Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” Revised for Exasperated Parents

A young dad, feels 98Won the lottery, blew it on childcare that dayIt’s a french fry in your ChardonnayIt’s a fresh diaper grabbed two seconds t... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Pennywise Responds to Allegations of Improper Conduct

“Matt Gaetz has denied ever paying for sex, and over the past two weeks has sought to frame the [sex-trafficking of an underaged girl] allegations ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Alternative Teaching Modalities in Hell

Dear Faculty in Hell,In addition to synchronous, asynchronous, blended, and hybrid online courses, faculty are encouraged to adapt the following f... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

America First Policy Institute Tries to Explain “Anglo-Saxon Tradition”

"On Friday, Punchbowl News obtained a document detailing the ‘America First Caucus,’ which would be led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Pau... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

As a Republican, I Believe White Men Are Boys, Boys of Color Are Men, and Underage Girls Are Consenting Adults

“Fox News host Sean Hannity has described Adam Toledo, the child shot dead by a Chicago police officer, as a “13-year-old man,” drawing comparisons... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

My Two-Year-Old’s Guide to Potty Training Your Parents

Hello, toddler! So, you’ve tested your parents with colic, broken their will to live during sleep training, then lulled them into a false sense of ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Classic Plays as Spam Emails

Angels in AmericaSubject: SUBMIT, SUBMIT TO THE WILL OF HEAVENGREETINGS PROPHETTHE GREAT WORK BEGINSI I I I KNOW THAT I CAN COUNT ON YOUR FINAN... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Now That We’re Vaccinated, Things Will Be Insane

Now that we’re vaccinated, I’m going to go insane. I’m talking tonight, you and me, shots on shots, blacking out, dancing until dawn… well, maybe n... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Low-Rise Jeans Are Back to Ruin Your Life

Heyyyy, girl. It’s me: Low-Rise Jeans, returning after a decade of R&R in the back of Paris Hilton’s closet. Yes, it was painful being the firs... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

As a Centrist Democrat, I Ran on a Promise to Fix Killer Shower Clowns. But Now That I’m in Office, I Believe We Should Consider the Issue More Cautiously

As a centrist Democrat, I like many others, have been concerned about the rise in clowns waiting behind the shower curtain to stab us to death. Obv... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Jeni’s Ice Cream Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Dolly Parton’s Tennessee house is five minutes from mine. There are tour buses parked out front most days. My son always thought she was sending hi... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Would-You-Rathers for Parents Deciding Whether or Not to Send Their Kids Back to In-Person School

Would you rather answer the school district’s “Return to Buildings” survey, OR undergo a colonoscopy without anesthesia?Would you rather be hated ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Would-You-Rathers for Parents Deciding Whether to Send Their Kids Back to In-Person School

Would you rather answer the school district’s “Return to Buildings” survey, OR undergo a colonoscopy without anesthesia?Would you rather be hated ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

I Am Alexander the Great, and I Am Terrible at Risk

Hear me! I am Alexander the Great, Madman of Macedonia, Accursed Conqueror of the World, and I absolutely suck at the board game Risk.You’d think ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Bring Me an Open-Concept Kitchen or Bring Me Death

This house is really gorgeous. I love the acres of lush backyard, the seven king-sized bedrooms, the self-cleaning bathrooms, and the price is righ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Beaver of Fine Arts: Mid-Term Grades Are Due Wednesday, Good Luck

Beaver of Fine Arts: Mid-Term Grades Are Due Wednesday, Good Luck | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

An FAQ About Your New Birth Control: The Music of Rush

What’s in it?Every woman deserves to know exactly what’s in her birth control. Rush is a Canadian progressive rock power trio whose golden era is ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Signs Your Genetic Predisposition to Addiction Has Manifested in Crafting, Specifically in Obsessive Visits to Michaels

At 5 PM every day, you get an urge… to walk through the synthetic floral section of your local Michaels.You’re living paycheck to paycheck but spe... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

William Carlos Williams Tries to Reach His Word Count

“This Is Just To Say”I have eaten, the plumsthat were inthe iceboxspecificallybetween the milk and cheesethe block of cheddar and the 2% mil... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Classic Video Games for Adjunct Professors

Mario KartYou and the seven other members of your grad school cohort are competing for the last tenure-track job in the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s a s... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

I’m Selling the Very Sentence You’re Reading as a Non-Fungible Token

Welcome to the impromptu start of my non-fungible token (NFT) career. I’m so happy you’re here to witness the first steps of what I hope to be a ve... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

An Open Letter to My Children Regarding the Commencement of Asynchronous Parenting

Dear Sam and Sylvie,This is to inform you that, effective immediately, your mother and I will be parenting asynchronously. This is not a punishmen... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

The Five Stages of Grief When Dealing With No Longer Being Able to See the “Scoop, There It Is” Geico Commercial

In 1969, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first introduced the “five stages of grief” in her book On Death And Dying. Initially based on her stud... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

For Your Return to the Office, We’ve Added Three Rooms for Guttural Screaming

Greetings, colleagues —As we start planning our return to the office, we wanted to give you a gentle heads-up that we’ve made a few changes to our... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

The Hallmark Channel Presents: Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”

INT. BIG CITY HEDGE FUNDTessie Jacobs (30-something, blonde) stares at a bar graph with two columns: “money” and “not money.” Her boss (you know h... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Middle-Aged Skateboarding Maneuvers

OldieHalf crampFailslideKickflopShakieBackside flabFeeble grindCricked grindBoredslideMcWistCrabbylerialAlley-oopsNo-computeInward mea... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

I Am the Christmas Lights You Still Have Up and I Am Begging You, Please Take Me Down

Hello, it’s me, the long strand of Christmas lights hanging from your house. You may not remember that I exist, it’s been so long since you acknowl... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

I’m Sorry I Haven’t Graded Your Essays Yet — I’ve Been Busy Living Under Late-Stage Capitalism During a Global Pandemic

Dear students of WR112 – Personal Writing,I apologize for the delay in returning your graded personal essays. As you may or may not be aware, I am... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Beer Is Proof

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” — quote often misattributed to Benjamin Franklin. (His original line was probably about... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

The Only Acceptable Form of Free Speech Is Giving Me Money

“My warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has long argued that corporate donations... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Is Your Child Practicing the Recorder, or Are Winged Harpies from the Seventh Circle of Hell Tormenting You from Within Your Own Home?

1. What was once a beautiful creature has suddenly transformed into a vicious, cruel monster with lovely hair.2. Its presence makes all living cre... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Cancel Culture Has Gotten Out of Control, Which Is Why I’m Canceling My MLB TV Subscription

“Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson led rightwing backlash after Major League Baseball said it would not play its All-Star game in Georgia because of ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

“Thank You for Coming”: A Remembrance of the Gratitude and the Gorgeousness of Public Readings

The first public literary reading I ever gave was at Manhattan’s Le Poisson Rouge for a now-defunct magazine’s issue showcase. I was 21 years old a... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

We’re Stepping Away from Banking to Focus on Pens

As president of TD Bank, I manage $1.7 trillion in assets, but the only thing that brings me joy is our little plastic pens. Cash is a social const... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

I’m the Mechanic Who Built the Magic School Bus, and I Am Tired of Ms. Frizzle Getting All the Credit

I’m proud of my work as an auto mechanic, and nothing gets me more excited than souping up a ride for somebody. Normally, the satisfaction of a job... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Brood X or Gen X?

“In May, a swarm of billions of cicadas known as Brood X will emerge from the earth after hibernating for the past 17 years.” — Slate- - -1. S... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Every HOA Ordinance Violated in the Song “Our House” by Madness

“Our house, in the middle of our street.”Dear Homeowners: As you may have noticed, our development constructed a new roadway surrounding your home... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Leaked Emails from Simon Peter to Members of the Alpha Omega Fraternity

FROM: Simon Peter (simon.peter@alphaomega.org)TO: All MembersDATE: Wednesday, March 25, 33SUBJECT: Message from the Boss: NAILED IT!!Hey team!... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

How to Manage Anxiety Around Reentering Society After Your Crucifixion and Resurrection

Give Yourself a BreakStart by naming and acknowledging the trauma: you’ve suffered, been crucified, died, been buried, and descended to hell. Now ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

For the Record, We Aren’t Too Crazy About Moses Either

When Moses showed up out of nowhere to shepherd “the Chosen People” out of Egypt, I had a sinking feeling that we Jews were once again “chosen” for... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

The Party of Family Values Would Like to Expand the Definition of “Family” and Also of “Values”

“Federal investigators are examining whether Rep. Matt Gaetz engaged in a relationship with a woman that began when she was 17 years old and whethe... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

I Am the Court Stenographer at the Derek Chauvin Trial and I Am Coming Unhinged

This trial still has weeks to go, but I am already at my breaking point. I narrowed down my career options to court stenographer and dental hygieni... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Ugh, Really, a 4th Wave? Kind of Feels Like COVID Was Meant to Be a Trilogy, No?

Ugh, really? Across the United States, cases have started rising… again? A new, more transmissible and deadly variant has established itself (tell ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Six-Hundred Years of History Explained by April Fools’ Day

“April Fools’ Day… dates back several centuries to the Middle Ages.” — WorldHistory.us- - -April 1, 1424: A woman in Edinburgh serves her no-good ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

The Captivity-to-Workplace Reintroduction Program

PreparationWhile vaccinations are underway and offices are preparing to reopen their doors, management nationwide faces a great challenge: how to ... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Horror Icons in Quarantine: One Year In

Jason VoorheesMr. Voorhees has long been a proponent of masking and is considered a public health folk hero. When not taking long, contemplative w... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

Am I a Twitter Bot or a Real Amazon Employee? The Answer is Yes!

“Have you noticed a strange army of Amazon employees on Twitter recently, claiming that Amazon doesn’t engage in union-busting and disputing storie... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago

It’s Me, the Diner Who Never Tips, and I’m Absolutely Thrilled Your Restaurant Is Reopening

Our stars have finally aligned! Indoor dining is coming back, and a well-deserved stimulus payment is in my bank account. So I’m putting on pants a... | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 years ago