Laughs-How not to get them; My Mind-How it works against itself

04/28/09 - It never ceases to amaze me how silly some people can sound in a classroom. By some people, I mean myself, mostly. In at least one class every semester, I feel the need to act like a fool. Maybe it's just a kind of nostalgia for the days back in high school where I could make a decent joke at my own expense and it still be funny (or at least I thought I could...), but now I find that even the most self-deprecating of humor is met with silence and uncomfortable looks. Obviously playing the part of the fool has retired from the realm of ironic comedy into the cesspool of cheap laughs (that or I'm just not funny, which though a more likely scenario, won't contribute much to this writing). This is unfortunate, as ironic-foolery was always an easy way to get a laugh for me; now I have to resort to actually saying clever things. 

Which brings me to my next point: how long it will take for witticisms to become "not funny." Witty comedians have almost always been considered funny, from the subtle wit behind Monty Python's seemingly random shenanigans to the clever "observation comedy" of greats like Jerry Seinfeld. However, more and more I see every random Joe Shmuck thinking they can spurt out rehashed, "clever" phrases for all the world to read, either via tried-and-true annoying bumper stickers and ironic t-shirts or through new e-routes of Twitter and Facebook status updates (or blogging). Now, I would be lying if i didn't admit to doing all of the above, but more importantly, everyone that might currently read this would know I was lying. So I'll admit it, but only in the face of being caught. That aside, I can't help but think that this mas exposure to all these clever phrases may make the entire genre of witty jokes seem, well... lame overkill, overplayed, boring, trite, etc. Not funny, is the point. Now I'm not a comedian, and my friends are often telling me my jokes are lame, so I think I would definitely be an expert on what's not funny. Oops. There I go again with my self-deprecating humor. 

If I could return to an earlier topic of discusion, however, it would be people seeming silly in class. I don't want to seem like that guy who always sneers when someone asks the teacher a dumb question, and I really don't think I am! He sits two seats over from me. But I do catch myself listening to Q & A rounds between student and profesor, and thinking, "How... why... what... where do these questions... these non-ideas... who needs to ask something like that?!" Then I look over and I answer myself, "ah yes... sorority girl in the front row. Yeah, she does need to ask that question." Of course, then the guilt of hitting an huge group of people with such an unfair stereotype hits me, and I remind myself, "now now, David. Not all girls are that dumb." Just kidding of course, I also know that most sorority girls aren't dumb either. I was just thought I'd try making the butt of the joke someone other than me. Did it work? I hope so.

What's amazing to me, is that while I really shouldn't be able to feel superior to anyone in my classes, I can't help but think some of them are actually less smart than me. Which may be beyond my scope of understanding. After all, I got into a public university by graduating from a public high school in the top ten percent. I really just had to sign my name on the application, and I was in. Most of my classes are filled with honors students. Everyone should be at least as smart as I am. Following this trail of thought, something occurred to me: maybe they are. Maybe, they are so far beyond my level of thought, that the questions they ask--which sound dumb to me--are actually so intelligent, so intellectual, so insightful that I am literally unable to comprehend them to their full complexity. God that would suck. See this is the kind of sick self-doubt my mind likes to throw at me. By the way, I meant that in a totally non self-deprecating sense.

I would like to close with a word on the season of Lint. Not the most popular to be sure, and it's about a month gone by, now, but I think it holds well to this topic of negative things I do to my self (self-deprivation rather than self-deprecation). I have barely gotten used to Facebook again, and yet I am already thinking up new and exciting things to give up for next year. I really think I should hold out for something way cool that's yet to be invented, but my mind is on a constant lookout for things that would make me miserable to be without. Some recent things it has noted is Brand-named food, especially cereal. I utterly hate the idea of eating off-brand Honey Combs or Rice Crispies. I find their prominence on the breakfast food isle to be offensive at best, but more often, just plain revolting. It would be great for me to give something like that up for Lent, I think. Anyway, I'm hungry. It's time to break out the Hot Pockets.