"Blonde Ambition:" the proper use of satire towards the ridiculous use of language
I often get asked if there is any place for humor in a legal brief or at oral argument, and the answer, of course, is virtually never, no matter how ridiculous opposing counsel or the other party may be in terms of their affect or positions. Ergo, humor – especially when aimed at a particular person or a group of persons – is rarely appropriate.
But I would say the one exception would be mild humor directed, not at any person or entity, but at disingenuous phrasing or more specifically use of a misnomer by opposing counsel, such as calling a baby a "fetus" to divert attention from its personhood or a person convicted of a violent felony a “person involved in the criminal justice system."
But I would say the one exception would be mild humor directed, not at any person or entity, but at disingenuous phrasing or more specifically use of a misnomer by opposing counsel, such as calling a baby a "fetus" to divert attention from its personhood or a person convicted of a violent felony a “person involved in the criminal justice system."
For example, the recent “space flight“ of the “astronauts“ on the Virgin Galactic spacecraft involving Katy Perry, Gayle King, etc., is of course ripe for satire. This is especially true in terms of the insistence of some in describing these publicity-seeking space tourists in the same terms as astronauts on the actual Space Shuttle or ISS. Indeed, National Public Radio recently called this brief trip “historic,” as if Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend's space tourism ride should be mentioned in the same breath as Valentina Tereshkova or Sally Ride or even Ham, the first Chimpanzee in space, who beat Bezos' girlfriend by about 64 years. (See https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5364460/blue-origin-launch-female-space-flight-katy-perry.}
This is perhaps best illustrated by one of the funniest and most enjoyable satirical videos I have ever watched, namely, Megyn Kelly’s video “Blonde Origin” in which she and two other women visit a facility where they enjoy the sensation of weightlessness, and afterward, insist that they in fact, went on a "space flight” as "astronauts.”
This is perhaps best illustrated by one of the funniest and most enjoyable satirical videos I have ever watched, namely, Megyn Kelly’s video “Blonde Origin” in which she and two other women visit a facility where they enjoy the sensation of weightlessness, and afterward, insist that they in fact, went on a "space flight” as "astronauts.”
So here, then, is a good example of humor aimed at exaggerated language, with one celebrity woman making fun of the pretension of other celebrity women:
(See https://www.megynkelly.com/2025/05/02/watch-megyn-kelly-blonde-origin-parody-with-mk-media-team/.)
