Top of the Ticket: Sarcasm is lost on readers

It pretty much goes without saying that rational people do not endorse Hitler. Or at least not publicly, in a concert stadium filled with thousands of people. So after John McCain's photograph flashed on a video screen during Madonna's "Sticky and Sweet" tour, alongside photographs of Robert Mugabe and Adolf Hitler, Top of the Ticket's Andrew Malcolm sarcastically wrote that Madonna must have been endorsing the Republican presidential candidate. But Malcolm's sarcasm flew right over quite a few readers' heads. 

BlueMonday attempted to clear up any confusion: "Madonna has clearly spoken out against the Republican party in her previous tours and does not support Hitler." 

Bill G asked: "Madonna showing McCain with Hitler is an ENDORSEMENT in your demented twisted mind?"

kschaff was about halfway there in getting the joke: "By putting up McCain's picture with Hitler, Mugabe, and scenes of destruction from wars and climate change, isn't the more obvious (and likely) inference that the so called Queen of Pop wants her audience to associate these evils with the faces of individuals who perpetuate them."

John wrote: "What an innacurate report! i find it highly amusing that appearing alongside characters such as Hitler and Mugabe is regarded as an endorsement.

Sadly for John, many other readers found it "highly amusing" that he took Malcolm's words literally.

JJ Flash wrote: "Okay, I got it — it's irony. But, as a Brit, the one thing we always learn about Americans is that 'they don't get irony.' "

The reader comments all pretty much fell into two categories. One group was angry at Malcolm, while the other group was angry at the readers for being angry at Malcolm. 

But MaryJ's comment was more distinctive, if not entirely accurate: "Mugabe is a right-wing dictator? Umm, he's a hard-core Communist, whose blood-stained career was greatly assisted by Western liberal do-gooders like Madonna -- and B. Hussein Obama." While there is no truth to MaryJ's claim that Madonna and Obama "assisted" Robert Mugabe, at least give her points for originality. Then again, calling Barack Obama by his controversial middle name is a common trick used by many of the anti-Obama readers.

Want to weigh in?  Share your thoughts here or on the original post!

— Amy Silverstein

Photo: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Comments

[Chris]

I like Madonna and I'm no fan of John McCain, but making such comparisons is childish and counterproductive behavior. Madonna is entitled to her opinion, but McCain is no Hitler and Obama is no Gandhi.

[dave]

those more familiar with the blog have long since come to see that malcolm uses irony and sarcasm to mask his abysmal cynicism and ultimate nihilism. how else could he be doing what he's hired to do?

'many a man thinks he's buying pleasure, when he is really selling himself to it.'
- benjamin franklin

[iH8uAll]

Americans are so stupid. We ought to have figured it all out every single time a Republican has screwed this country so hard we cower and retreat to "religion".

Wake up America: Madonna is an artist. She sparked controversy because she put a little REALISM in her work. Bravo! for her and poop on propagandist media like FOXNews and the rest of the right wing "opinions" AKA punditry machines.

McSame is wasting his money.

[v racer]

Even the usually trash mouth libs see this for the classless pathetic act that it is.