Water Cooler Musings: On Humor

I think I’m funny. I’m one of those people who comes up with witticisms on the spur of the moment and they just spill right out. Sometimes people laugh with me, sometimes they laugh at me, and sometimes they don’t laugh at all. But regardless of the reactions, I still think I’m funny. Sometimes others just don’t appreciate it. And that’s okay. Whether or not you’ve got the humor bug, it remains one of the biggest gauges of possible friends. That was the topic of discussion this week around the water cooler.

“I’ll give you all my lefts if you give me all your rights.”

It seems that most people around the cooler think that spontaneity is best when it comes to good humor. Someone who can think off the top of her head and come up with something funny is definitely friend material. Of course, they also believe that the glory of this spontaneity is destroyed when the jokes are corny. And of course we all know that corny is an acquired taste when it comes to jokes.

One-liners also seemed to be in high demand around the water cooler.

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.”

The funniest thing, we all agreed, is that the most important factor in whether or not we appreciate a funny friend is if they know when not to be funny. It sounds ironic, but it’s true. We all said that there are times to be serious, and if the humorous person knows those times and adheres to them, if he/she has another speed other than just “all-out funny,” there’s your keeper. It’s like Jim Carrey before and after The Truman Show. It was like he learned how to tug on the heart strings instead of just manipulating his face, and it made him a more interesting character.

You see, funny gets old without context, and if context is constantly shifting, you should shift too.

Sam

Water Cooler Musings Archive