Three Feelings I Felt When The Onion Made Fun of Me

There’s often a tension we feel between “secular” work and “ministry.” We notice others around us working with refugees, performing life-saving surgeries, and advocating for the unborn. Meanwhile, we’re assisting with zoom whitening procedures, writing about fashion (ahem), and serving artisanal coffee.  The Onion perfectly exploited this tension in a series of photos of the crisis in Syria. The photos of destruction, violence, fear, and bloodshed were captioned with fluffy commentary about “The 6 Best Dresses At The Golden Globes.” The photos and captions were so incongruent, they seemed to ridicule the supposed trite nature of the post-Globes fashion commentary.

I found myself going through three stages when I viewed The Onion’s photos: defensiveness, guilt, and resolve. Immediately, I searched for ways to ridicule someone other than myself. Oh like a satirical news website is so important. The Golden Globes are stupid and self-congratulatory anyway.

Then it morphed into guilt. Why do I even write about fashion when there’s so much pain in the world? I’m wasting my time.

Finally, it shifted into resolve. I considered if I was doing my small part or if my days were filled with mindless, godless living. I reminded myself to pray for the oppressed and help alleviate suffering in some small way.

Then I went back to finishing my article on vintage jewelry.