Satire, Hypocrisy, and the Fragility of Public Opinion.

Satire is a powerful tool—a way to highlight hypocrisy, challenge self-importance, and expose double standards. And yet, when I used satire to poke fun at Tony Quigley, the reaction was predictably overblown.

For context, I posted an image of Tony Quigley’s face superimposed onto the body of Stephen Hawking. This was a satirical jab at Quigley’s own self-proclaimed genius. He has stated, "As you know, I'm a genius, I'm not boasting." A statement so absurd that it begs for satire. He has also said, "I'm not a bully, I just mock scumbags here and there. Call out lies too." Given that he justifies his own mockery of others, one would expect he’d have the self-awareness to understand when the tables are turned.

But no—cue the outrage.

The reaction to my satirical image was met with cries of "sick." Yet, where is this same outrage when Quigley spreads outright lies about me? He claims I’m a narcissist. That I’m a bad father. That I’m in a custody battle. That I funded someone’s political campaign. All demonstrably false statements, yet no mass outcry over those fabrications.

This exposes a fundamental hypocrisy. If Tony Quigley is allowed to “mock scumbags” and “call out lies,” then surely I am within my right to use satire to highlight his self-aggrandizing statements. But instead of engaging with the satire, the response has been infantile—reactionary outrage without substance.

Let’s be clear: satire is an essential part of public discourse. It’s been used for centuries to challenge power, expose contradictions, and hold people accountable. If Quigley can throw punches, he should be able to take them. If people are going to be selective in their outrage—defending Quigley while condemning me—then they are revealing their own bias, not any genuine moral stance.

The lesson here? Some people can dish it out, but they can’t take it. And the moment satire is aimed at them, they retreat into cries of "sick," instead of engaging with the actual point being made.

It’s hypocrisy, pure and simple. And I, for one, won’t stop using satire to expose it.