Hi Laurence,
Alternately you can shoot the messenger,
rgds John
Laurence Bathurst wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone
>
> I just read the posting from Timothy commenting on the 'men jokes'. I
> was thinking how much I enjoy hearing them so I needed to pause
> and reflect on why they are funny.
>
> I think 'men jokes' are funny because they point out and lampoon
> some of the characteristics of men that are somewhat stereotypical
> and seem silly. It is not often we get feedback on men's behaviour
> and what generic behaviours are considered 'able to be ridiculed'.
> This makes us self conscious. I suppose some of us think that's
> funny and others don't.
>
> I then had to think that this could be a positive thing. We can learn
> about how other people perceive these 'ridiculous' behaviours. But
> could it also be a negative thing too? (are behaviours given hero
> status?)
>
> The other question that arose concerned our ability to laugh at the
> lampooning of such characteristics. If we did not have the
> knowledge of, and an opinion of these behaviours prior to hearing
> the joke, would the joke have any meaning to us? If you had no
> opinion on these 'ridiculous' characteristics, you would say "so
> what's the joke"?
>
> That brought me to jokes about disability and people with a disability.
> Why do people laugh at these jokes? How do jokes work? What do
> they say about existing knowledge and attitudes regarding disability?
> After all, people wouldn't think they were funny if they didn't already
> think the subject was deserving of ridicule.
>
> I guess at least if someone makes a 'man' joke about my beer gut
> and I don't like it, I can choose to get rid of the beer gut.
>
> So how jokes folks?
>
> >
> >
> > Susanne Berg wrote:
> > >
> > > "not a completely serious posting"
> >
> > [deleted]
> >
> > >
> > > And anyway the joke should have been (from a female angle):
> > > Q What are the similarities between men and toilets.
> > > A. They are either occupied or full of sh..
> > >
> > > So there....
> > >
> > > :-) Susanne
> >
> >
> > <Sigh> At the risk of being told "it's only a joke," I want to point
> > out that the joke above could be read a being not only offensive to men
> > but demeaning as well.
> >
> > I understand the joke and am sure that it is hilarious to lots of
> > people. Somehow, it just does not make me laugh.
> >
> > --
> > ____________________________________________________
> >
> > Timothy Lillie [log in to unmask]
>
> Best regards
>
> Laurence Bathurst
> School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
> Faculty of Health Sciences
> University of Sydney
> P.O. Box 170
> Lidcombe NSW 2141
> Australia
>
> Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
> Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Please visit the School's interim web site at
> http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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