Look Ma, I Made A Funny

Photo by Marija Zaric on Unsplash

I was asked to write about this topic by someone I can no longer locate. It’s rare to lose them before you lose them, but I suppose it happens to the best of us, just typically not to me. Ellen, if you’re out there, this pile is for you.

*Update: I found her!

Ellen Barry

, thank you for the inspiration.

Wit. You’re either born with it, or you’re not. I feel fortunate to have been granted membership in the former club; at least, that’s what I have been told. It certainly isn’t hereditary. By comparison, my father looks like Droopy Dog, most recently of Tom and Jerry fame, or Pierrot, the clown made popular in 16th century Italy, if you need a more refined reference.

No, wit is an art form that requires constant processing to maintain its relevance and edgy substance. Wit requires observation, flexibility, and compromise—not in oneself but in recognizing, appreciating, and adapting to one’s audience.

Are all things the same degree of funny to all people? Absolutely not. Some folks require a sledgehammer to the face to appreciate the humor in anything. If you don’t give it to them straight, you’ve lost them forever. Somewhat exhaustively, this sector of the populace demands much coddling and supervision so as not to feel compelled to explain to the rest of us why a particular fact or situation can’t possibly be so in a literal sense.

When applying wit to a platform, one must discern the success or failure of the joke, meme, or quote as it relates to those to whom it will be delivered. My humor tends to be more subtle or obscure; desert dry, some may say. Will it always hit the mark? Nope. But the ability to concede this fact makes for more tremendous prosperity in future deliveries because it demonstrates a willingness to accept what your throng of followers stipulates. To remain stubborn in this practice ensures nothing less than a failure rate greater than the Titanic navigating the Atlantic in a minefield of icebergs.

Perfunctorily, I will sometimes go against my grain to re-gain traction with a subset I may have lost by asking them to relate hypothetically—for instance, how a serviceman stationed overseas for a period longer than a year might not be the father of his very pregnant wife’s child, but that’s okay. These people need love, too, and I’m here to satisfy the masses. Some instances simply mandate three guys to walk into a bar…

Wit also isn’t exclusively born out of happiness or hilarity. Time and again, there are examples of its conception being projected out of extreme sadness. This form takes an extraordinary gift, one of which I am not equipped. I am much more straightforward in my approach to a variety of topics and how they relate to me: happy is happy, and sad is sad, and while I can empathize with the method from which some deliver their craft, it is quite simply not a place I allow myself to explore. I compose enough in this vain of depression. I don’t feel a need to try and trick you into figuring out what’s what. My congregates can rest assured that the genesis of my comedic tendencies arrives straight from my soul's “ha ha” compartment.

The shrewdness in offering up the funnies is finding and appreciating the line between decent and obscene. If the crowd is surfing a wave of innuendo, riding that out is okay until you jump the shark. That time will come. They will let you know. Interaction is key.

There is a subject matter that will leave you flabbergasted at its win ratio and sure-fire hitters that never register, and that is part of the success/failure process. It doesn’t matter if I think it’s knee-slapping-spit-out-of-my-nose-cry-til-I-pee hysterical.

If the followers disagree, it isn’t meant to be.

It’s ok to miss. Just don’t make it a habit. Otherwise, you’ll be performing stand-up in front of your mother again, and those pats on the head ain’t what they used to be, not at my advanced level of “maturity.”

I remain true to myself, both in my humor and writing, because most of my subscribers get me, appreciate my effort, and are also funny in general.

For the rest of you who have hopped on the wagon but are still unsure if you have a seat or wish to remain on board? Keep working on yourself, loosen up, and allow an occassional smile. I promise I will, and we’ll all look back on this and share a hearty laugh one day.

Until tomorrow,

S.A.