As I am nearing the end of my string of posts about humor in Texts from Last Night, so I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on general trends that have revealed themselves to me after reading pages and pages of texts. One of most commonplace type of jokes are the "sucker jokes" (which sometimes also include good news/bad news jokes and even anti-romantic jokes that make the naive person the sucker). Even in my posts, many jokes can be traced back to this format that provokes us to laugh because we are not in an unfortunate situation or because it makes us feel especially clever.
Classic example from our never ending source TFLN: (708): He fell asleep and they duct taped him to the floor. He's pissed.
For this text, 2295 people thought it was a "good night," while only 255 people thought it was a "bad night," according to the "good night"/ "bad night" buttons. This means that only about 1 in 10 people sympathized with the guy that was duck taped. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority aligned themselves with the tricksters and thought the prank hilarious. Comments included "Classic prank. Funny every time," "I'd do that if my friend passed out on the floor..." and "A real winner would have taped him to the ceiling..."
Does this mean that Americans are just sadistic people? Possibly. But that would be oversimplifying the reaction to these jokes. So, let's break it down.
In the middle of writing this post, I actually browsed my classmates' blogs, desperate for inspiration. I found Julia's post (I think its hers) about Tom and Jerry, a favorite of mine from childhood. Why did I find that funny? I mean, if you go beyond the instinctive laughter that inevitably escapes your lips no matter what age you are, the cartoon is just Tom and Jerry hurting each other. Those injuries are not funny. We don't see people getting beat up and instinctively laugh as we would while watching Jerry run backwards into a piece of Jello to launch himself forward and throw a candle stick at Tom, thereby setting him on fire. Therefore, it's not the violence nor Tom's unfortunately burned tail that makes us laugh.
In that one skit, besides the result, there's only the means of which Jerry injures Tom left. I think that is where the funny lies. This is to say that it is the cleverness or even the creativity in the method in which this violence was incurred that evokes laughter. And really, that is the difference between a prank and a deliberate act of injury. A prank causes pain (sometimes) in a creative, not-as-direct way. Thus, when we laugh, we are enjoying the creativity and cleverness of the plot more than the end result.
Going back to the joke we started with, we don't laugh because the person is pissed or is stuck. However, it is funny that the person was probably ducked taped to the ground like a silver mummy.
Consequently, classifying these sucker jokes may be an oversimplification of the joke's form.
...Or maybe I just don't want to believe that people have a sadistic side to them.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
hehe...oh...
As is with many other books I've read for Introduction to Political Philosophy, Democracy in America blew my mind, offering a different perspective on the relationship between state and religion. It had always been deeply ingrained in my mind that church and state should be very separated. Yet, in Democracy in America, Tocqueville portrays religion as a facilitator of democracy. Now that I have let down my previous notions, it kind of make sense. That's the thing about religion- it influences believers and society in so many different ways- some overt, and some discrete. To look at religion from another perspective, what do religion-related TFLNs tell us about the role of religion in America?
(215): i got kicked out of Barns and Nobles cuz i put all the bibles in the fiction section
This text probably comes off as disrespectful to people who do follow the bible. Do only non-believers find this funny? Yet if people still laughed, they will have proven Tocqueville, who claimed that in America there is a moral "tyranny of the majority" so that there were only believers and people who pretend to believe. Does laughing at this joke mean that we have surpassed that? In some ways, it does. There are multitudes of beliefs in America and moreover, freedom of expression (or is that just an illusion, according to Tocqueville). Some people might find it disrespectful and wrong. Some people might find religion to be off limits for jokes. Some might just find it funny. At the same time, in our contemporary society, there is still the concept of political correctness, which imposes a social etiquette and unspoken rules about what is socially acceptable and what is not. But even these standards are stretched because uploaded on the TFLN website, this is suppose to be a source of humor. This goes back to the concept that humor provides a medium almost immune from criticism (in most cases) about being politically correct. Consequently, in this comfort zone of humor, people can laugh at potentially disrespectful material just because they think it's funny. On the other hand, we have unknowingly validated Tocqueville. If we felt that we need the comfort zone to escape political correctness, then there is a "moral tyranny of majority" that wields influence over our judgments about how to act.
Having already established this comfort zone, I found this joke to be similar to be a remote cousin of the sucker joke because it reminded me of Scully Bradley's idea that American humor is anti-romantic in that it taking down illusions. (This could just be because I'm not a believer. Forgive me, if I have offended you). By putting all the Bibles in the fiction section, the person is essentially saying to believers that everything in the Bible was made up. Even though illusion is not the right word to describe the situation, the action still follows the style of puncturing a vision, or just a firmly held belief.
(513): You tried to wear your Jesus costume into Family Christian stores and say it was a book signing.
Similar in its hint of disrespectfulness, this joke also pokes fun at religion. After all, religion is all about the spiritual experience and way of life which has to come from within. Yet, if this person just puts on a Jesus costume, which is this superficial and probably exaggerated, he undermines (admittedly in a humorous way) everything religion stands for. In essence, the person in the costume is mocking the Family Christian store and all the people in it.
P.S. While writing another post, I re-read The Rise and Fall of American Humor. While discussing topics of American humor, Biers mentioned conformism and also that "the pieties of religion suffere steady attack." While these could be unrelated as there undoubtly are a variety of religions in American, atheists are still in the minority. I wonder America's affection for mocking conformism and appreciation for uniqueness that also contributes to the humor of these race jokes. Because in both of the jokes, the pranksters are mocking religion in a setting where religion, if not promoted, is respected.
(215): i got kicked out of Barns and Nobles cuz i put all the bibles in the fiction section
This text probably comes off as disrespectful to people who do follow the bible. Do only non-believers find this funny? Yet if people still laughed, they will have proven Tocqueville, who claimed that in America there is a moral "tyranny of the majority" so that there were only believers and people who pretend to believe. Does laughing at this joke mean that we have surpassed that? In some ways, it does. There are multitudes of beliefs in America and moreover, freedom of expression (or is that just an illusion, according to Tocqueville). Some people might find it disrespectful and wrong. Some people might find religion to be off limits for jokes. Some might just find it funny. At the same time, in our contemporary society, there is still the concept of political correctness, which imposes a social etiquette and unspoken rules about what is socially acceptable and what is not. But even these standards are stretched because uploaded on the TFLN website, this is suppose to be a source of humor. This goes back to the concept that humor provides a medium almost immune from criticism (in most cases) about being politically correct. Consequently, in this comfort zone of humor, people can laugh at potentially disrespectful material just because they think it's funny. On the other hand, we have unknowingly validated Tocqueville. If we felt that we need the comfort zone to escape political correctness, then there is a "moral tyranny of majority" that wields influence over our judgments about how to act.
Having already established this comfort zone, I found this joke to be similar to be a remote cousin of the sucker joke because it reminded me of Scully Bradley's idea that American humor is anti-romantic in that it taking down illusions. (This could just be because I'm not a believer. Forgive me, if I have offended you). By putting all the Bibles in the fiction section, the person is essentially saying to believers that everything in the Bible was made up. Even though illusion is not the right word to describe the situation, the action still follows the style of puncturing a vision, or just a firmly held belief.
(513): You tried to wear your Jesus costume into Family Christian stores and say it was a book signing.
Similar in its hint of disrespectfulness, this joke also pokes fun at religion. After all, religion is all about the spiritual experience and way of life which has to come from within. Yet, if this person just puts on a Jesus costume, which is this superficial and probably exaggerated, he undermines (admittedly in a humorous way) everything religion stands for. In essence, the person in the costume is mocking the Family Christian store and all the people in it.
P.S. While writing another post, I re-read The Rise and Fall of American Humor. While discussing topics of American humor, Biers mentioned conformism and also that "the pieties of religion suffere steady attack." While these could be unrelated as there undoubtly are a variety of religions in American, atheists are still in the minority. I wonder America's affection for mocking conformism and appreciation for uniqueness that also contributes to the humor of these race jokes. Because in both of the jokes, the pranksters are mocking religion in a setting where religion, if not promoted, is respected.
Monday, November 22, 2010
YUM
Besides being home with my family, the best thing about Thanksgiving is food (though really, I'm obsessed with food all year around). Thus, it would only make sense to kick off Thanksgiving break properly with food themed jokes.
While these jokes employ many classic humor techniques, their value lies in what they reveal about the role of fast food in America. Internationally speaking, America has been associated with fast food chains such as McDonald's and KFC as much as it has been associated with Disney and Hollywood movies.
However, Americans don't just eat fast food. A closer look will reveal that fast food is no longer a type of food but a culture. Here are a few texts that present different attitudes towards fast food.
(541): my math teacher staples burger king applications to failed tests
This is a subtle example of the "sucker joke," where the joke teller employs the superiority theory and laugh at those receiving the failed grade and the teacher's implied belittlement that he/she can achieve little beyond a job flipping burgers. The condescending tone of this joke comes not only from the superiority theory but more importantly, from a new trend where people look down on fast food and people who work in fast food, classifying them as low-class jobs in the service industry.
(210): Just made hot dog dorito pasta. It happened.
Individually, these are all iconic American foods. However, piling them together makes for a bizarre combination, which is the foundation of shock humor. But beyond the shock, the joke also subtly reinforces the idea of "the-more-the-better." In reality, both hot dog and pasta are already entrees on in themselves. Yet the person chose to put all these popular junk foods together. This inclination for more is beyond mere hunger, but reflects an inherent greed prevalent in American culture. We like whole sale markets such as Costco and Sam's club because we can buy everything in bigger quantities. In McDonald's, small, medium and large are not sufficient. We need Super Size. Though the greed here is manifested in food, it extends to everything the realm of consumerism covers.
(757): At McDonald's last night the guy gave you the wrong kind of McFlurry, so you screamed at him, "YOU MCFUCKED UP."
Similar to the "the titanic is 'syncing'" joke from an earlier post, this text is also a kind of play on words. Upon hearing "McFucked up," we understand that the person means to say that the worker at McDonald's messed up big time. The fact that the prefix "Mc" has become so iconic and so well known that it can be applied to other words and carry over the meaning of "super size" signifies that fast food chains as institutions have influenced America more than the just the food we eat, but our culture.
Although these jokes are all centered around junk foods in America, they present different views on them, which once again reminds me how even though we can pin down something as "American," it will represent a different side of America to different people. For example, the first joke looks down upon people who work in fast food restaurants because they are not well educated. Yet there are people who feel contempt towards President Obama for his Ivy League education. Similarly, in the second joke, some people may find it to be the most disgusting part of our culture while others may find it epic, admiring the audacity of such a platter.
While these jokes employ many classic humor techniques, their value lies in what they reveal about the role of fast food in America. Internationally speaking, America has been associated with fast food chains such as McDonald's and KFC as much as it has been associated with Disney and Hollywood movies.
However, Americans don't just eat fast food. A closer look will reveal that fast food is no longer a type of food but a culture. Here are a few texts that present different attitudes towards fast food.
(541): my math teacher staples burger king applications to failed tests
This is a subtle example of the "sucker joke," where the joke teller employs the superiority theory and laugh at those receiving the failed grade and the teacher's implied belittlement that he/she can achieve little beyond a job flipping burgers. The condescending tone of this joke comes not only from the superiority theory but more importantly, from a new trend where people look down on fast food and people who work in fast food, classifying them as low-class jobs in the service industry.
(210): Just made hot dog dorito pasta. It happened.
Individually, these are all iconic American foods. However, piling them together makes for a bizarre combination, which is the foundation of shock humor. But beyond the shock, the joke also subtly reinforces the idea of "the-more-the-better." In reality, both hot dog and pasta are already entrees on in themselves. Yet the person chose to put all these popular junk foods together. This inclination for more is beyond mere hunger, but reflects an inherent greed prevalent in American culture. We like whole sale markets such as Costco and Sam's club because we can buy everything in bigger quantities. In McDonald's, small, medium and large are not sufficient. We need Super Size. Though the greed here is manifested in food, it extends to everything the realm of consumerism covers.
(757): At McDonald's last night the guy gave you the wrong kind of McFlurry, so you screamed at him, "YOU MCFUCKED UP."
Similar to the "the titanic is 'syncing'" joke from an earlier post, this text is also a kind of play on words. Upon hearing "McFucked up," we understand that the person means to say that the worker at McDonald's messed up big time. The fact that the prefix "Mc" has become so iconic and so well known that it can be applied to other words and carry over the meaning of "super size" signifies that fast food chains as institutions have influenced America more than the just the food we eat, but our culture.
Although these jokes are all centered around junk foods in America, they present different views on them, which once again reminds me how even though we can pin down something as "American," it will represent a different side of America to different people. For example, the first joke looks down upon people who work in fast food restaurants because they are not well educated. Yet there are people who feel contempt towards President Obama for his Ivy League education. Similarly, in the second joke, some people may find it to be the most disgusting part of our culture while others may find it epic, admiring the audacity of such a platter.
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