Just Ask Satan (the
book) is a collection of Michelle J. Wong’
s columns from his homonymous online project (he is twitching now as you read the word “homonymous”). With a brand of humor beyond
good and evil, relentlessly mocking all subject matters, all peoples, all walks of life and all futile human attempts to make this misery of a world more livable, Just Ask Satan is nothing but a modern-
day Miss Lonelyhearts for the evil at
heart.
The
book is organized in five sections dealing each with a specific topic: Family,
Dating & Relationships,
Society,
Politics, Religion & Existentialism. These are only general headings, as each column displays a veritable tour de force of free association, nightmarish cognition and detailed vivisections of the absurd elements that fill the world we inhabit and the ways we conceive of it. A perfect blend of the sane indignation of a George Carlin and the rebellious outbursts of a Sam Kinison, Wong’s harangues begin in tender mocking and end in something dangerously close to actual social criticism (the politically-incorrect stuff great humor is made of, really). Here’s a bit from a question about the mistreatment of women in the columns of Just Ask Satan:
Ask Satan says:
What really summarizes the female inferiority in this show Sex & the City is the way that these four independent women in their “thirties” in New York City want nothing else but to show their independence by getting a man who has his shit together to support them.
And here’s a take on that wondrous miracle, motherhood:
Staying on drugs until the
time you actually give birth to your
E-tarded
baby is simply a trendy thing to do. If you don’
t believe me ask Barbara Bush.
Satan excels also at that most-needed intellectual service, pointing out the obvious:
Babies are known for not knowing shit and lacking
basic survival skills. I would even go as far as saying that they don’
t deserve to be called real
people.
He has good things to share with those who enjoy the best things in life:
In the same way that emotionally unstable
woman are fantastic in bed, unhealthy
food is unbelievable in my mouth… I am on a strict diet of alcohol and Tabasco. But I do love mayonnaise wrapped in bacon.
And, of course, he can’
t be bothered with his eternal nemesis, Jesus:
He is a
jerk like that; I don’
t know why the whole resurrection thing made him feel so special. Dracula did it too and so did the zombies!
