SAN DIEGO, January 11, 2011 — ”Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.” - Will Rogers
It is undeniable that Americans have ambivalent feelings about politics. Most are disillusioned by the nation’s current state of affairs, so they refrain from it altogether. Others are inclined to be involved citizens and eager participants in the electoral process.
Who could deny these mixed feelings? With the endless scandals, backroom deals, and overall divisive nature inset in politics, Americans have grown wary of their elected officials and their government.
However, it can be argued that satire ameliorates one’s outlook on the political process.
Liberal comedians like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert poke fun at Republicans and entertain young people; conservative commentators like Fox News’ Stephen Crowder and Greg Gutfeld deliver humor from a spicy, yet unconventional, right edge.
The Onion, another popular outlet, is one of the foremost satiric publications in the United States. With its endless jabs at politicians and spoofs of current events, this publication resonates well among many people.
Nevertheless, all these established outlets are being challenged by an increasingly popular website: The Washington Fancy.
With humorous and equally provocative articles like “Hillary Clinton Named New Victoria’s Secret Angel,” “Man Takes Viagra, Wears Sweat Pants,” and “Vladimir Putin Embarks on Shirtless Tour of US,” Washington Fancy has garnered a lot of attention.
With a tagline like “Your misleading source for politics,” the website pundits will surely turn heads.
Since its inception in June 2011, the website has received thousands of views. It is, without a doubt, an up-and-coming publication.
The Washington Fancy is the brainchild of college juniors Noah Miller and Alex Zafran, college students that are close friends and share an affinity for politics. What is even more noteworthy is that both see political satire as a unifier, not divider, in this country.
Zafran, a junior at the George Washington University, remarks, “Since high school, Noah and I have been involved in politics, contributing to every facet from student leadership to research to online blogs and even campaigning. But instead of lamenting the state of American politics, Noah and I realized the best solution would simply be to laugh.”
The Fancy Editor-in-Chief also notes that political satire gauges and equally entertains readers.
“Whereas actual reportage of political affairs will often leave readers with a greater sense of disappointment in the system, our articles turn the status quo on its head and leave readers to laugh off their resentment. Most of all, the greatest part of TWF reportage is that we never – and I legitimately mean never – run out of material,” Zafran adds.
Fellow co-founder Noah Miller, who serves as Fancy’s Director of Operations, is confident that their articles will encourage political discourse. He also notes the importance of attracting young people to the site—a component essential to Fancy’s success.
“We have seen how Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, and others have been able to encourage political awareness and get young people more engaged in the political process. We hope to do the same and I believe we have achieved success in that aspect and will continue to as we grow,” says Miller, a junior at the University of Central Florida.
Fancy prides itself in catering to all political viewpoints, whether Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal, moderate, or independent. Political satire, the founders believe, transcends political parties and ideologies.
Zafran and Miller enlisted the help of friends like Kevin Reagan—a Fancy editor and assistant editor of TheCollegeConservative—to assemble a unique group of writers and editors from across the political spectrum. Diverse opinions are commonplace to the Washington Fancy, as contributors range from Obama supporters to staunch conservative activists.
Reagan, a junior at the George Washington University, attributes Fancy’s appeal to its unique readership—which consists of both political and apolitical individuals.
“One of the goals is to pique the interest of the otherwise apathetic. Both those who love politics and hate politics can appreciate the Fancy,” he says.
Reagan adds, “Obviously, our articles aren’t meant to be taken seriously, but if they encourage more people to take part in the process and take that seriously, then that’s a good thing.”
Leading up to Election Day, Washington Fancy promises to supplement commentary with a new segment entitled “Originals,” a forthcoming component that will provide an in-depth (and satiric) look into politics. Content will range from interviews with D.C. locals to unconventional reporting.
To learn more about Washington Fancy, check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.
Gabriella Hoffman is a senior at UC-San Diego who balances life as a student with life as a conservative activist. She’s majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. She serves as the Executive Assistant on The Rick Amato Show, and produces the “Top Young Con of the Week” segment.
Gabriella maintains her own blog at www.thegabriellahoffman.com. She is the Outreach Director of UC-San Diego’s conservative paper, The California Review. She also serves as the Director of College Outreach for Eagle Forum of San Diego, and serves as an Assistant Editor of The College Conservative.
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You can read Gabriella’s Communities column at “Being Young, Conservative and Spicy.”
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