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Wednesday, November 2. 2011

If you're a mature, sophisticated adult (that is, over 50), then you remember Cracked magazine as being one of the staples of your early youth, right alongside Mad magazine and Playboy. Gotta get your education from somewhere, right?

Well, IMHO, Cracked has turned into the premiere comedy/parody/satire site on the Web. There are a handful of imitations around, but Cracked is the best-written and most polished. Some of their stuff is exceptionally clever.

As a quick example, they're absolutely merciless when it comes to dismantling time-travel movies, like Back To The Future, The Matrix, and, especially, The Terminator. They had a field day with that one.

So much for introductions.

I found the following Cracked article both revealing and insightful, and immediately confess to being guilty of ~~a huge number~~ at least one of the sins he mentions. My thought at the end was, anyone getting on the Internet for the first time should read this first.

Oh, before we start, would you mind if I asked a rather delicate question?

Got a mirror handy?

The 6 Stupidest Internet Reactions To Shocking News Stories

Posted by Dr. Mercury in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 10:50 | Comments (15) | Trackbacks (0)

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I don't know why you are surprised at what Cracked produced as the commentary among Internet commenters is perfectly obvious behavior. I would be more surprised if they didn't do something like this.

Then again they are a "humor" website and are fairly funny but on the other hand they are obviously producing a time wasting non-productive "must read" for all those poor saps who toil for their daily bread in little cubicles all around the world. And that's just wrong.

You know what I think? This is a total waste of electrons that could be put to better use detailing financial meltdowns and the latest Kim Kardashian non-news. I think we need a law against electron waste.

It's just shocking to me how websites continue to get away with this, no electron is safe anymore, and won't be until we fight back and save the electrons. :>)

#1 Tom Francis on 2011-11-02 12:28 (Reply)

Don't forget that the author is himself guilty of most of his "sins" in that very article...
Most "stunning", "shocking", etc. internet "news" isn't either stunning, shocking, or news.
And people who correctly point that out will be labelled as "sinners" in the mind of that author.

#1.1 J.T. Wenting on 2011-11-03 00:00 (Reply)

p.s. that's true not just of the internet of course. Newspapers, radio and television "news" are filled with non-news, page wide headlines about some celebrity having a new boyfriend on the frontpage of national newspapers are just one example of that, rumours about some supposed son of Khadaffi having "escaped" to some other country as prime time television are only slightly more newsworthy (and certainly not anywhere but in Libya itself IMO).

#1.1.1 J.T. Wenting on 2011-11-03 00:03 (Reply)

"Don't forget that the author is himself guilty of most of his "sins" in that very article."

The piece is about comments to articles, so you're saying he was commenting on his article while writing it? You're saying that he was being hyperbolic by telling people not to be hyperbolic?

Between that and the comment Agent Cooper made, it looks like the magazine isn't the only thing that cracked around here.

#1.1.2 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2011-11-03 04:55 (Reply)

By the way - I love Cracked. I'm still a huge MAD magazine fan though - I've been a subscriber since...oh gosh, forever. I think it's a difference in style more than substance.

Wasn't Cracked a print magazine at one time? Kind of like MAD's little brother.

#2 Tom Francis on 2011-11-02 12:30 (Reply)

"I don't know why you are surprised at what Cracked produced"

Coincidentally enough, I'm surprised that I was surprised, too. It's news to me. I just said it was revealing and insightful.

As for your caring about the poor, abused electrons, that's just to typical of you, isn't it? As a lifelong member of PETA, I'm sure you care for all living things, and believe that electrons, like dogs, are "prisoners" of the human world and should immediately be set free. I've set most of mine free, but I need to save a couple to finish up this comment.

"Wasn't Cracked a print magazine at one time?"

Are you calling Bruce a liar? He said the two of you were really, really old, and I'd expect some ancient old coot to know the answer to that question. Yes, "little brother" was well put. I never read it, although I devoured Mad every month. It was always kind of a pale imitation, and the little logo guy they used wasn't near as personable (or quotable) as Alfred E.

Well, I'd like to chat more, but I'm about out of electr

#2.1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2011-11-02 12:42 (Reply)

"Coincidentally enough, I'm surprised that I was surprised, too." - is that the other side of "I wasn't surprised that I was surprised"? :-)

I remember Cracked magazine as a kid and always considered a ripoff of MAD (possibly unfairly). I still remember some of the "Lighter/Darker side of ..." strips in MAD.

The funniest thing was recently someone was offended (say it's not true!!!) by something MAD had written so they were going to boycott their advertisers. The idiots didn't know they don't have any! :-D

I have looked at Cracked website a few times. I was impressed (I was even surprised that I was impressed). I'd say it's pretty much on par (in its own way) with the Onion.

#2.1.1 mudbug on 2011-11-02 13:42 (Reply)

Muds - I'm surprised I'm surprised you're surprised. On the other hand, I suppose it's fitting. Surprise is like that. If you don't know for sure beforehand, then by definition alone you're surprised. And then, finding yourself at the whimsy of definition, you're surprised you're surprised and the whole cycle starts all over again.

By the way, are you a little girl mudbug or a little boy mudbug? I thought you once referred to yourself as one of those "girl" things, but I'm not sure. We like to keep track for statistical use. At the moment, it's 3 girls, 75,357 guys. Maybe I should start posting more pictures of beefcake?

#2.1.1.1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2011-11-02 14:03 (Reply)

Doc,
Mrs. Mudbug is one of those girl things. She doesn't go much for beefcake (but then she's got me! :-) Of course her eyesight could stand improving!). Maybe you should check with Bomber Girl.

#2.1.1.1.1 mudbug on 2011-11-02 15:06 (Reply)

Used to love Mad and Cracked. Both take a backseat to The Onion on the Internet.

#3 NJSoldier on 2011-11-02 12:38 (Reply)

I do appreciate the way Cracked re-invented itself for the internet age. Probably a great case study in branding.

It is a doggone funny site, and I gotta believed working for Cracked has to be one of the most envied jobs in existence.

#4 DrTorch on 2011-11-02 12:55 (Reply)

That Cracked piece is clever, and we are guilty.

#5 BD on 2011-11-02 13:41 (Reply)

The comments by you people just confirm what I've always suspected about the readers of MF and so I'm not the least bit surprised by your reactions to this article. It just goes to show there's a need for more vigilance by the authorities. As I have posted many times before, there should be rules to keep this from ever happening again. My sympathy goes out to the poor author and her entire family. No punishment is enough for those who have caused her such humiliation. It's clear to me none of it is her fault.

#6 Agent Cooper on 2011-11-02 14:13 (Reply)

More vigilance is needed by the authorities to keep people from talking about old magazines?? Man, this new regime is tough! That election can't get here soon enough!

#7 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2011-11-02 14:18 (Reply)

I loved Mad when I was a kid, especially the movie satires ("Paul Newman is . . . Sombre.") and the "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" (A man approaches the maitre-d' with his wife and is asked, "Two?" He answers (1) "I don't know, I can't count that high, either." (2) "No, 254. We want to change seats every few minutes." (3) "Only one. My wife will sit on my shoulders.")

#8 Texan99 (Link) on 2011-11-02 18:00 (Reply)

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Wednesday, November 2. 2011

Cracked in name only