quick!

     Tonight, my friend Rebecca left me a voice mail because she was wondering if I wanted to go the gym with her. Surprisingly, my first reaction was not "no, I went this morning" but why doesn't she just text me? Yet calling someone and texting someone are two wholly different things. Similarly, humor in TFLN is different from a standup routine. Yet I've discovered that there is an element of speech in some of the text of TFLNs.
     (734): she peed. on the sidewalk. it is 2 pm. Help.
     (619): Lauren she was gnawing on a dresser. Gnawing. On. A. Dresser.
     In these texts, the use of the period does not just serve the usual function of signifying the end of a sentence. Instead, they dictate to the reader how they intend for the joke to be read. Each period dictates a pause.
     The emphasis subtly created by the periods do not take away from the humor of the texts. In fact, it even adds to the comedy. The emphasis created by these periods exaggerates the effect of the verb. This is especially easy to see in the latter quote which has the sentence without the periodic periods and with the multiple periods. When "gnawing" is a one word sentence, it underscores the absurdity and animal-like action and evokes a more detailed image. It works in a different way for the former text. Now that I think about it, this could just be me. However, as I read the text with periods, for me, the humor from each fragment stacks up as if each "sentence" adds a block to the tower of situational humor. And the "help" was just the cherry on top. This also works for the second text. Gnawing in itself is a vivid verb for an exaggerated action for a person. However, when you add on "dresser," on top of it, the shock humor increases substantially and contributes to the humor. Thus, the elements of speech built in by the periods makes the texts funnier than if they were just words without any punctuation.
     Nevertheless, even though the joke in its entirety is lengthened by the pauses the periods dictate, the humor is still in short little nuggets. These examples, just like every other texts in the website, nonetheless adhere to Jessie Bier's idea that "our usual jokes are quick and pointed." Though the medium of the humor certainly has something to do with the length, Jessie Bier wrote The Rise and Fall of American Humor in 1968, a remote world with no texting. So what led to Bier's claim that "it is our speed that typifies us?" Impatience is undoubtly a national characteristic of young America. Perhaps it's because our nation is emphasizes results- after all, we are the nation of fast food chains and drive thru lanes. We don't focus on the delicate process of making food and sitting down to savor every bite with a fork and a knife. We become full, faster, if we grab the paper back and eat out of the wax-paper wrapper.