Murthy letter not well-written enough to be called satire
November 4Editor, I am writing in response to Victor Murthy’s column on obesity. Among the reader responses online, there’s a contention by some that the column is fashioned as a satire “in the spirit of Jonathan Swift.” If that’s the case, then it is what some would call an “epic fail.” Swift’s piece about making fricassee out of children is clearly not meant to be taken seriously, despite the appalling nature of this “modest proposal.” Murthy’s piece is poorly written, not amusing and lacking in any rhetorical or literary devices that constitute a “political satire.” However, if this is not the case, and Murthy’s intent was to publish a self-flagellating and hateful piece of tripe, then he has succeeded.
