Re: Mind's Eye Re: Having a larf? Is humour cruel?

Money does grow on trees>paper>printing press.

On Feb 7, 3:16 am, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Economics currently thinks money grows on trees - something we were
> often told was not the case as children!  We still have radio 4 here
> in GB - a last bastion of good listening.  It's hard to discuss humour
> without forgetting to have a laugh.  If you try to use audio tapes
> teaching under 30s they can't listen - use the same material with
> irrelevant video content and they at least keep quiet!
> I like long jokes.  One can notice, for instance, that a book called
> the Human Zoo relied on the notion that apes and monkeys masturbate a
> lot in zoos but not in the wild, so given human propensity the zoo
> connection is obvious, given the 'Naked Ape'.  Sadly, this relied on
> rather poor observation in the wild at the time.  One can also notice
> that male sperm count is falling almost everywhere except Finland.
> Masturbation lowers sperm count.  The feminist conclusion is that all
> men are wankers.
>
> On Feb 7, 7:19 am, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Very Nice,,  wonder where I can get home grown  spaghetti?
> > Allan  (".)
>
> > On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 7:45 AM, Don Johnson <daj...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 3:01 PM, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > >> war of the world was written in 1898  the radio broadcast was 1938,,
>
> > >> HG Wells wrote it Orson Welles presented it as a radio broadcast it was a
> > >> one hour radio play..  turned out to be a great spoof.
>
> > >>  I understood what you meant,,  spoofs are extremely hard to write and I
> > >> wonder if the art of story telling is not becoming  lost in favor of the
> > >> sound bite...  there are many great stories being written today,
>
> > >> As I am writing this I am wondering if we are not losing the art of
> > >> listening.
> > >> Allan
>
> > >> Pretty much probably. I believe WOTW(radio broadcast) was a dramatization
> > > that went awry. Seems some folks took it seriously. Not meant as a spoof at
> > > all just good ol' entertainment. Even had bits at the beginning and before
> > > and after commercials telling listeners that it was a dramatization and not
> > > real. Which just goes to show folks weren't very good listeners back in '38
> > > either.
>
> > > The mass joke I like the best was some network TV outfit decided it would
> > > be hilarious to have footage of folks cutting down spaghetti from
> > > "spaghetti trees" in Italy. Where else but GB could this get pulled off?
> > > April Fools joke that fell flat. The folks fooled were NOT amused.
>
> > >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ugSKW4-QQ
>
> > > dj
>
> > > dj
>
> > >> On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 3:57 PM, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> You rather make my point Allan.  I have a feeling the particular
> > >>> matter was more about Orson Wells' self-publicity than for real.
> > >>> Radio remains in my life as it did with The Goon Show and various
> > >>> similar, including the queer innuendo Round the Horn - Beyond Our Ken
> > >>> series onto Hitch-hiker.  I still love really simple jokes.  Upstairs
> > >>> Downstairs started as quite a political statement before lapsing to
> > >>> smaltz rigsy.  I've been taping Borgen - a Danish political thingy - I
> > >>> suspect because the Danish actresses  look so good.
>
> > >>> On Feb 5, 2:08 pm, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >>> > 70 is the new 50, Allan, in case you hadn't noticed. :-) Some of us
> > >>> > are lucky in health and looks- it's mostly luck.
>
> > >>> > On Feb 5, 3:36 am, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > They don't?
> > >>> > > What about HG Wells radio presentation of "The War of the Worlds"?
> > >>> > > That was nothing but a spoof and from what I understand it effect
> > >>> many
> > >>> > > parts of the world including  GB.
> > >>> > > Allan
>
> > >>> > > Oop sorry Neil you were to young to remember that,,  I wonder if
> > >>> Rigsy was
> > >>> > > listening?
>
> > >>> > > On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 2:17 AM, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >>> > > > My impression is that the spoofs don't get to a lot of people.  I
> > >>> > > > agree the individuality bit Molly.  Humour in sit-com had lost it's
> > >>> > > > bite until The Office.
>
> > >>> > > > On Feb 4, 4:24 pm, Molly <mollyb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >>> > > > > there are types of humor that are cruel.  I don't think they are
> > >>> fun
> > >>> > > > > or funny.  I like the absurd, the little twist of view that does
> > >>> not
> > >>> > > > > demean, but presents the unexpected in a way that catches us
> > >>> off-guard
> > >>> > > > > and allows us to witness our individuality (that we often
> > >>> mistake for
> > >>> > > > > a worldview)
>
> > >>> > > > > On Feb 4, 9:22 am, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > > > > I  am increasingly concerned by those who seem to expect moral
> > >>> > > > > > behaviour in drunken revelry!
>
> > >>> > > > > > On Feb 4, 2:02 pm, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > > > > > There are also "insecurities" when giving definitions!
> > >>> Satire is
> > >>> > > > > > > definitely within the genre of comedy. I was trying to
> > >>> stress the
> > >>> > > > > > > merry side of humor- funny, as ancient comedy derived from
> > >>> phallus
> > >>> > > > > > > rites (Dionysus) and  related drunken revels. My first real
> > >>> term
> > >>> > > > paper
> > >>> > > > > > > was on "Lysistrata" (Aristophanes) but I was only 17 so
> > >>> probably
> > >>> > > > > > > missed most of the gags to the relief of the nun! :-) Maybe
> > >>> it's life
> > >>> > > > > > > that is cruel at times- we're all in a "nice mess".
>
> > >>> > > > > > > On Feb 3, 11:29 am, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > Perhaps only in the way we all have insecurities rigsy - I
> > >>> find I
> > >>> > > > want
> > >>> > > > > > > > to work as though there is some purpose but can broadly
> > >>> cope with
> > >>> > > > the
> > >>> > > > > > > > parochialism of it all with something of a laugh at 'mice
> > >>> and men'.
> > >>> > > > > > > > Part of the trick is to do with recognising statements
> > >>> like 'the
> > >>> > > > > > > > freedom of the individual' are structured under wider
> > >>> practice like
> > >>> > > > > > > > secular democracy and playing the hand you get.
> > >>> > > > > > > > I spent some time years ago doing evaluation research
> > >>> (usually into
> > >>> > > > > > > > management development).  It's generally useless stuff any
> > >>> > > > scientist
> > >>> > > > > > > > would junk pretty quickly - whatever one focuses on soon
> > >>> loses its
> > >>> > > > > > > > meaning in wider society and tends to have been defined
> > >>> itself in
> > >>> > > > our
> > >>> > > > > > > > habits and Idols.  If education works at all it has to be
> > >>> defined
> > >>> > > > in
> > >>> > > > > > > > terms of what we are, and general society and its junk are
> > >>> very
> > >>> > > > > > > > depressing.  We have clearly not produced a widely
> > >>> rational Demos!
> > >>> > > > > > > > Humour is a bit of a way in to some of this, yet is also a
> > >>> means to
> > >>> > > > > > > > ignore it and reinforce xenophobia.
> > >>> > > > > > > > There should be insecurity in thinking - for many of the
> > >>> great
> > >>> > > > social
> > >>> > > > > > > > ideas have been utterly flawed.  The question is less to
> > >>> do with
> > >>> > > > > > > > incredulity towards the grand-narratives (the current worst
> > >>> > > > obviously
> > >>> > > > > > > > being unbridled wealth creation) and more with recognising
> > >>> what we
> > >>> > > > > > > > have become and how this needs to change without promises
> > >>> of
> > >>> > > > > > > > salvation.  I find this hard enough to bear to need a few
> > >>> 'larfs'!
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > On Feb 3, 12:08 pm, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > > Out of the foggy memory- yes, I think Aristotle's
> > >>> treatment of
> > >>> > > > comedy
> > >>> > > > > > > > > was lost...might have burned in the fire at the
> > >>> Alexandrian
> > >>> > > > library
> > >>> > > > > > > > > (?)- heaven only knows what was lost in that sad event-
> > >>> the cure
> > >>> > > > for
> > >>> > > > > > > > > the common cold?//The Papacy set a bad example but
> > >>> doesn't
> > >>> > > > democracy/
> > >>> > > > > > > > > free enterprise do the same?// You don't seem insecure
> > >>> to me.
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > > On Feb 2, 7:49 am, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > "Four Lions" is a brilliant piece mocking Islamic
> > >>> terrorism
> > >>> > > > from all
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > sides.  I rather like teasing humour and farce.  I
> > >>> might
> > >>> > > > almost be
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > your mocking friend - I'm insecure enough at times!
> > >>>  Umbero
> > >>> > > > Eco (Name
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > of the Rose) had the very existence of an Aristotle
> > >>> text on
> > >>> > > > humour as
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > a threat to the Church.  Our current religion is in
> > >>> need to
> > >>> > > > mockery.
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > A system that encourages a vastly wealthy class hardly
> > >>> sounds
> > >>> > > > like a
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > starting point for reasonable equality of opportunity!
> > >>>  Etc.
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > On Feb 2, 12:11 pm, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > Satire is meant to bite- so it's not truly comedy,
> > >>> i.e.
> > >>> > > > scorn versus
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > merriement. Yes- I heard ethnic, racial, sexist jokes
> > >>> > > > growing up but
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > they were not mean-spirited then political
> > >>> correctness
> > >>> > > > pounced though
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > now the style in political and social humor is
> > >>> > > > mockery>distain/
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > contempt. I do like slapstick- another great was Sid
> > >>> Ceasar-
> > >>> > > > also Mel
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > Brooks  maybe Jewish humor derives from their tragic
> > >>> > > > history, in part.
> > >>> > > > > > > > > > > As for Kierkegaard, I might have smiled if I could
>
> ...
>
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