In a time when nothing seems to make sense – up is down, the sky is purple, your lyin’ eyes deceive you, and what is a woman, even? – The Babylon Bee, which publishes strictly-satirical news commentary, is proving to be one of the more reliable(ish) news outlets currently in circulation.
The sad part is – they aren’t trying to, like, at all. Which really speaks to the current state of the fake news media.
Earlier this week, Seth Dillon, the Bee’s CEO, released an astounding list of nearly 70 “satirical” stories that have recently “come true,” including stories like “2+2=4, insists close-minded bigot” and “Researchers Determine the Science has Changed after Carefully Examining Poll Numbers.”
According to The Daily Wire, which spoke with Dillon following the release, the Bee CEO was modest when asked about the accuracy of the satire, explaining how he doesn’t “think we’re all that good at predicting the future.” Instead, he chalked up the direct hits to failing to keep up with the rapidly shifting baseline of reality.
And, a lot of the accuracy has to do with the crazy leftist idealogues that make his job easy, he added.
Dillon explained to The Daily Wire:
“The people working hardest to turn the world into a parody of itself should get most of the credit. They’re the reason our satire comes true.”
He did take some credit though. Quoting from William Shakespeare’s King Lear, Dillon added: “Jesters do oft prove prophets,” when announcing the list.
Just call him Babylonstradamus.
In theory, the outlet only posts ridiculous over-exaggerations and fabricated storylines, but with the way things have been going over the past few years, the jokes are becoming reality as the stories develop more and additional information is made available.
In many cases, it doesn’t take long before The Babylon Bee’s joke predictions are fulfilled. In fact, sometimes it only takes a matter of days, as was the case this past thanksgiving. In a post titled Surviving Inflation: 9 Easy Ways To Save Money On Your Thanksgiving This Year, the Bee provided some over-the-top cost-cutting solutions for the holiday, like swapping traditional Turkey with a can of spam. Within days, NBC News ran a segment telling struggling families to find turkey alternatives because of skyrocketing prices. NBC segment likewise argued that families should find turkey alternatives due to rising price levels.
The Bee was even on top of Biden’s recently created (then suspended, then reimplemented) disinformation governance board – aka. ministry of truth. Following the announcement of the board, the satirical outlet published a story titled “Disinformation Governance Board Determines All Criticism Of Disinformation Governance Board To Be Disinformation.“
Within days, the disinformation board was put on hold – because, you guessed it, “disinformation.” Spooky.
It’s not all just luck though. Making these predictions takes some skill and the ability to think inside the mind of a leftist, according to Bee editor-in-chief Kyle Mann and managing editor Joel Berry.
Speaking to The Daily Wire, the pair explained the thought process behind their work and why they have been so successful. Unsurprisingly, they heavily credit their biblical roots:
“Last year, Babylon Bee editor-in-chief Kyle Mann and managing editor Joel Berry told The Daily Wire that their prophetic gift is rooted in “just thinking like a leftist.”
“What’s the most insane thing that these people could do right now? And that’s what’s going to happen in two weeks,” Berry observed.
“I think Democrats every morning just pull up The Babylon Bee, and that’s where they get their policy ideas,” Mann added.
Beyond the humor, the team behind The Babylon Bee does indeed draw its mission from their faith.
“Satirists deconstruct and mock things, and that’s part of our job. But as Christians, we’re trying to not just do that, but point people beyond that — to where the truth and where the hope is,” Berry said. “Looking back at the biblical prophets — people like Daniel, who lived their lives in exile in these foreign lands — it does lend some perspective, you know? As you see things seemingly crumbling all around you, nothing seems to be going well, you worry about the future, remember that perspective — that God is still on the throne.”
The full list of Babylon Bee prophecies can be found here.