The Cackling Hen: Defining “spoof” for fools – Archive
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Apr 11, 2011, 0 Comments
Robbie Crowley
Campus & Beyond Editor
The Cackling Hen has resurrected. Chick-fil-A thought they could silence me, but I used one of my many body doubles to fool them. And since those body doubles are rubber chickens, that must have been a chewy batch of chicken sandwiches. But thankfully no one reported the chicken being any more rubbery than normal, so it was business as usual.
Now getting back to the reality of the column, I will remind our viewers that our last issue was the spoof issue in honor of April Fool’s Day. (I would say “readers,” but audience reading skills are occasionally questionable. I don’t want to exclude anyone who just likes the pictures.) Chick-fil-A did not slaughter a fictional hen and no rubber chicken went into students’ nuggets.
The spoof issue typically creates a buzz, and now that we have a website up and running, that buzz extended past our 12 loyal viewers to a broader audience. Sure, it opened up a can of worms (generic brand due to the budget) for misunderstandings and outraged comments, but page hits went up, and this hen eats worms for breakfast.
The spoof issue is intended to be a silly escape from reality. We all need a form of escape—that’s why movies, video games and “The Jersey Shore” are so popular. Although The Crow’s Nest is not an example of a daily newspaper, some typical news can be repetitive—budget cuts, raised student fees, repeat. Imaginations can run wild in the spoof issue. Can you imagine if Britney Spears actually came to campus or if USFSP actually had a zoology program with giraffes and tigers on campus? They (yes, including Britney) would be a perfect addition to our cougar population.
On top of writing the spoofy Chick-fil-A article, I also wrote the spoof article on Britney Spears being our speaker at commencement. It was ideal for a spoof since “Britney Spears” and “commencement” mix as well as oil and water, or Britney singing acapella. But even the most absurd stories fooled a few viewers. This was my favorite email:
“Britney Spears at commencement? Please tell me that’s a joke.
Signed,
An alumna
P.S. Please tell me the same about Charlie Sheen.”
First of all, this alumna should learn that both her email address and standard signature at the bottom reveal her full name to anyone she emails, so her coy attempt at anonymity was in vain. Secondly, yes, all the articles are supposed to be jokes, alumna. This is USFSP—our money’s invested in a new residence hall and a “new” logo. The Crow’s Nest is one budget cut away from using cereal boxes for paper. Thanks for writing.
So, to this alumna and our other 12 loyal viewers, view on and keep commenting. But beware of next year’s spoof issue. We will probably unintentionally outrage more of you with articles that don’t have one grain of truth to them.
