Competitive Spirit?

OK, I'm finally able to publicly answer a question I've been asked a few times over the past month or so - why didn't The Sleaze have an entry in the recent Humorfeed competition for best satire story of 2006? The answer is simply that, as with the 2005 competition, my decision not to participate was purely a personal choice - I wasn't 'boycotting' the competition out of dissatisfaction with the voting system, or because I didn't 'approve' of the judges, the shortlist or the winners. I've had people speculating that any or all of these were behind my decision. Sadly, for the conspiracy theorists anyway, it was nothing so dramatic - I simply don't like competitions! That's it folks! I'm just not a competitive person and I certainly don't see The Sleaze as being in competition with any other satire site. Having said that, I have no problem at all with Humorfeed organising such a competition and I'm quite happy to offer my congratulations to the winners.

So, there you are: nothing sinister, just a personal choice. At the end of the day, I suppose it just comes down to the fact that, speaking personally, I don't think it possible to say which is the 'best' satire story. Not only is it such a subjective issue, but the sites which make up Humorfeed are so diverse (one of its greatest strengths), that it is impossible to compare stories from different sites in any meaningful way. Having said that, whilst it is impossible to say which is the 'best', I certainly have opinions on the worst satire stories out there! There is just so much crap out there! Suffice to say, however, that none of it, thankfully, is on Humorfeed! I think some of my more recent posts will give a fair indication of where I think the shittiest satire is to be found! But hey, this is all in danger of getting a bit too heavy! The bottom line is that, the impossibility of actually deciding the 'best' satire story notwithstanding, the competition is just a bit of fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

I've waited until this year's competition was done and dusted and the winners announced before replying to some of the enquiries I've had from readers, so as not to give the impression I'm trying, in some way, to criticise the contest, or derail it. Of course, all this begs another question: will my feelings have changed by the time of next year's competition? Somehow I doubt it, but I'd never close the door on it completely!