Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source Summary & Key Insights

"Our Dumb Century" isn't a novel with a plot in the traditional sense; rather, it's a satirical compilation of fake news headlines from The Onion, spanning the 20th century. There are no key characters in the conventional narrative sense; the "characters" are the recurring themes of American society and its absurdities as seen through the lens of satirical journalism. The book's "plot," if one can call it that, is the chronological progression of these headlines, revealing how The Onion's comedic approach reflects and critiques major historical events and cultural trends.

The book's "main plot points" are the numerous headlines themselves, each a miniature satirical piece commenting on a specific event or social phenomenon. These range from the trivial ("Local Man Ruins Own Life with New Hobby") to the significant ("Nation Relieved as Astronaut Safely Returns to Earth After 2-Week Trip"), highlighting the absurd juxtaposition of the mundane and the monumental within American life. The headlines cleverly expose hypocrisy, political incompetence, societal anxieties, and the often-irrational behaviors of individuals and institutions.

The overarching themes revolve around the inherent silliness and contradictions of American culture. The book consistently mocks the media's often-sensationalized reporting, political polarization, consumerism's excesses, and the public's tendency towards gullibility and self-deception. Through the satirical headlines, the authors (the collective editorial voice of The Onion during that era) expose the absurdity of political campaigns, technological advancements, celebrity culture, and social fads, often highlighting how little has truly changed throughout the century.

The humour derives from the incongruity between the seriousness with which significant events are usually treated and the flippant, sometimes darkly comedic, way The Onion presents them. The satirical headlines act as a running commentary on human nature, pointing out the repetitive cycles of history and the unchanging aspects of the human condition. For example, headlines about economic booms and busts, technological marvels and their subsequent failures, and political scandals across decades, demonstrate the cyclical and predictable nature of certain societal patterns.

The authors, while not individual characters, act as a collective voice of satire, offering a consistent and witty critique of American society. Their success lies in the sharpness of their observations and the precision of their satirical barbs, packaged within the deceptively simple format of the newspaper headline. The book ultimately serves as a witty and insightful commentary on the 20th century's absurdities, leaving the reader to ponder the enduring truths hidden beneath the layers of satire.