Use Of Satire In The Onion

The use of satire in this mock press release from The Onion is very prevalent. Generally, satire is a device used to mock or ridicule a specific institution or person. In the article, the author is satirizing the marketing of products for consumers, and how distributors will go to great lengths to fulfill the satisfaction of their customers, even if this includes providing false information. The example given in this excerpt from The Onion references a brand of shoe insoles called MagnaSoles, which are believed to alleviate foot and back pain.
The author references pseudoscience as being the primary source of information for the MagnaSoles company. Though this source is made to seem credible, the name ‘pseudoscience’ in itself is generally perceived as being fraudulent or unreliable. The connotation of this word satirizes, or questions the genuine intelligence of, the marketers of the product. The use of this word and other fictional words used in the article, such as ‘bioflow’ and ‘biofeedback,’ mock the marketing techniques of other prosperous brand name

companies.
Another prevailing element of satire used in this article is the irony of the information provided.

Initially, the information given (such as the belief that the MagnaSoles heal aches in the feet and back by utilizing crystals to “restimulate dead foot cells with vibrational biofeedback”) seems promising, when it actually contains to evidential scientific facts to confirm it. The article states the rejuvenating insoles will heal pain by targeting the areas of discomfort on the foot and “converting the pain-nuclei into pleasing comfortrons.” This statement, although mainly inaccurate, seems realistic and appealing to its readers. The satirical irony is that this statement does not support the concept of pain relief with anything authentically legitimate, but rather, contains phrases that intrigue and persuade consumers into buying the product, even though they do not have any proof that the claims are

true.
Finally, the comments of the presumed users of the MagnaSoles use humor to satirize the selling of the product. One customer, Geoff DeAngelis, claims that he was persuaded to sample the insoles because they were endorsed by an “intelligent-looking man in a white lab coat.” This statement summarizes the tendency for consumers to be naïve, and to believe anything they are told, so long as the image of the distributor of the information possesses the stereotypical look of reliability. It is clear that a customer should not base his/her opinion on a product simply on the image of whoever is offering it, but this is often the subconscious reflex for many consumers in today’s marketing world; this concept of gullibility and false trust also satirizes how products are marketed to consumers and those who are responsible.