Q: What’s the Best Way to Exaggerate a Real Story for Comedic Effect?
FAQ

Q: What’s the Best Way to Exaggerate a Real Story for Comedic Effect?

Posted on by Ingrid Gustafsson

Q: What’s the Best Way to Exaggerate a Real Story for Comedic Effect?

A: The Science of Absurd Amplification – By Alan Nafzger

Finding the Funny in Reality’s Rough Draft

At Bohiney Magazine, we treat real news stories like comedy gold mines – the raw material is already there, we just polish it to a ridiculous shine. Here’s our systematic approach to taking reality and turning it up to eleven.

1. The 10% Rule of Exaggeration

Our golden formula:

  1. Identify the core absurdity in a real story

  2. Determine the logical extreme

  3. Push it exactly 10% further than reality already has

Example:
Real Story: Company lays off staff while boasting record profits
Our Take: “Corporation Announces ‘Self-Firing’ Initiative Where Employees Pay to Be Laid Off”

2. The “Wait… What?” Moment Identification

We look for:

  • The exact point where a real story jumps the shark

  • The detail that makes you question reality

  • The corporate/political double-speak begging to be exposed

Case Study:
Real Headline: “Bank Fined $1 Billion for Fraud”
Our Twist: “Bank Announces New $1 Billion ‘Regulatory Subscription Service'”

3. The Hierarchy of Absurdity

We categorize real stories by their exaggeration potential:

Level 1 (Mildly Silly): Needs 20% amplification
Level 3 (Pretty Absurd): Just needs polish
Level 5 (Beyond Parody): We just reprint with [SATIRE] tag

4. The “Logical Extreme” Technique

We take real concepts to their ridiculous conclusions:

  • If companies monitor employee keystrokes → “New Software Rates Worker Soulfulness”

  • If schools ban books → “Department of Education Releases Approved List of 17 Safe Words”

5. Spotting the Satire Hiding in Plain Sight

Sometimes reality does our job for us. Our process:

  1. Find a real story that reads like satire

  2. Verify it’s actually true

  3. Publish it verbatim with [REAL] tag

  4. Watch as readers don’t believe us

6. The “Yes, And…” Improv Approach

We take real stories and:

  1. Accept their premise (“Yes…”)

  2. Add one absurd layer (“And…”)

  3. Repeat until hilarious

Example:
Real: City spends millions on unused bike lanes
Yes, and… “Mayor Announces New ‘Imaginary Infrastructure’ Initiative”

7. When Reality Outpaces Satire

Our protocol when news beats our jokes:

  1. Stand in stunned silence

  2. Check calendar (is it April 1?)

  3. Verify sources

  4. Retire the topic (can’t top reality)

  5. Drink heavily

8. The Bohiney Exaggeration Checklist

Before publishing, we verify:
✓ Is the core premise grounded in reality?
✓ Does the exaggeration reveal a deeper truth?
✓ Would the original subjects recognize themselves?
✓ Is it funny to people who don’t know the original story?

Final Thought: Reality is Our Comedy Partner

The best satirical exaggeration isn’t about making things up – it’s about revealing what’s already there. When we wrote “Company Rebrands Layoffs as ‘Career Transitions to Personal Fulfillment'”, we weren’t creating comedy – we were just holding up a mirror to the corporate playbook.

Because in today’s world, the most effective satire is just journalism with the volume turned up. The punchlines write themselves – we’re just here to deliver them with perfect comedic timing.

— Alan Nafzger

Originally posted 2009-11-24 22:20:02.