Calvin College and The New Pornographers

[jaigner]

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctentertainment/2010/09/calvin-college-no-pographers-a-1.html

Opinions?

I think it's bizarre that people cannot understand the satire behind the name.

 

[Don]

Well, I read the title of the thread and had no idea it had anything to do with music; so the satire was completely lost on me.

 

[jaigner]

Hmmm....I think the article would have been helpful.

 

[Ruiz]

I laughed. Mostly because the band's name and the spokesperson used to communicate the decision was named "Hefner." Sorry, I couldn't help but create the headline, "Hefner Speaks out against Pornographers" or "Hefner is against Pornographers."

 

[Don]

Hmmm....I think the article would have been helpful.

Sorry I wasn't clear; after reading the article, I understood that it's related to music.

But the average person that simply sees the title thread, or a newspaper ad indicating "new pornographers at Calvin"...well, sorry, but it's hard to determine the satire until you find out what the situation is actually about.

And most people are going to see the title, and not go further. So as satire, it kinda fails.

 

[Aaron]

There's no satire. It's not artistic. It's not even witty. It's just young punks who wanted a name that they knew would get attention—any kind of attention.

Can't believe it took Calvin College "weeks" to snap out of it.

 

[billwald]

They should have picked a name like "The Jonestown Baptist Church Choir?"

 

[jaigner]

There's no satire. It's not artistic. It's not even witty. It's just young punks who wanted a name that they knew would get attention—any kind of attention.

Can't believe it took Calvin College "weeks" to snap out of it.

I, for one, am glad that Calvin College is apparently engaging culture, as should be the norm, instead of shunning it.

But they dropped the ball here. The name is no big deal. And their music is very interesting.

 

[jaigner]

Sorry I wasn't clear; after reading the article, I understood that it's related to music.

But the average person that simply sees the title thread, or a newspaper ad indicating "new pornographers at Calvin"...well, sorry, but it's hard to determine the satire until you find out what the situation is actually about.

And most people are going to see the title, and not go further. So as satire, it kinda fails.

I take your point, but I think anyone who knows anything about Calvin College would realize that they obviously don't support pornography and would quickly understand what it was all about.

 

[Don]

I take your point, but I think anyone who knows anything about Calvin College would realize that they obviously don't support pornography and would quickly understand what it was all about.

That's the point, J; I've never previously heard of the college, and don't know anything about it.

I once told a joke about leprosy; at the punch line, one person just looked at me in confusion. Turned out, she didn't know what leprosy was.

If you're going to employ satire, first ensure the subject is known/understood.