From: Doug Harter's Initial Logs Processor Subject: HUMOR Digest - 16 May 1993 There are 6 messages totalling 295 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. definitions (non-offensive to most) 2. "Humorous" religious discussion 170 lines 3. My Poor Little Doggie. ...and so sad. 4. Koresh 5. R- rated 6. Ethnic humor (RUDE) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 11:26:53 EDT From: John Doe Subject: definitions (non-offensive to most) These definitions were found while sorting through some files in search of a copy of an article that was filed somewhere in this mess... some computer literacy definitions actually posted in a computer lab: *********** Hardware - The mechanical part of the computer, or that metal box on your desk. Video - That television screen thing on the box on your desk. Keyboard - That typewriter thing in front your hardware. User - A technical term used by computer experts when they mean "idiot." ********** Politics - the art of compromise: You scratch my back, and I stab yours. ****** Some useful academic research phrases: "It has long been known . . ." - I didn't look up the original reference. "It is believed that . . ." - I think so. "It is generally believed that . . ." - A couple of other guys think so, too. "Of great theoretical and practical importance . . ." - Interesting to me. "A highly significant area of exploratory study . . ." - A totally useless topic selected by my committee. "While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to these questions. . ." - The experiment was unsuccessful, but I still hope to get it published. "Participants were promised anonymity. . ." - Names have been changed to protect the guilty, who have already punished the innocent. "Sources were promised anonymity. . ." - I copied these from the professor's files when no one was around. ========== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 14:08:01 EDT From: Bill Edwards Subject: "Humorous" religious discussion 170 lines This material was distilled from a thread about what is appropriate humor. It appeared last year on WHIM@TAMVM1. WHIM is a list were people discuss humor. Traffic is light; jokes are infrequently posted. WHIM is the place I were first posted "my first dirty joke," which I reposted here about a month ago. Disclaimer: I did not participate in this thread. These 13 messages have been, in most cases, heavily edited and do not necessarily represented the original sender's ideas. I have omitted the headers. JESUS CHRIST JOKES *1* Does anyone know the origin of the name Jesus Christ? I heard that Mary and Joseph were puzzled about what to call him, until the local carpenter showed up to fix the cradle and hit his thumb with a hammer. Any truth to this? *2* First of all, you should be careful of what you joke about. To answer one question, "Christ" is a title, it means the messiah, the chosen one God sent to tell the world about Himself and salvation. "Jesus" is the name given him by God, told to Mary through an angel. I'm sure there are other avenues of humor study that don't attack deity. You're going to open up a can of worms that I don't believe belongs in this forum. If anyone gets flamed, it won't be Jesus. *3* Regardless whether one thinks the joke about the way Jesus Christ got his name is funny or not, it does seem to me that this provides a marvelous opportunity to explore why it was funny to some, not funny to other, even offensive to yet others. Given the long history of jokes about deity and the wide variety of people who find them humorous, including some adherents of the religion involved, it would be hard to label then universally as anti-religion, although certainly some would certainly be that. The joke in question makes no assertion about the character of Jesus or his origins or his importance; why is it offensive. I remember the wonderful line from William Gibson's Christmas play "Butterfingers Angel" in which Joseph asks when the baby is due and Mary replies, "Around Christmas." *4* I hope that any messiah would be spiritually advanced enough to be able to laugh at himself. After all, the human race is about the funniest thing there is; what could be funnier than the prospect of trying to save it? *5* While I'm not sure that the posting of a Jesus joke is appropriate to this list, I do think that the subject is relevant. Irreverence is one of the staples of humor. Whether it be Monty Python or Dead Baby Jokes, a certain level of "breaking the rules of decorum" is funny to a great many people. Why this is so might be a good topic for further consideration. *6* This is exactly the point I am addressing in my dissertation--the importance of audience in humor. I contend that a text is not a joke unless it is perceived as such by the audience. In the case of this flame war about Jesus jokes, it is clear that at least one and possibly more WHIM subscribers do not find deity-based jokes funny. Why? Because religion/God/deity is a taboo subject for some. *7* An audience perceiving a few lines of text doesn't make that text a joke. It makes it funny text. A joke is made intentionally, for the sole purpose of being a joke. If it is funny to you, it is a funny joke. If not, it is a dumb joke to you. But it remains a joke. If you tasted some food and didn't like the taste of it, would you say it wasn't food? If you bought clothes that didn't fit, would you say they weren't clothes? I don't think so. I like Christ jokes because I happen to be agnostic. If you don't like Christ jokes then read the headings before you read the mail and avoid the things as best you can. WHIM is for all kinds of humor, not just yours. *8* I would predict that if one's family were killed by a crazed elephant, suddenly that person would not find elephant jokes funny, but elephant jokes would still be jokes even for that person. And now to throw some gasoline on an open fire: Joseph and Mary are looking over the cradle, teary eyed. "Isn't he beautiful, Joseph?" "Yes, but I would have preferred a girl." One more joke: A stranger walks in a little village, and starts questioning the inhabitants about his father, although in fact it was more of an adoptive father, he explains, who was a carpenter, and whom he left many years after he decided to make his own way in the world. The villagers realized that there is an old man nearby who has told a similar story. The old man is summoned, and upon seeing him the stranger cries out: "Father!" And the old man, embracing him, cries: "Pinocchio!" *9* Gregory Bateson's observation that otters who were playing with each other "knew" that they were playing (as opposed to fighting) despite the fact that they were engaged in behavior that would otherwise appear to be fighting, refers to a meta- communication that takes place between parties that "frames the exchange." Thus, in one setting, the metacommunication would say "Jokes are appropriate now" while in another setting the metacommunication would say "It's time to be serious." I think this type of view is useful in deciding whether or not something is a joke. I don't think I can go along with the definition of joke not being a joke because it wasn't funny. One of the primary functions of jokes is to address taboo topics in a comparatively harmless way, just like Bateson's otters used fighting for enjoyment by framing it as play. *10* Jesus does not find it funny. To ascertain this ones simply needs to read the Bible and find out how God and Jesus felt about having there names taken in vain, let alone to make fun of them. Jesus had a sense of humor but nowhere near what some of you espouse. Jesus said, "Be careful, God is not mocked." I understand some people find things humorous that are taboo. But "a man's got to know his limitations." Signed-off/ A Christian. *11* Jokes are funny to some people and not funny to others. And this is the reason there are some people sitting in jail cells who made jokes about hijacking planes or carrying bombs on planes. (This goes back to one person's contention that my definition be flipped to emphasize the intention of the joke-teller.) Sure, the teller was making a "joke," but airport security personnel don't perceive such texts as jokes. The tellers do. And they go to jail. *12* The WHIM list has become possessed, run for your life! *13* There has been a request for dirty jokes: Did you hear the one about the broken Maytag? ========== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 15:08:49 EDT From: "BERTON_CORSON@mcimail.com" <70473.1567@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: My Poor Little Doggie. ...and so sad. Due to tremendous concern about my pets croaking, I have another award winning joke to submit: Why couldn't my dog bark? Because it was dead. ....poor little doggy. Berton M Corson Northridge, California USA 5280397@mcimail.com ========== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 16:12:51 EST From: JAMES LEONARD Subject: Koresh Q: What is the holiest day of the Branch Davidian year? A: Ash Wednesday. _____________________ James Leonard Professor of Law Law Library Director Ohio Northern University jleonard@crassus.onu.edu ========== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 18:46:00 CST From: Katie Buller Subject: R- rated It was raining, and a little old man saw a little old lady across the street. It was not difficult to tell that she had her dress up over her head. Curious, he shuffled across the street and approached her. "Why do you have your dress up over your head?" he asked. "Every one can see everything you have down below!" "Mister, everything I have down below is 80 years old!" the little old lady snapped back. "But this hat is new!" A mouse died and went to heaven. After awhile, St. Peter went to the mouse and asked him how he liked heaven so far. "Oh, St. Peter, it's wonderful!" the mouse replied. "Except there's so much to see, and my legs are so short! Can you help me?" "Of course!" Said st. Peter, and immediately the mouse had roller skates. Happily, the mouse skated off. Soon, a cat died and went to heaven. After awhile, St. Peter went to the cat and asked him how he liked heaven so far. "Oh, St. Peter, it's wonderful!" the cat replied. "I especially like those meals on wheels!" ========== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 22:24:50 EST From: Sara Rummelhart Subject: Ethnic humor (RUDE) How many French does it take to unstop a toilet? Three. Two to hold his legs and one to dive and suck. What does a Polish bride get on her wedding night that's long and hard? A new last name. How many Southern gents does it take to unstop a toilet? Usually the toilet isn't stopped up; he just needs a Southern belle to raise the lid for him. Have you heard about the Texan who tried to hijack a submarine? He demanded $500,000 and a parachute. What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake? One less drunk at the wake. How can a Bosnian tell that a Serb likes him? The Serb will give the Bosnian free housing, has sex with the Bosnian's wife, son, and daughter, and takes good care of the Bosnian's house. What's the first thing Yankees do after a wedding? Flush the punch bowl. ========== ------------------------------