Slate falls for hoax!

Slate tricked into publishing a parody of its own reflexive contrarianism 4

In 1996, physics professor Alan Sokal submitted a paper to the postmodern culture studies journal Social Text. When it was published, Sokal revealed that the paper was an elaborate ruse, a parody, filled with the most absurd postmodernist tropes he could dream up. It became known as the Sokal Hoax.

Slate has just been the subject of what future historians will likely call the Pellettieri Hoax. Jill Hunter Pellettieri wrote an article lampooning Slate’s penchant for vapid, picayune, deeply privileged, self-conscious contrarianism ... and tricked Slate into publishing it!

Well played, Pellettieri. Slate, you’ve been punk’d!

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. Jonathan Hiskes's avatar

    Jonathan Hiskes Posted 3:53 am
    06 Mar 2009

    BelievableWow, Dave. I figured you were sincere in calling Pellettieri's story a prank. When I read hers, nothing in it convinced me otherwise, until I got to the bottom and realized she was managing editor. Well played.
  2. biodiversivist's avatar

    biodiversivist Posted 5:30 am
    06 Mar 2009

    Ah yes, a hoax wrapped in a hoaxVery nice...

    In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
  3. GonzoDon Posted 6:56 am
    06 Mar 2009

    The best parodies are the subtlest onesNicely played, indeed!
    (Man, I am so pissed at those hotels that actually increase their profits by encouraging me to not waste resources.  How dare they!)  
    Just for spite, I'm gonna display my American arrogance and flaunt my right to waste as many resources as possible by using twice as many towels as I need next time I stay at the Holiday Inn!  That'll show those tree-huggers who's boss!!
    By the way, isn't one copy of USA Today delivered to your door equivalent, in paper content, to about 419 of those wasteful little 'save the Earth' cards that Pellettieri is so concerned about?
    LOL.

  4. gzuckier Posted 2:19 pm
    07 Mar 2009

    aha! but if you read the fine print, you can  usually decline the USA Today daily delivery and get like 50 cents a day credit.

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