That's Not Funny. Or is it?
Nothing is funny anymore. Many things that used to be funny aren't anymore. Maybe they never were. If you think something is funny then you must be careful; someone will likely be offended. This may be an exaggeration, but I am afraid it isn't. Maybe humor has changed forever. Sadly, I really like to laugh. In fact, I rarely watch drama or really anything serious on TV.
It seems there are four types of humor according to Psychologist Rod Martin:
- Affiliative Humor. This involves telling jokes about things that everyone might find funny to bring people together. Think Jerry Seinfeld.
- Aggressive Humor. This involves put-downs or insults targeted toward individuals. Think Roastmeister Jeff Ross.
- Self-enhancing Humor. This is being able to laugh at yourself, like making a joke when something bad has happened to you. I guess this is me.
- Self-defeating Humor. Putting yourself down in an aggressive or “poor me” fashion is called self-defeating humor, a la Rodney Dangerfield!
I think the truth is that Aggressive and Self-defeating humor is out of favor in today's socio-political climate. Therefore, we are left with Affiliative and Self-enhancing humor. Hence, I guess I am limited to making fun of myself, family, and close friends (sorry guys). In this post, we explore some things that I find funny!
Text Free
App
I enjoy a good practical joke. I was introduced to Text Free by a family friend Harrison L. (too young to be a Louper!) who has used it to great comedic effect. The idea is that you can get a “Burner” number from which to text people. This "other" number, of course, can also be useful for people you don't want to have your real number (hmmm ... that Vegas Showgirl, that guy that asked for your number at the bar, the odd cable guy, the overly persistent salesperson). However, it is also perfect for pranking people by sending texts whereby they won't recognize who the text is actually from. I recently had the opportunity to prank my 15-year-old daughter at Visiting Day. She was desperately using my wife’s phone seeing as she has been phoneless for four weeks, an effective eternity! So I sent my wife a TextFree saying, “Ditch your husband and kids, meet me behind the dining hall... I need to be with you! xxoo” The message popped up as an alert, and she was desperately trying to get it back up. She read it and poked around, and really didn't know what to do. I was watching her from behind, freaking out! I quickly disclosed who had sent the text, and we had a tremendous and long laugh! Evil? Maybe! Funny? Of course! By the way, you can only do this to people who can handle it. An age-old rule in comedy, know your audience!
Ink Hunter
App
I do not have any tattoos. I think they are nice, but not my bag. I think I was deterred in high school when a friend of mine showed up with a tattoo of the Michael Jordan Flight silhouette on his shoulder. At the time I thought to myself that this brings fandom to a whole new level. Then I thought of the possibility of my Dad having a picture of Wilt Chamberlain or some other sports hero on his arm. It dawned on me that tattoos, and the idea behind them, are so time and place specific. Something may have been meaningful to you in 1987, that may have less (or no) relevance today ... thankfully I didn't get a tattoo with the band Motley Crue, the movie The Breakfast Club, and/or the likeness of my ex-girlfriend Erica. Maybe that is the appeal, just not for me. Either way, I am amazed by the number of people that have tattoos. It sometimes seems that more people have them then don’t. I am also surprised at the number of bad tattoos. Well, Ink Hunter is here to fix all that. They are a repository for tattoo art. Users can find what suits them and even try them on by using augmented reality. This is ripe for pranks as you can send your mom a picture of yourself with “I Love Mom” on your arm for Mother’s Day!
Shed Defender
Home
I love animals. I grew up with cats and dogs and currently have two dogs and a rabbit. The bizarre thing about having grown up with animals was that my brother was highly allergic to cats. As my memory serves me, there was cat hair everywhere. When I went about getting my own pets, I chose hypoallergenic breeds; basically, most dogs bred with a Poodle do the trick. Sure, you have a dog breed with a funny name (Cockapoo, Peekapoo, and, of course, the Shitpoo) but they don't shed. Not shedding is critical if someone in the household has allergies, and you don't want hair all over the place ... who would? The problem is that there are some incredible breeds of dogs that indeed shed, like the Golden Retriever, the Labrador Retriever, etc. These breeds were off limits to me until the Shed Defender. I think this may be the funniest thing in the world. The whole point of having a beautiful dog is that it is clearly beautiful. It is the equivalent of putting a Bumper Defender on your gorgeous new car to protect the Bumper as it invalidates the attractiveness of the vehicle. However, I do understand the use case of having a dog, then discovering an allergy, or even moving into or visiting a place where a shedding dog is not welcome. The Shed Defender will make your dog look hilarious and freaky (in my opinion). Others may think it looks like a superhero. This is funny stuff!
Laughter is essential to (my) life. It boosts the immune system and feels great. Don't take yourself or others too seriously and consider Text Free, Ink Hunter, and Shed Defender Found!