[trettegeani]

Had an experince today that I would like to relate. Not the first time it has happened to me, but unique.
I email some observation about equipment being deficient to the maintenance manager, and CC the email to the relevent production managers as well. This I consider common coutesy, and it makes all people connected with the equipment aware of the situation.
In doin so the maintenance manager takes it as a personal slur against his abilities????

This happens so often in this very large construction company. A total lack of teamwork, more a nest of combatants trying to get the dirt on each other, I'm quite amazed at this as these guys are all well educated, but it seeems that it is the nature of the business to try and damage each others credibility, more than to pull together and get the job done.

Most of them are fralangs i might add, overpaid, underworked and spoilt IMHO.

[Yswxomvy]

In a mixed group, some may find a particular ethnic joke or insult humor appealing. Others may find it appalling--and even tasteless and disrespectful.

Needless to say, those who would appreciate it are those who regard the target with disfavor.

The anatomy of humor asserts that insult humor is a substitute for assault, or an attempt to vent our hostility when physical aggression is not practical. Thus, the verbal attack makes us feel superior--and we laugh.

But it could also get us in trouble.

I thought I should quote again my previous post for us to put things in their right perspective. It seems there's a misunderstanding here.

With the above, I was sharing general principles of humor , ( in this case, the nature of insult humor) and was not referring to any persons here or any jokes in particular. LOL

Please read it again.

Now, I am starting to give credence to NP's post:

I cannot believe how thin-skinned some people on this forum are, and how they seem to be looking for reasons to be offended..." I would change that last word though...wait, my connection will time-out soon--

(to be continued-my connection is timing out frequently)

[AngegepeM]

In general, I am not. I also laugh loud at some. For that matter I also enjoy some ethnic jokes. But I will or will not tell them, depending on my objective and the audience.

In most circumstances, the objective is to pass on a good joke that you heard.

And I suppose you know all the hangups and quirks of your audience?

Where was I wrong? (Please quote me and highlight my wrong statement. I want to learn from you also.)

In the whole thrust of your discussion. Humour is a basic facet of humanity and with "the poking fun at others" being a major (if not the major) underpinning. It may not be immediately obvious but it is there. Take the previous joke pertaining to the laundry, you a have a number of elements there that poke fun at; the immigrant, the immigration officer, the system that was in place at the time that was degrading to many! And the sheer fact of picking a chinese and polish immigrant subtly insults a good chunk of the human race.

Well, this is true. Though other reasons why we laugh include : surprise, superiority, biological inclination, incongruity, ambivalence, releasing tension, and filing in configurations.

Agreed, laughter is not just a reaction to humour but this discussion is about humour!

Quite frankly, I used to indulge in a lot of insult jokes during my college days, when I was involved in school politics. It was so sweeeeeet to dish out those jests at the expense of my political opponents. Now I have understood why I savored them that much.

Aghh, a political animal, that explains you current views LOL

Did you ever tell a joke that you would consider an ethnic slur just because it was funny ???

As one writer explains, "There are two ways to feel superior...and one of them is to publicly criticize the accomplishments of others. This deflates their prestige and focuses attention on ourselves.."

Not much of a quote, I would contend that there are many ways to feel superior; intellectualy, monetary, birth, location, physical, etc.

Anyway, this discussion is going nowhere. It's very similar to another thread that dealt with the word "Farang". I noted then that it is not the word that is insulting but the the context and the way it is spoken. The same goes for jokes.

The same joke told in different ways can elicit totally different responses. I would suggest that you be very careful how you tell a "biker" joke in a bar that is filled with "Hells Angels" as the response you get can vary from a bunch of drinks to a knife in the gut. (And as an aside, this paragraph can be considered an insult but absolutely none was intended. )

[SOgLak]

deleted

[AngegepeM]

Oh, YOU do not take offence! Great. But in a heterogenous group, there's bound to be mixed reactions. Sure, there will be other persons like you who would choose to enjoy the wit. But there will also be others who will choose to NOT get angry at that moment, but to get even later (as the cliche goes ). 555 Don't be surprised to find them later to be telling the same joke, but with the original storyteller's group as the target now.

Of course they will, these kind of jokes get recycled all the time with the major players being replaced depending on who is telling it!

Taking the discussion one step further; most humour is based on poking fun at others. If you want to avoid giving offence then humour has to be legislated against.

Are you against telling jokes about attorney's, Mother In-Laws, Little Old Ladies, Men, Women? Just today, the comic strip "Non-Sequitur" contains a joke which literally is offensive to half the human race (using your argument). Personally I laughed but I am sure that there are men out there that are mortally offended.

[timmybrown]

I will choose to respect your reality. And I hope you will respect mine, too. And for the sake of this site and all those who are getting bored with this discussion, I won't reply anymore.

Relax, lets all just make fun of Thai politics ok? How about that Sitthichai fellow ok?

[Yswxomvy]

If you want to avoid giving offence then humour has to be legislated against.

Wow, really, can it be done? LOL

Are you against telling jokes about attorney's, Mother In-Laws, Little Old Ladies, Men, Women? In general, I am not. I also laugh loud at some. For that matter I also enjoy some ethnic jokes. But I will or will not tell them, depending on my objective and the audience.

...Marieke is wrong.. Where was I wrong? (Please quote me and highlight my wrong statement. I want to learn from you also.)

...most humour is based on poking fun at others..." Well, this is true. Though other reasons why we laugh include : surprise, superiority, biological inclination, incongruity, ambivalence, releasing tension, and filing in configurations.

Quite frankly, I used to indulge in a lot of insult jokes during my college days, when I was involved in school politics. It was so sweeeeeet to dish out those
jests at the expense of my political opponents.

Now I have understood why I savored them that much.

As one writer explains, "There are two ways to feel superior...and one of them is to publicly criticize the accomplishments of others. This deflates their prestige and focuses attention on ourselves.."

[SOgLak]

Rcalaimo has made a good point. Its important to laugh at oneself. I suppose there will be howls of protest if I suggest that the main difference between UK and US humour is that generally speaking, the Brits can and the Yanks cannot.

[Thomas12400]

Marieke is right...you need to know your audience when you tell a joke. That's true for understanding age, experience, culture, etc. A true comedian finds jokes that the specific audience will laugh at, not be insulted by. In the heterogeneous groups, of which Marieke has described, it's very difficult to find humor to satisfy everyone.

And by the way... Political Correctness? What about being nice? That's not fake... that's wanting the other person to enjoy the experience, too.

[DarrenBent]

ummm! In my Opinion, the best laughter is to laugh at ourself. If you can see the humour in things we do then life is much less stressful

[Evsltkzl]

hi nam phyyng.....this one for you.......

The Jewish Chinese Drycleaner......

Walking through San Francisco's Chinatown, a tourist from the Midwest was enjoying the artistry of all the Chinese restaurants, shops, signs and banners when he turned a corner and saw a building with the sign "Moishe Plotnik's Laundry." "Moishe Plotnik?" he wondered. "How does that belong in Chinatown?"
He walked into the shop and saw a fairly standard looking drycleaner, although he could see that the proprietors were clearly aware of the uniqueness of the store name as there were baseball hats, T-shirts and coffee mugs emblazoned with the logo "Moishe Plotnik's Chinese Laundry." The tourist selected a coffee cup as a conversation piece to take back to his office. Behind the counter was a smiling old Chinese gentleman who thanked him for his purchase. The tourist asked, "Can you explain how this place got a name like 'Moishe Plotnik's Laundry?'
The old man answered, "Ah...Evleebody ask me that. It name of owner."

Looking around, the tourist asked, "Is he here?"
"It me," replies the old man.

"Really? You're Chinese. How did you ever get a name like Moishe Plotnik?"

"Is simple", said the old man. Many, many year ago I come to this country. I standing in line at 'Documentation Center of Immigration.' Man in front of me was Jewish man from Poland. Lady at counter look at him and say, "What your name?"

He say, "Moishe Plotnik."

Then she look at me and say, "What your name?"

I say, "Sam Ting."



regards,
Yurian....

[AngegepeM]

Peter, it seems that we exist in two different realities.

I will choose to respect your reality. And I hope you will respect mine, too. And for the sake of this site and all those who are getting bored with this discussion, I won't reply anymore.

Mei Pan Li, Marieke. I respect everyones reality as long it does not hurt the innocent Life is rich and complex which makes it all the more wonderfull, it just wouldn't be same if we all came from the same mold.

[AngegepeM]

Marieke is right...you need to know your audience when you tell a joke. That's true for understanding age, experience, culture, etc. A true comedian finds jokes that the specific audience will laugh at, not be insulted by. In the heterogeneous groups, of which Marieke has described, it's very difficult to find humor to satisfy everyone.

And by the way... Political Correctness? What about being nice? That's not fake... that's wanting the other person to enjoy the experience, too.

If the truth be told, you need to know your audience whenever you open your mouth. The most innocent remark can be misconstrued and get you in trouble.

That's the human condition and why Marieke is wrong. A well adjusted person will just ignore a joke that is not to his/her taste.

[iioijjjkkojhbb]

Here are 2 humorous/witty questions with no "victims", as most jokes have to have to be funny. Let`s see if some one can (or wants) to answer them. 1) If a plane crashes right on the BORDER of China & Thailand, where will they bury the survivors? -----2) Where does an 5 ton elephant sleeps? ----3) What is the only only spot on this planet from which you can walk 5 miles south, then turn left, walk 5 miles, and turn left again, walk 5 miles more, and end up in the same spot? ....any puzzle solvers out there?

[Yswxomvy]

Peter, it seems that we exist in two different realities.

I will choose to respect your reality. And I hope you will respect mine, too. And for the sake of this site and all those who are getting bored with this discussion, I won't reply anymore.

[Yswxomvy]

Marieke, I deleted my "who cares" comment.

LOL, didn't you know I have XRay vision?

But yes I do agree that knowing what makes different cultures laugh is interesting and possibly important. However, as soon as you start analysing a joke it inevitably loses the one thing that made it funny in the first place - sponteneity. Under normal circumstances I'd laugh at a joke spontaneously if I caught or enjoyed the humor. I would'nt analyze it, or go to the 'next level' unless I wanted to retell it.

( When I was enrolled in that seminar on humor, we were given a series of jokes. The normal course was to laugh at them candidly. That was the first level, to experience the jokes spontaneously. On the next level, we analyzed what types of jokes they were, why they were funny, and how to adapt them to different situations and audiences.

But I wouldn't call that a 'normal circumstance'. And how many people on earth would be interested in that kind of stuff? LOL)

It is an interesting topic because there seem to be profound differences between what is funny to (say) Americans and (say) British people. They both speak the same language (sort of) but laugh at completely different things. For example I am a Kiwi of British descent and can watch an American comedy programme on TV and see almost nothing funny in it, but a UK programme like "Fawlty Towers" will have me rolling on the floor. Why is that? Because over the last 150 years our cultures have been moulded by different social and ethnic forces. Does this mean that northern Thais laugh at differentr things from central or southern Thais? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it was so. I have seen some indication that urban Thais laugh at different things than rural Thais. I wish somebody knowleadgeable would enlighten us about Thai humor!

[Yswxomvy]

Nam Pyinng, so you ask who cares?

Normally, those who tell jokes by virtue of their vocation or avocation, do. Or simply curious people (like me) who want to know why we laugh, what are the different types of humor, and why certain jokes are funny to some and not to others.

On a personal level, my interest in this sprang from my attendance in a seminar which tackled, among other things, the role of humor in public speaking, and extended to to everyday living. From there I saw how, in public speaking, certain jokes can bring the house down, or fall flat on your face, and in other spheres of life, how they can build rapport or ruin relationships.

As a student of life, I thought that knowledge was important.

[SOgLak]

I totally agree with that. I cannot believe how thin-skinned some people on this forum are, and how they seem to be looking for reasons to be offended.

[SOgLak]

Go Yurian! Sam Ting! 555555

[SOgLak]

Marieke, I deleted my "who cares" comment. But yes I do agree that knowing what makes different cultures laugh is interesting and possibly important. However, as soon as you start analysing a joke it inevitably loses the one thing that made it funny in the first place - sponteneity.

It is an interesting topic because there seem to be profound differences between what is funny to (say) Americans and (say) British people. They both speak the same language (sort of) but laugh at completely different things. For example I am a Kiwi of British descent and can watch an American comedy programme on TV and see almost nothing funny in it, but a UK programme like "Fawlty Towers" will have me rolling on the floor. Why is that? Because over the last 150 years our cultures have been moulded by different social and ethnic forces. Does this mean that northern Thais laugh at differentr things from central or southern Thais? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it was so. I have seen some indication that urban Thais laugh at different things than rural Thais.