Friday Funny: The Onion Discovers New Gentrification Indicators

The satirical site The Onion has been consistently roasting the contemporary conversation about urban living.

1 minute read

September 18, 2015, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Brooklyn Brownstones

a katz / Shutterstock

Recent days and weeks have seen a steady stream of pointed satire from The Onion about urban living, lifestyles, and the urban milieu. Mostly run in the "News in Brief" section of the website, The Onion continues its tradition of satirizing gentrification with "Trees Planted in Poor Neighborhood Mature Just in Time for Gentrification" and "Neighborhood Starting To Get Too Safe For Family To Afford." Then there is the story of a local man who is single-handedly quelling the flow of new residents to his neighborhood by telling co-workers about the drawbacks of his neighborhood, including a main square with a "great little coffee shop and 'only a few muggings a month.'"

Another article satirizes a feeling of frustration possibly experienced by many would-be urban gardeners, who, despite best intentions, fail to produce anything worth eating in their gardens. According to the fake news story, "After months of watering, mulching, staking, fertilizing, pruning, and spraying each plant, local homeowner Margie Helmholtz confirmed Wednesday that an entire summer of tending her backyard garden had yielded one edible cherry tomato."

Thursday, September 10, 2015 in The Onion

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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