I can’t tell if these fact-checkers are extremely dense or are just deliberately being weasels. There are known websites that practice the art of humor and satire. Pages like The Onion and The Babylon bee are well-known satirical sites, yet they still keep getting fact-checked by “independent fact-checking organizations” for publishing fake news.
Satire, for those unfamiliar, is intentionally false or exaggerated. It is not genuine fake news. It is a form of artistic expression used to make fun of current events or social politics.
There is no need to fact-check satire.
Now, this isn’t my first day on the internet. I am well aware that some people just do not get satire and they might get angry or confused enough to react in a displeasing manner. It is a perplexing phenomenon to me how it can be so misunderstood, but it does happen.
Perhaps if they fact-checked Dr. Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, half of Ireland in the 18th century wouldn’t have wanted to kill and eat poor children.
Maybe the fact-checkers are there just to make sure we do not “try it at home”. It's for "our own good". If so, that is potentially more obnoxious, but I don't buy it.
With the way Snopes attacks the Babylon Bee, it doesn’t come across that they understand it is satire. They retaliate in a manner as if they did not get the memo that it is just a website full of jokes, parodies, humor, and bullshit.
Our Facebook page has been flagged by fact-checkers and restricted for the crime of posting blatantly obvious satire and humor. The machines haven't picked up on the art yet, I guess, but you'd figure there has to be someone at the helm of the appeals.
Maybe the fact-checkers know it's sarcasm but they're just looking for a way to punish the evil libertarians?
Whatever the case may be, those who cannot detect sarcasm and satirical writing, especially from a page that informs the reader of such, are extraordinarily irritating. If you're one of these people, get it together. Turn your sarcasm detector on and come join the fun!
If you like genuine humor and can tell the difference between satire and non-fiction, check out: 6 Libertarian New Year's Resolutions!
