The Onion

MAD Magazine ran a parody of The Onion called "The Bunion" in one issue. William Norman Grigg noted the seven-branch candle holder, the "Kinara," was not used in African traditions, and suggested a symbol of Judaism was borrowed to match the seven principles of Kwanzaa.^[17]. Another popular send-up of the news that pre-dates The Onion is the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live. In contrast, the African American Cultural Center considers Kwanzaa not a religious holiday, but a cultural one which does not require people to compromise their religious beliefs.^[16]. Also, the National Lampoon crew has had a lasting influence on most American humorists, so it is not unlikely that The Onion's founders and staff had been influenced by them (considering that National Lampoon grew out of the college humor publication Harvard Lampoon and that The Onion also began as a college humor magazine.). Some are concerned that Christians who choose to celebrate Kwanzaa are diluting their love for Christ^[15]. While it is unknown if this book directly inspired/influenced The Onion's founders, it certainly shares similarities. Bennetta believes that Kwanzaa is ill-designed as a holiday representing African-Americans, noting that the Swahili language used in Kwanzaa is spoken in eastern Africa, while most African-Americans are descended from the people of West Africa, over 2700 miles away.^[14].

The paper contained all the usual sections found in most major newspapers (classified ads, Sunday magazines, sports, local news, comics) satirized with the anarchistic Lampoon sense of humor. William J. The book was an issue of the fictional "Ohio Republican-Democrat," a tabloid style newspaper. Black civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson wrote, "the whole holiday is made up! You won’t find its roots in Africa or anywhere else."^[13]. O'Rourke and John Hughes. 2). In 1978 National Lampoon released the book "National Lampoon's Sunday Newspaper Parody" which was edited by P.J. Others refuse to celebrate Kwanzaa because it is not a true African tradition." (Jackson, p.

sponsorship or approval' by the president," referring to Title 18, 713, but then went on to ask that the letter be considered a formal application asking for permission to use the seal. In the book Kwanzaa (2005), author Sara McGill states, "there are many people of African descent who do not know the purpose of Kwanzaa or how to celebrate it. Klaskin, the Onion's lawyer, is quoted in the New York Times as saying "It is inconceivable that anyone would think that, by using the seal, The Onion intends to 'convey.. Some criticize Kwanzaa because it is not a traditional holiday of African people, and because of its recent provenance, having been invented in 1966. The letter written by Rochelle H. The origins of Kwanzaa are not secret, and are openly acknowledged by those promoting the holiday.^[12]. The Onion has responded with a letter asking for formal use of the Seal in accordance with the Executive Order, while still declaring that the use is legitimate under Title 18, 713. There has been criticism of Kwanzaa's authenticity and relevance, and of the motiviations of its founder, Karenga.

11649), but which allows for exceptions to be granted upon formal request. Karenga's most recent interpretation emphasizes that while every people have their various holiday traditions, all people can share in the celebration of our common humanity: "Any particular message that is good for a particular people, if it is human in its content and ethical in its grounding, speaks not just to that people, it speaks to the world."^[11]. No. In fact, it offers a clear and self-conscious option, opportunity and chance to make a proactive choice, a self-affirming and positive choice as distinct from a reactive one."^[10]. Ord. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith but a common ground of African culture...Kwanzaa is not a reaction or substitute for anything. However, by Executive Order President Richard Nixon specifically enumerated the allowed uses of the Presidential Seal which is more restictive than the above title (Ex. Currently, according to the Official Kwanzaa Website authored by Karenga and maintained by Organization US, which Karenga chairs, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.

This section would seem to allow the use of the presidential seal by The Onion. In 1997, Karenga changed his position, stating that while Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, it can be celebrated by people of any race: "other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native Americans."^[9]. Whoever knowingly displays any printed or other likeness of the great seal of the United States, or of the seals of the President or the Vice President of the United States, or the seal of the United States Senate, or the seal of the United States House of Representatives, or the seal of the United States Congress, or any facsimile thereof, in, or in connection with, any advertisement, poster, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publication, public meeting, play, motion picture, telecast, or other production, or on any building, monument, or stationery, for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably calculated to convey, a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States or by any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. (emphasis added). In 1977, in Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, Karenga stated, that Kwanzaa "was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."^[8]. The law governing the Presidential Seal is contained in TITLE 18, 713 and contains the section:. Bush's 2004 Presidential Message: Kwanzaa 2004, like in several previous messages, he said that during Kwanzaa, "millions of African Americans and people of African descent gather to celebrate their heritage and ancestry.". Dixton, wrote a cease and desist letter to The Onion, asking the paper to stop using the presidential seal, which is used in an online segment poking fun at the President through parodies of his weekly radio address. In President George W.

Bush, Grant M. In a 2003 interview Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa. In September 2005, the assistant counsel to President George W. According to a marketing survey conducted by the National Retail Foundation in 2004, Kwanzaa is celebrated by 1.6% of all Americans^[7], or about 4.7 million. Recently, an article from The Onion appeared on the 2005 Advanced Placement English Language and Composition test, in which students were asked to write an essay analyzing its use of satire.[4]. It is unclear how many people celebrate the holiday. [2] [3]. To them, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.

Columnist Ellen Makkai and others who believe the Harry Potter books recruit children to Satanism have also been taken in by The Onion's satire, using quotes from an Onion article as evidence for their claims. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, share space in kwanzaa celebrating households. [1]. Today, many African-American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's. Exercise Televised. They felt that doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. In late March 2004, Deborah Norville of MSNBC presented as genuine an article entitled Study: 58 Percent Of U.S. At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays.

The story discusses the U.S. Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the Uwole by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. Unless New Capitol Is Built (they were apparently unaware of The Onion's satirical nature). These principles correspond to Karenga's notion that "the seven-fold path of blackness is think black, talk black, act black, create black, buy black, vote black, and live black." ^[4]. On June 7, 2002, Reuters reported that the Beijing Evening News republished, in the international news page of its June 3 edition, translated portions of Congress Threatens To Leave D.C. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, which are explained by Karenga as follows:. to introduce democracy and protect their interests in the region, Bill Clinton declared himself "President for life.", Bob Dole was shot, and Tipper Gore was being held hostage. Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called "The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa", or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba), which Karenga claimed "is a communitarian African philosophy" consisting of Karenga's distillation of what he deemed "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason that Karenga used to refer to his synthesized system of belief.

As the recount process unfolded, the Onion published a satirical issue reporting chaos in America, in which Serbia sent peacekeepers to the U.S. According to Karenga's 1977 Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice, the holiday was developed "to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." In 1967, a year after Karenga proposed this new holiday, he publicly espoused the view that "Jesus was psychotic" and that Christianity was a white religion that blacks should shun.^[2] However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so as not to alienate practicing Christians, then claiming in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." ^[3]. Gore. It is a celebration that has its roots in the civil rights era of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with what Karenga characterized as their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study around principles that have their putative origins in what Karenga asserts are "African traditions" and "common humanist principles.". The noteworthiness of this story was largely a matter of luck: the paper went to press election night, before the contested election results which led to Bush v. Kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled "kwaanza". Presidential election, when the future President remained undetermined, the Onion published a story titled Bush or Gore: "A New Era Dawns" which parodied the similarities between the two politicians. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's United Slaves Organization, each wanted to represent one of the letters in Kwanzaa^[1] Also, the name was meant to have a letter for each of what Karenga called the "Seven Principles of Blackness".

This brings The Onion back to the open state it was in prior to April 2004 when the restrictive move towards a Premium Service was first initiated. . Simultaneously The Onion discontinued their Premium Service which charged readers a substantial fee for additional content and vintage archives. Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures. Club relaunched in a new design which presents the content as almost entirely discrete from The Onion itself. It was founded by black nationalist Ron "Maulana" Karenga, and first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967. In late August 2005, The Onion's companion website The Onion A.V. Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift-giving.

Club that features interviews, reviews of various newly-released media, and other weekly features. ^  The Kwanzaa Hoax, William Benetta. The second half of the newspaper is a non-satirical — but still often humorous — entertainment section called The A.V. URL accessed on December 29, 2004.. Obsession with fame and celebrity are frequently satirized, as well as the general credulousness of the public. FrontPage Magazine.com. The paper often reports on everyday events in a sensationalistic manner ("Area Man Confounded by Buffet Procedure"). ^  Kwanzaa -- Racist Holiday from Hell, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson.

and Them": The Onion Ad Nauseam: Complete News Archives Volume 14 (2003, ISBN 140004961X). ^ Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, p. "Relations Break Down Between U.S. URL accessed on 2005-12-29.. The Onion Ad Nauseam: Complete News Archives Volume 13 (2002, ISBN 1400047242). 21, cited at Believersweb.org. Dispatches from the Tenth Circle: The Best of The Onion (2001, ISBN 0609808346). ^ Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, p.