A priest, a rabbi, and a nun walk into a bar, and the bartender says, “What is this, a joke?” I used to be funny. Then I grew up.
Seriously (as opposed to “funny”), there was a time when I could hold a room’s attention with my clever observations and witty repartee. What’s ironic is that, if there was a brick wall behind me, with some sort of logo on it, I ceased being funny.
But yeah… I was funny.
Or, at least, I thought I was. As the Trophy Wife pointed out to me years ago, I might not be as funny as I think I am. I don’t know, maybe she was kidding?
The thing of it is, humor is a very subjective thing. What you and I might find hysterical will make someone else simply cringe. I always found British sitcoms funny; some people can’t get past the accent. American shows that lean towards dramedy work for me now as they are a bit more highbrow and esoteric, and yet I still laugh when I see Dr. Sheldon Cooper in that ball pit on the episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” shouting “Bazinga!” Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin, Robin Williams… all geniuses. Groucho? The king of them all.
If you’re a fan of Adam Sandler or Will Farrell, you might want to stop reading now. Some of my words might contain too many syllables. (Why do I fear I just lost half of my readership?)
What I did there was basic “insult humor.” I mocked those of you who might be fans of the lowbrow comedy of those two SNL veterans. Again: subjective. Clearly, the box office receipts for them prove that there is an audience for their brand of comedy. Who am I to judge?
Well, this is my column, so I guess it’s my right to judge. Get your own column if you disagree.
Here’s a somber bit of info I stole off the Internet (so therefore, it must be true): a recent study by the Gallup organization shows that we laugh significantly less on weekdays than we do on weekends. As it turns out, humor is serious business.
You may be asking yourself: what does this have to do with promotional products? I know that I’ve been asking myself that same question for the 45 minutes or so that I’ve been working on this column.
The fact is that this is a work in progress. I’m putting together a new educational session about humor in the workplace: what’s funny, what’s acceptable, what should never be said or done. I’m pretty sure that you can look at the behavior of the character of Michael Scott from the American version of “The Office” for a primer on completely inappropriate office behavior (ethnic humor, sexual humor, weight humor…).
That’s right – I’m getting my act together and taking it on the road. This session, along whatever else this excuse for a mind can come up with, is part of the new package of presentations and sessions I’ll be traveling around with… available for education sessions, keynote presentations, weddings, bar mitzvahs, interments – wherever there’s a crowd of three or more people, in need of enlightenment, insight, fashion tips, or directions to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts.
Now, let’s take a moment to discuss the Three Stooges, in any combination of the three Howard brothers along with Larry Fine (any of the “Joes” who followed were merely insults to us purists). And just by mentioning them, I am confident I lost the entire female readership of this column.
My apologies to the editors.
Mike Schenker, MAS, is a promotional industry veteran and member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.