Is Encyclopedia Dramatica suppose to be funny?

[DudeistBelieve]

I've stumbled upon it once or twice before... I actually just stumbled across it again just now. This isn't coming from a place of being offended, but more just morbid curiosity.

Like is it meant to be funny? Or is it just a giant reality slap to take everyone and everything down a few pegs? Like what is it's deal?

If it is from a place of humor, do a lot of people think it's funny? Is it just an exercise in taking nothing seriously?

Drop some science on me Escapist. I needs to know. The mind, it hungers. For Knowledge.

 

[Zhukov]

It's humour created by and for people whose lives take place entirely on the internet.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Possibly it's the sort of humour claiming to be the truths we all know, but nobody else is daring enough to say. Or something.

 

[wizzy555]

It's meant to be the very old cynical 4chan style of funny where you reduce important things to trivial human depravities.

Although with poe's law and newer generations misunderstanding the previous cultures it's hard to say at this point.

 

[Dizchu]

It's 4chan humour at its most cynical and irreverent. I used to enjoy it to some degree because it was equally at offensive to pretty much any demographic of people (though I wasn't a big fan of all the bullying and harassment they engaged in). Now it's pretty obvious that they're appealing to the recent "anti-SJW" crowd, which ironically are a group that gets extremely defensive when criticised.

I'd say that they're long past their prime and are worth avoiding.

 

[Fappy]

It is somehow less relevant and less funny than Uncyclopedia. At least Uncyclopedia has a few gems and follows basic principles of parody and absurdism.

 

[WindKnight]

It's 4chan humour at its most cynical and irreverent. I used to enjoy it to some degree because it was equally at offensive to pretty much any demographic of people (though I wasn't a big fan of all the bullying and harassment they engaged in). Now it's pretty obvious that they're appealing to the recent "anti-SJW" crowd, which ironically are a group that gets extremely defensive when criticised.

I'd say that they're long past their prime and are worth avoiding.

It's meant to be the very old cynical 4chan style of funny where you reduce important things to trivial human depravities.

Although with poe's law and newer generations misunderstanding the previous cultures it's hard to say at this point.

At least some of the Anti-SJW crowd seem to take it at face value, and have used links to prove how horrible someone is. Heck, Breitbart seems to have written a couple articles largely based on peoples ED entry.

 

[wizzy555]

It's 4chan humour at its most cynical and irreverent. I used to enjoy it to some degree because it was equally at offensive to pretty much any demographic of people (though I wasn't a big fan of all the bullying and harassment they engaged in). Now it's pretty obvious that they're appealing to the recent "anti-SJW" crowd, which ironically are a group that gets extremely defensive when criticised.

I'd say that they're long past their prime and are worth avoiding.

It's meant to be the very old cynical 4chan style of funny where you reduce important things to trivial human depravities.

Although with poe's law and newer generations misunderstanding the previous cultures it's hard to say at this point.

At least some of the Anti-SJW crowd seem to take it at face value, and have used links to prove how horrible someone is. Heck, Breitbart seems to have written a couple articles largely based on peoples ED entry.

Well the "facts" in it are suppose to be true, they are just interpreted through an incredibly cynical lens.

Sargon of Akkad's entry is pretty critical, funny and accurate and he is anti-SJW.

I think it's actually the new generation who don't understand the old culture.

The old culture was

"Everything is shit, especially me"

the new culture is

"Everything is shit, but I'm awesome"

 

[Nobuoa Schniell]

ED is usually a source of dirt dug up through actual doxxing or going through someone's public records. The information is actually true for the most part, it's just presented through an almost always mocking, cynical lens. It's easy to see the articles as transphobic, homophobic, etc. But the reality is that they're all written in pure troll language. Every aspect of the person's personality, identity, and accomplishments will be used in a derogatory manner. So it's kind of a weird split. It's not really something you should take seriously, as the tone of every page is deliberately meant to make that person angry. But at the same time it contains a lot of factual information about people they would rather not see the light of day. Frankly, I'm surprised no one's managed to get their provider to shut them down.

 

[byte4554_v1legacy]

I lurk on the ED forums a bit, and for me, it's a fascinating game of figuring out how far down the irony hole everything goes. The main site though, as it's been said, it's an archive of internet and some pop culture drama, viewed through the lens of the worst sort of human being. It's sort of satire, though sometimes it's hard to tell who's the butt of the "joke".

 

[wizzy555]

it's a fascinating game of figuring out how far down the irony hole everything goes.

That was the best part of the old 4chan.

Is he trolling the troll who's trolling him.... etc?

 

[Schadrach]

I think it's actually the new generation who don't understand the old culture.

The old culture was

"Everything is shit, especially me"

the new culture is

"Everything is shit, but I'm awesome"

You're wrong. Now it's:

"Everything is shit, and I'm the victim!"

 

[Queen Michael]

It's meant to be flippant in tone, but I'm not sure how much of it's meant to be straight-on humour and how much is just meant to be bullshitting and ranting.

 

[THM]

Now it's:

"Everything is shit, and I'm the victim!"

Along with "And if YOU don't do something about it, I'm gonna whine all day long in my sad little echo-chamber."

As a species, we're doomed. Just...doomed.


OT: Eh - if you take ED seriously, it's a shithole. If not, 'tis a silly place.

 

[Dizchu]

At least some of the Anti-SJW crowd seem to take it at face value, and have used links to prove how horrible someone is. Heck, Breitbart seems to have written a couple articles largely based on peoples ED entry.

I knew Breitbart were bad, but that's insane. I'd consider Know Your Meme, goddamn KNOW YOUR MEME a more reliable source than Encyclopedia Dramatica.

 

[WindKnight]

At least some of the Anti-SJW crowd seem to take it at face value, and have used links to prove how horrible someone is. Heck, Breitbart seems to have written a couple articles largely based on peoples ED entry.

I knew Breitbart were bad, but that's insane. I'd consider Know Your Meme, goddamn KNOW YOUR MEME a more reliable source than Encyclopedia Dramatica.

Here's the thing, they may be factually correct.

Sadly these days, facts are second to narrative. A LOT of shit gets left out of news and wiki.

Considering one article was ultimately based on taking something said ten years ago by a stupid teenager trying to offend and upset people in chatroom, and framing it as proof they had confessed to being a paedophile TODAY and were an active threat to children...

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

It's kinda funny some times. Definitely not for the easily offended.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Frankly, I'm surprised no one's managed to get their provider to shut them down.

They did. Multiple times, if I recall. And like The Pirate Bay, they keep moving to another host in another country with even lower standards. Like companies outsourcing to poorer and shadier countries to try to avoid taxes and labor laws.

Considering one article was ultimately based on taking something said ten years ago by a stupid teenager trying to offend and upset people in chatroom, and framing it as proof they had confessed to being a paedophile TODAY and were an active threat to children...

Which is ironic given that the average Encyclopedia Dramatica editor is the kind of edgelord who probably said those same kinds of things just last week.