I have been accused by my boys of trying too hard to be funny, but that really isn’t the case. If there is anything to it at all, only the opposite is true. I have been trying very hard not to be funny, for I have always considered funny folks to be superficial people who really don’t have anything to say but a bunch of empty words designed solely to draw laughter from equally empty people.
Funny people are mostly clowns who are inflicted with an inferiority complex and who try to do anything to draw attention to themselves. We can tell much about a generation by looking at who their heroes are. Who are our heroes these days? Letterman and Seinfeld? Jay Leno and Conan O’ Brian? I fear for this generation of young people. I really do.
The fictional characters that I disliked the most when I was a graduate student were those duds in the so-called “Comedies of Manners” who seemed to spend their entire life engaging in battles of wit. O how I hated them and deemed it a great insult to my intellect that I was even required to read about their exploits of conquering women by their wits.
Please don’t tell me that I am funny, because I take that as an insult, and the last thing that I would try to do is to say anything for the sole purpose of drawing a laugh. Believe me, I am deeper than that.
10 comments:
Can't wait to see what Michael has to say about this.
I think laughter is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. And with all the laughter we've had at the Sea dinner table, it's hard to believe this blog post.
Yeah, on second thought, I don't believe it.
I'm afraid that my respect for this blog has lessened with this post.
"A sense of humor is the measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge."
-Dave Barry
I think I'm in the same boat as anon... this post was a bit on the dour side. Dad, maybe you should make a humorous post to get back on your readers' good side.
I guess it depends on how you define "being funny". If you believe "being funny" = "being humorous", then this post will definitely make you frown. I personally think that the sense of humor comes from someone's wisdom and knowledge, but "being funny" may not.
you are right. thank you.
"I have been trying very hard not to be funny"
This, in itself, is a very hilarious joke and a bit contradictory to the point of the blog post.
Perhaps I am naturally funny, but since I don't consider it a desirable attribute, therefore I try very hard not to be funny. Does that make sense to you?
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