Research by a Washington State University linguist found that people who tell bad jokes often endure an astonishing outpouring of hostility from the listeners.
“These were basically attacks intended to result in the social exclusion or humiliation of the speaker, punctuated on occasion with profanity, a nasty glare or even a solid punch to the arm,” said researcher Nancy Bell.
Snip
First, such canned humor often disrupts the natural flow of conversation. And jokes that fail to deliver humor are a violation of a social contract, so punishing the teller can discourage similar behavior in the future.
Finally, a stupid joke insults the listener by suggesting that he or she might actually find it funny, Bell said.
“Being selected as an appropriate audience for a stupid joke suggests that there is something amiss with the hearer’s sense of humor,” Bell said.
There’s something comforting to me about that study. I’ve probably been guilty of telling way too many bad jokes, but I never understood why I sometimes react so negatively to people who continuously bark out failed one-liners. I often feel an urge to give the bad joke-teller a swirlie or a wedgie, and that’s not a normal impulse of mine, as I’ve never been much of a bully.
But yes, it is a little bit insulting to be told a bad joke, because the teller seems to think that you are as moronic as he is.
I was doing some studying on management techniques and ran across this item:
WAUKEGAN, IL—In what is being called a breakthrough discovery in worker-administrator relations, a study released Monday in the Journal Of Occupational Science found that not being a total asshole supervisor may be linked to improved worker spirit. “In nearly every trial, we found staff morale runs considerably higher when bosses don’t read workers’ e-mail over their shoulders, complain about their superior salaries, or act in any way like giant, self- centered assholes,” said Erica Gorochow, one of the study’s researchers.
On the heels of the New Yorker cover controversy, Maureen Dowd wonders why it’s so hard for comedians and others to mock Obama effectively:
At first blush, it would seem to be a positive for Obama that he is hard to mock. But on second thought, is it another sign that he’s trying so hard to be perfect that it’s stultifying? Or that eight years of W. and Cheney have robbed Democratic voters of their sense of humor?
Certainly, as the potential first black president, and as a contender with tender experience, Obama must feel under strain to be serious.
But he does not want the “take” on him to become that he’s so tightly wrapped, overcalculated and circumspect that he can’t even allow anyone to make jokes about him, and that his supporters are so evangelical and eager for a champion to rescue America that their response to any razzing is a sanctimonious: Don’t mess with our messiah!
Actually, I don’t think it’s all that hard to make fun of Obama in an effective way that doesn’t come across as racist or mean-spirited. I think people can have a lot of fun with his high-minded, above-it-all approach. There is a lot of fun to be made at Barack’s expense, and people should not have to tip-toe around it.
JibJab has mocked Obama well by showing him frolicking with Disneyesque animals while singing about change and the change we need. Also, Obama riding off on a unicorn is pretty damn funny:
Obama’s not the Messiah, and there are a lot of ways to make fun of him. And they should, but they’ll do best to make fun of the public image that he puts forward rather than relying on right-wing memes or fears.
I wish I had a screen grab… but the green background is very weird and very jarring.
On this stage, theatrics matter.
What were they thinking? McCain is not the best speaker in the world, and I thought tonight’s speech was pretty dismal. And what’s with that fake smile of his after he makes what he thinks is a pointed jab at Obama?
As for the green background, I’m imagining a couple of staffers brainstorming about what color to use for McCain’s backdrop.
In my mind, staffer one and staffer two had a chat:
Staffer one: John’s going to speak tomorrow night in New Orleans to get on prime-time before Clinton and Obama.
Staffer two: Uh-huh.
Staffer one: So we need to pick a color for his backdrop.
Staffer two: Uh-huh.
Staffer one: Shall we use black, like the main color on his website? Or maybe a mix of red, white, and blue.
Staffer two: Uh-huh.
Staffer one: Oh, I got it! Let’s use green! Green represents a commitment to the environment and many independents like the environment. Oh, and also, people associate green with growth and newness! We’ll show that John is young-at-heart by giving him a green background.
Staffer two: Uh-huh.
Staffer one: Green it is!!!
McCain’s people better learn the art of stagecraft, and learn it soon if their candidate is to have much of a chance against Obama.
23/6 turns out to be responsible for possibly the best piece of political performance art ever.
From their site:
The date was March 14, 2008, and a group of burgeoning Lou Pearlmans at 23/6 were about to unleash a political and musical phenomenon: the McCain Girls. This trio of musically inclined and politically active gals would make their YouTube debut, thanks to the 23/6 production team. American politics and the Internet would never be the same.
Just for fun, take a look at McCain being asked about his girls on Fox:
