podcasts and more at our fingertips — including The Onion! Our universe of humor is infinitely more expansive than 1975’s.
What does this mean for my Onion coverage? We’ll look at The Onion’s 2003 jokes differently than people did then. We’ll have different knowledge and perspective. Our norms and technology have changed greatly.
I’ll try to balance today’s world and 2003’s. I won’t let The Onion off the hook for something egregiously bad or offensive. But I will try to understand why a joke was written then. What was society like? What context am I missing? Can I appreciate a joke without liking it?
On the flip side, we live in a world shaped by The Onion. How can these old jokes explain today’s comedy and society? There’s a lot for us to learn.
I’m excited to explore The Onion of 2003, and I’m thrilled to have you here. See you next week!
Here’s a thorough, if politically biased, look at how The Onion’s Iraq coverage aged over the next 15 years.
Full disclosure: Days after 9/11, I predicted an invasion of Iraq. Ultimately, I didn’t support the war, although I didn’t think Saddam was being truthful about anything.
Beyond that, I’m unsure how accurate my memories are. I’ll be careful about weighing in, but I’m also hoping revisiting 2003 will jog my brain.
I loved “On Writing,” especially as an editor who wants to coach writers. But good Lord, Zinsser is constantly praising his own writing. He had an ego, I guess.
I didn’t know that anyone but me had read Zinsser’s book without being a student! Full disclosure: I still haven’t finished it - the self-praise has indeed gotten in the way!