Well... He Tried His Breast

Yay for bad puns to start off my second reading blog post...

This evening's readings from The 50 Funniest American Writers was enjoyable but unremarkable.  I was going to start questioning Andy Borowitz's sense of humor but I have a feeling that some of the stories he chose for the book are a bit over my head in the realm of literacy, wit, history, and intellectuality. However, as a whole, I have found at least one of the stories from each assignment to be significantly more entertaining than its companions.  This evening that story happens to be Nora Ephron's "A Few Words about Breasts."  I think I tend to find many of the stories relating more specifically to women to be the most funny.  Perhaps it is because, as a woman, I find them very relatable.  It is one of those instances where the surprising truth and honesty of something is what makes it so laughable.  

Specifically in this story I found myself relating to the turmoils of womanhood and growing up as a female.  This story was spot on, from first bras, to the competition of "developing," to sharing experiences with a mother who is in a completely different realm of thinking.  Although many of my personal experiences differ from the author, there were many moments of truth.  Like the author I had a best friend during my youth who "developed" faster than I did and made everything a competition, growing up included.  Laughably, unlike the author, I was terrified of bras growing up and it was my mother doing the encouraging while I was usually grimacing in discomfort. Despite my many different experiences from the ones in this story I think it still holds a bit of truth for every girl.

I really appreciate the variety the book has to offer overall.  Politics, gender, culture, satire, irony, and many other forms of humor all play into the different stories this book holds. For every dry or confusing story I am still able to find one that amuses me.  In reading this book I have found that often the stories that make me laugh the most are not those that involve incredible cognitive shifts, but rather those that surprise me with their total honesty and relatability - the stories that break social courtesy and talk about the unspoken taboo of real experience. This relatability is what makes me laugh because I can not only understand the joke or humor, but I can completely get it because I have experienced something similar. As I apply this to my own life I find this true in listening to comedians also.  The jokes that really get me are usually the ones that point out some unrealized or unspoken truth.  That being said I think that knowing this can perhaps be a way for me to find humor in every day situations, by addressing the human qualities of my struggles.

On a bit of a last note in the story by Ephron she goes to visit a city known as Palos Verdes Estates which is where I went to school and I lived in the neighboring city right on the edge of PVE known as Rancho Palos Verdes, small world...

Bandar: Meet Number TWO

   Today I got to meet up with my conversation partner again! We sat outside 1873 and drank hot coffee while sweating in the heat, go figure. We got to talk a lot more about humor and laughter. I asked what people did for fun where he lived and if there were movies, since I am considering becoming a film major. He told me that there are no movies, alcohol, casinos, or entertainment in his country because of their strict rules.  He explained that you had to travel 3 hours for any sort of fun and compared it to driving to Huston just to see a movie. This surprised me a lot and he went on to explain that is why he has travelled so much, because there is so little to do there except work. He also made a joke that because it is so hot and "fiery" outside there is no place to walk, "if you want to walk you go in circles inside your house," he said, to which we both laughed.

   Continuing with the topic of movies though he asked if I had seen the movie "Dictator" by Sacha Cohen from this year.  I told him no and he explained how the movie made fun of Libya and its leader.  I asked him if he found it offensive and he laughingly told me that a lot of the content was actually realistic and that the leader was actually that crazy so, to him, the movie was funny. Then I asked him if people still joked around and had fun in the work place at least and he said that they did.

    Another story that made both of us laugh is when Bandar explained that the teachers recommend the students go to coffee shops and listen to other peoples conversations to improve their listening.  One day he was leaning back in his chair and people asked him if he was trying to listen in on their conversation.  At first he said no and told them he was just playing with his chair (at this point he acted it out and we both laughed) but then admitted he was listening because he was learning English.  They invited him to join their table but because they were talking so quickly he had a difficult time keeping up.

    Towards the end of our meeting time a lady walked up advertising a blood drive that was going on in the BLUU auditorium.  Bandar read the sign for the blood drive out loud and asked what that meant.  I explained that the blood would be used in hospitals for patients who needed it, to which he promptly responded that he would give blood. I was surprised at his eagerness but it was simply yet another learning experience for both of us.

First Meeting with Bandar!

      Well I can certainly say that this whole "conversation partner" thing has been a very different experience than what I expected.  After two weeks of scheduled appointments, cancelations, and busy days, I finally got to meet with my conversation partner at a table outside of 1873.  In all honesty I was expecting a shy person of hispanic or asian decent around the age of 20.  In reality my conversation partner is a laid back 30-year-old from Saudi Arabia who has had a conversation partner in the past, so our meeting was nothing new to him.  Although we did have instances where communication was difficult, he was not uncomfortable talking, asking questions, and answering them.

      We talked for a bit about TCU, business, and where he comes from.  I was amazed to learn about the heat his home area receives. He told me that only about two months of the year were cool, while the rest was like summer with temperatures commonly going over 115 degrees! He also explained to me that families are bigger there and that he was one of six siblings, three brothers and three sisters.  When I told him I lived in California he asked me if I lived close to San Diego because he has traveled there before and that is where is brother is attending business school now.  He had visited Los Angeles before which is close to my home town and wondered why would ever want to go to Texas with all the universities and great weather in California.

      Toward the end of our conversation time we began to talk about things that really interest both of us.  He has travelled all over the globe through North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. I asked him about his favorite places he had gone and he recommended that I had to go to Brazil during "Carnival" to see all the crazy people and just how beautiful the area is.  Another place he recommended was Sicily because of its diversity of people, cultures, and ethnicities. I got the feeling that he really enjoys a youthful and partying lifestyle after he told me more about Carnival and how he drinks tequila to get through the 15 hour plane trips on his way back home.  He also has owned and rode horses so when I mentioned the equestrian team we got to talk about the differences between the different types of horses and how American horses are different than the thinner, more elegant Arabian horses. 

      Overall I was very surprised at how well traveled and laid back my conversation partner was, but I had a fine time talking to him and laughing about cars, horses, and travel. I don't know what we will talk about next but I am interested to see how the next seven meetings go!

Really?

My reporting professor sent us this link, it makes me laugh but its one of those overlapping classes moments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwXF7_19VGM

3 Things Worth Remembering from an Almost Inspiring Book Filled with a Lot of Rubbish

1. Humor Increases Health

Although I have always know this in the back of my mind, this book and class are the first time I have really been forced to focus on the idea and think about "why." To me this is worth remembering because I just LOVE to stress myself out, to the point where my athletics advisor makes fun of me every time I go in, even if I am not stressed! Being able to realize how much just giving myself a short break to enjoy some humor and be with my friends has been a great reason (if not an excuse) to have a laugh. Keeping things in perspective and remembering how much more enjoyable life can be with some humor is definitely worth remembering.

2. Humor is a Tool

And like any tool, this means it can be used for both good and evil.  Possibly evolved from a play mode that increased our adaptability, laughter, from an evolutionary standpoint is in some ways a metaphysical tool.  However, as is human nature, we have found ways to use and abuse this interesting adaptation.  I have experienced the mob mentality that can come from laughter, causing you to say hurtful, false, and cruel things that would normally never cross your mind.  Having read this book I know that every time I laugh I am experiencing changes in both my body and mind, and although these changes can be good, they can also lead to impractical, insensitive, and irresponsible behavior. Because the body and the mind are essentially one I think it is important not to let one get too far ahead of the other when it comes to humor.

3.  Humor Increases Creativity (the most important)

This point is the only one I bookmarked in the whole book. If I were to forget the whole book but one thing I think this is the one thing I would insist on remembering. The reason for this is because I feel as though this point encompasses everything good about humor - creativity, flexibility, adaptability, diversity, health, thought, and appreciation. The examples about humor in the work place make me want to be able to create a better environment for my self at school, while creating art, and in my future career.  As an artist, creativity is the point from which I stem and choose to live my life.  I know that I am prone to getting stuck in a mental rut where I find myself with one option on a one-way track and I forget to think outside the box and really look at my options and opportunities.  I believe remembering this point will help me most in the long run.

Well this has nothing to do with anything... or does it?

So this post doesn't really pertain to the class but I am trying to share it everywhere I can.  The link I have included is to a post about a photography project I am working on.

The project itself actually focuses on writing both with words and with images to make a point about our culture so I guess that counts as semi-pertinant.

http://www.nonsensesociety.com/2012/09/shelby-tsuji/

Enjoy!

SERIOUSLY MORREALL!?!

Am I the only one who thinks Morreall may have lost his mind writing this book? 

 In all honesty I really appreciate some of the lessons that can be gained from the analysis of humor.  However some of the material in these last few chapters seems SO hypocritical.  First on page 97 Morreall defends humor against the claim that is fosters anarchy.  Saying that satire points out faults in the system, requiring other people to take notice and then eventually action.  He says that is is a part of democracy and helps people realize where the flaws are and encourages deeper thought.  Then on page 101 NOT EVEN FIVE PAGES LATER he says that "satire is not a weapon of revolutionaries." 

 Yes I get there there are some minor discrepancies in the points he is making here but if you ask me you can't tell your readers that humor is involved enough to change opinions and bring people to new forms of thought, as can be seen in old comedies, and then tell us that satire is not used in an engaged way to evoke emotion about a problem. This just creates super massive black holes in his argument.

Then he talks about how women's laughter is thought to be a sexual stimulant to men on page 95. After this he proceeds to also say that "amusement and laughter tend to diminish sexual passion, as we said earlier," ON THE SAME PAGE. Maybe I'm getting this all wrong but this is really frustrating to me.

I Think I Need To Laugh More

So here goes the first reading blog post of the semester...

    The past two readings for Literature and Civilizations II have consisted of chapters from Comic Relief. This book is certainly not one that I particularly enjoy.  It can be repetitive, full of many cyclical arguments, and generally dry.  Although the presentation of the material is not something I particularly enjoy, this book is full of all sorts of interesting facts and humorous examples. I definitely got a "jolt" when I was reading along about why some theory about laughter is wrong and then all of a sudden there is a comment about someone  masturbating to the Venus de Milo.  

    For as much as I like to complain about this book though, there are interesting and influential points made in the text. I always knew that laughing was supposedly good for you, but I never really considered why and where it came from. It really caught my interest that laughter renders you essentially incapable of doing anything else, releasing the person laughing from stress, anger, fear, and other physical activity. This book is essentially a constant reminder that I need to laugh more! I find that I am incredibly susceptible to stress, which according to the book is the offspring of anger and fear.  Stress is also incredibly unhealthy, something that I have lived because I most often get sick when I am stressed, resulting in only more stress. Having read about all this I feel much more encouraged to try and incorporate laughter into my life as part of an every day necessity. I have found that now if I randomly laugh I stop and think afterwards, why was I just laughing?  I have not decided yet whether this is a good thing or not but it is certainly an unusual train of thought. 

   One thing I really appreciate about this book though is its seeming commitment to the arts, especially in The Aesthetics of Humor chapter.  I am so much more encouraged to appreciate the goofy and "less educated" things in life having read about the authors argument for comedy over tragedy.  I agree that there may have been a time when such things were beneficial but in today's times I would much rather be gaining happiness and a break from my worries.  I feel that many people admire sad stories, and incredibly deep literature while more simple things are looked down upon as uneducated and dumb, even the word "simple" can be seen as having a bad connotation.  This book has only encouraged my once guilty pleasure of constantly being immersed in the arts and appreciating more easily grasped concepts.  

   In final consideration I believe that although this book's criticism, philosophy, and analysis of amusement is perhaps a bit too thorough and specific for me, there are things to be gained from the text.  One of my own personal beliefs is that one never stops learning.  Good learning encompasses growth, both in thought and in understanding of one's self. Although I may not enjoy reading this book, it has contributed to my learning.  Thus I feel more equipped to argue in support of humor and the arts.  I also feel as though I have gained knowledge about myself and my opinion of laughter.  As a result I hope that I have gained lasting motivation to find more reasons to laugh and be positive for my own sake, and to hopefully encourage those around me.