http://www.pathawi.net/b-log/2005/09/17/not-funny-ha-ha-funny-oh-shit/ Pensaments of an Anthropological Patzer Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:18:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.pathawi.net/b-log/2005/09/17/not-funny-ha-ha-funny-oh-shit/#comment-56 NotSoMuch Wed, 16 Nov 2005 00:32:44 +0000 http://www.pathawi.net/b-log/2005/09/17/not-funny-ha-ha-funny-oh-shit/#comment-56 It was Pope and he said, "wit is the lowest form of humour" whatever the heck that means. It is one of the most widely wrongly quoted and wrongly ascribed quotes of all time. Probably because no one ever figured out what the heck he was saying or trying to say or hoping to say or ... ... and I laughed my something off when I read the joke above all the while knowing it was against p.c. to do that ... and I read the joke out loud to my significant (and she IS significant to me so I don't use that phrase because it is p.c.) other and she laughed her something off too. But she did say "But I better not tell *that* joke at work" which made me realize I better not tell that joke at work either. But I think you're right to allude to the fact that it is the twist of language in the joke that is the core of what's funny. Like a lot of racist jokes (good one not baldly crude ones) they are funny if you take all the stereotype and animosity and hatred out of them. Instead of "There was a black guy ..." or "There was this Polish woman ..." or "There was this teenager from Newfoundland ..." or "There was this whoever from wherever ..." can the joke be told just as effectively as "One night I got no sleep and the next day I was stupid for being overtired and I walked into a bar and said ..." ?? If it's still funny, it's still funny and who needs the racism / hatred / demonizing stereotypes ?? I like jokes. I'd hate a world where we couldn't tell them anymore because of P.C. Stalinite or because of the dull-minds who follow Mr. Hilter (not a typo ... a Python reference) and our backlashing against them. It was Pope and he said, “wit is the lowest form of humour” whatever the heck that means. It is one of the most widely wrongly quoted and wrongly ascribed quotes of all time. Probably because no one ever figured out what the heck he was saying or trying to say or hoping to say or …
… and I laughed my something off when I read the joke above all the while knowing it was against p.c. to do that … and I read the joke out loud to my significant (and she IS significant to me so I don’t use that phrase because it is p.c.) other and she laughed her something off too. But she did say “But I better not tell *that* joke at work” which made me realize I better not tell that joke at work either.
But I think you’re right to allude to the fact that it is the twist of language in the joke that is the core of what’s funny. Like a lot of racist jokes (good one not baldly crude ones) they are funny if you take all the stereotype and animosity and hatred out of them. Instead of “There was a black guy …” or “There was this Polish woman …” or “There was this teenager from Newfoundland …” or “There was this whoever from wherever …” can the joke be told just as effectively as “One night I got no sleep and the next day I was stupid for being overtired and I walked into a bar and said …” ?? If it’s still funny, it’s still funny and who needs the racism / hatred / demonizing stereotypes ??
I like jokes. I’d hate a world where we couldn’t tell them anymore because of P.C. Stalinite or because of the dull-minds who follow Mr. Hilter (not a typo … a Python reference) and our backlashing against them.

]]> http://www.pathawi.net/b-log/2005/09/17/not-funny-ha-ha-funny-oh-shit/#comment-34 sisterhelen Sat, 01 Oct 2005 15:15:47 +0000 http://www.pathawi.net/b-log/2005/09/17/not-funny-ha-ha-funny-oh-shit/#comment-34 remind me to tell you the most racist joke i have ever heard, you will laugh your frickin' head off. remind me to tell you the most racist joke i have ever heard, you will laugh your frickin’ head off.

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