Internet Laughs

A number of the books we read in class talked about how people usually don't laugh alone.  I have to disagree.  I often laugh alone, especially when I watch funny videos.  Whenever I need a feel stressed or just need a study break, I'll often go watch some funny videos on Youtube.  This would fit into Release Theory.  If I find a video I think is really funny or one that I feel like one of my friends will particularly enjoy, I'll often send it to them.  Barats and Bereta are two guys that have made a bunch of funny videos.  I thought that this video, called Hypnosis was quite clever.

This video is filled with our favorite class term...you guessed it...cognitive shift.  We don't expect Joe to get on his hands and knees and bark like a dog just because Luke says the word.  The video would already be funny if Joe were the only one hypnotized, but then we find out that Joe hypnotized Luke as well.  Then there is also fact that they both have been hypnotized for a year and are just now figuring that out, and then they go into a chain reaction of "triggering" each other.  It is also funny to see what each of the guys chose to hypnotize the other to do.  The best is the ending when their friend says the phrase that brings them both back to consciousness after he stops trying to come up with it, and both of them are left in a confused state, just as Joe predicted.  I hope this video gives you a small break for a laugh or two amidst all of the studying for finals.  Have a great day! 

Well That's Embarrassing

It was bound to happen eventually.
Last night I was walking back to Milton from Union Grounds, after a Red Bull run in preparation for finals week.  Somehow my flipflop caught on the bottom step and yanked my foot back, but my body kept propelling forward.  My Red Bull cans went flying as I landed on the steps.  After a few seconds of me lying there, realizing what had just happened and thinking "well this is embarrassing," I crawled to my feet, retrieved my shoe, and collected my cans that were still rolling down the stairs.  I then went up the rest of the steps, trying to retain what little bit of dignity I had left by not limping.  

Anyone who witnessed my fall probably chuckled to themselves.  I can't tell you how many saw me fall because I purposely didn't turn around.  In accordance with the superiority theory, they were probably quite glad they weren't the one lying on the steps as cans clanged on the ground.  I know I personally thought the situation was pretty funny.  I smiled to myself, but avoided looking like a crazy person by cracking up laughing there all alone.  The situation wasn't all too bad, but I did wish I had a friend there to laugh with me.  I feel like things like this are less awkward if you have someone you can laugh about it with, rather than just the silent stares of strangers to deal with.  When I reached the room I told my friends about my little ordeal and we all had a good laugh.  If nothing else, perhaps I at least added a little entertainment to someone's evening.

Last Conversation

I met with Giovanka for lunch for the last time the other day.  Since it was our last official meeting, I came up with some questions to ask her to some up her experiences at TCU and in the U.S. this year.  I'll list them in question answer format.

Something you learned: Giovanka talked about how in her time at TCU she has really learned what it is like to live with people from all different places.  She talked about a number of negative attributes that she often associated with people from other countries, simply because that is what she always heard about.  She named off a few (all of which I am familiar with): people from Panama are all drug dealers, Saudi's are terrorists, the Chinese only eat dogs.  She talked about how in IEP she had classes with all of these people, and she saw how they actually have a lot in common.  There is much more to them than the stereotypes she had heard before.  I talked to her about how she got to make friends with far more other international students than I did by being in the English program, which is really neat.

Weirdest thing you have done/seen here: She had not heard of people just going to shooting ranges for fun or as a hobby before coming to the U.S.  She said that she went to a range with a friend's family one weekend and she enjoyed it.

Something you really like that isn't in Brazil: They eat avocados in Brazil, but they are normally eaten them with sweets.  Giovanka thought it was interesting that we eat avocado with many "regular" foods, such as sandwiches.  She said she really likes avocado on all the different foods and wishes it was served like that in Brazil.

Do you listen to more country music: I was a bit surprised to hear that she listened to country music in Brazil, so she already liked it.  I guess she came to the right place.

Food from Brazil you miss the most: She didn't have a hard time coming up with an answer for this question.  Giovanka said she really misses the variety of different fruits in Brazil that can't be easily found in America.  She said that at home she eats papaya every morning and she misses that.  She also talked about how the melons served at the BLUU were not the greatest, which I readily agreed.  She did mention that the strawberries here are much larger and sweeter than the ones she has in Brazil.  Giovanka also talked about how she misses Pão de Queijo, a cheese bread that is usually eaten for breakfast in Brazil.  She does like how pancakes and waffles were served normally for breakfast here, they have them in Brazil, but it is not as common for them to be servers for breakfast.  She also likes eating the oatmeal they have at the BLUU.  In Brazil it is common to eat dry oats and fruit, but not oatmeal like here.

Strangest slang or phrase: Giovanka talked about how strange it is to say someone is "nuts" to mean crazy.  I thought it was funny because I remember her saying that to me on our very first meeting.  She said she thinks it is funny how people say "sounds good" often and said that she has now adopted the phrase as well.  She also mentioned the very common phrase (especially on TCU's campus) "hi ya'll," although that phrase can seem just as foreign to out-of-staters.

It has been really neat getting to know Giovanka this year.  I have learned a number of things from Brazilian culture, and talking to her has made me think about what U.S. culture looks like from the "outside."  I have gotten to share some pieces of American culture with her as well—my favorite being the time that I had to explain knock-knock jokes.  What a cool experience!

Meeting Six

Most of this time I spent with Giovanka we talked about what is on most everyone's mind currently: the end of classes and summer.  Giovanka even showed me that she has a countdown clock on her phone that shows how much time is left, up to the seconds, until she is done with school.  I asked her about how finals work in IEP.  They still have final exams, but they are different; they are comprehensive tests to demonstrate how well they now know English.  The final tests for the program are split up by reading, writing, oral, etc.  We talked about our study habits and agreed that we preferred studying in our dorms over going to the library.

I asked her about what she was excited about doing back in Brazil.  She said that she is excited to get to meet up with her friends from back home and visit the beach.  Giovanka told me she was going to eat a bunch of the delicious fruits that she hasn't been able to have for months here in the U.S.  She showed me pictures of her new baby cousin who she will finally get to see in person when she goes back home.  This summer Giovanka will be modeling again, which she is excited for, but she also mentioned the pressure to stay thin/in shape.    She is also taking some English classes over the summer to make sure she doesn't regress any, which I thought was smart.

I mentioned that I was going to Puerto Rico over the summer and our conversation turned to the subject of travel.  I was a little surprised to learn that Giovanka had never been to any of her neighboring South American countries.  I know that Brazil is a huge country, but I thought it was interesting that she came and lived in the U.S., which is much farther away, before even visiting the other countries that are in closer proximity.  In fact, she said that she has only been to five of the twenty seven states (counting the federal district) in Brazil.  We also both expressed the desire to travel Europe eventually.

This time another friend of Giovanka and Allison ate with us, and most of the time while Giovanka and I were talking, the other two were talking away in Spanish, which I thought was funny.  Overall it was another interesting conversation.  

Twain Quote

One of the quotes from The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain that I found particularly interesting is about, of all things, laughter.  This quote is very appropriate for this class, but there is a lot of truth in what it says.  It is from an unfinished work by Twain called The Mysterious Stranger.

“Your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon—laughter.  Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution—these can lift at a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast.  Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” 

This quote brings up one of the points our class readings seem to keep returning to.  Laughter is powerful.   

Laughter has the capacity for breaking things down.  Laughing at someone can have terribly painful effects.  Oppressive governments keep a watchful eye on comics for a reason.  Unflattering political cartoons, or mockery by a stand-up comedian can really hurt their reputation.  A strong enough degree of ridicule can even help to spark a revolution.  So many people would not have banned laughter had they not seen its ability to tear down.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have looked at laughter's benefits.  It can help, both emotionally and physically, to heal people's wounds.  Humor is incorporated more and more in settings such as  hospitals and counseling sessions.   People use it to dispel the tension in situations.  Laughter helps us form relationships, even before we can speak, and it can show good-will across language barriers.  Laughter is quite a mysterious and powerful thing.

The Last of Juha

Well in finishing Tales of Juha I can't say I'm either disappointed or relieved.  While I didn't always find the jokes funny, overall it was an amusing read.  I think this last section had some of my favorite chapters.  The anecdotes in the first two chapters just show the typical Juha at it again, doing ridiculous things.  I especially enjoyed the one where Juha is trying to brag about his horsemanship skills but his friend makes sure to tell the group that he too fell off the rowdy stallion.  One of my favorite jokes in the book, though, is when Juha falls off his donkey and then tells the laughing bystanders that he'd "just decided to get off anyway."  As a horse-rider I have had (probably more than) my fair share of tumbles, so I can relate.  In fact I was a bit disappointed that I myself had never thought of using Juha's quick-witted line.

The Juha portrayed in chapter seven and nine seems to stand in pretty stark contrast with simple-minded person portrayed in a most of the stories.  In a number of the tales in these chapters, Juha out-wits the corrupt figures in power, often backing them into a corner by throwing their own words back at them.  Judge Juha proves to be a wise figure, dispelling those with false claims and properly discerning the innocent and guilty parties in the cases that come to him.  I like the one where he decides the jingle of coins is proper payment for the greedy cook who wanted to charge the poor man for using his steam.  I was also amused when Juha decides the coins belong to the butcher because of the film of fat that rises to the surface when he soaks them in water—pretty ingenious if you ask me.  I found it interesting how many of these stories involved judges taking bribes and people coming with false witnesses or cases.  Perhaps this reflects the feelings of people in the Arab world towards the judicial system.

Sandwiched between these two chapters is the good-'ole Juha we are used to, amusing us with his silly ways.  Who else decides they can't fight off a thief because their hands are too occupied just holding a variety of weapons?

The tone of very last chapter is also quite different than that of the other anecdotes.  In the stories Juha deals with Tamerlane, an oppressive and corrupted figure of power.  I couldn't help but see some political/social commentary behind these stories; a bit of a digress from the light-heartedness of the rest of the book.  Tamerlane is depicted as being set in his ways, putting the interests of the people behind his own.  In one story Tamerlane seems completely unmoved by the fact that many of his people are dying due to fires, floods, etc, even going so far as to say it was the people's fault.  Juha appears to be the only one to stand firm against Tamerlane, making his own small form of rebellion simply by refusing to just cower to Tamerlane.  Juha even outwardly mock Tamerlane at times, comparing him to kings famous for their downfalls.  It appears that for the people who pass around these stories, Juha personifies the way they wish they could stand up to oppressive rulers.  I think these anecdotes are a perfect example of a point Comic Relief discussed: people use humor to point out the shortcomings of those in power.

After seeing Juha take on a variety of roles, I found that I tended to like the stories more when Juha was cleverly exposing the foolishness of others than when he was the one doing nonsensical things.  Either way, he can be quite an interesting figure.

Reunião Cinco

At our latest lunch meeting I talked to Giovanka about her family's Easter traditions.  Like many families in america, her family all goes to church and then they have a nice lunch.  They do not eat meat during Easter so her grandma usually cooks a big meal with fish. While we often have chocolate bunnies for Easter, in Brazil they give giant chocolate eggs.  They come in different flavors and are filled with different kinds of chocolate. (pictures below)  Giovanka said that since they are so big people eat them with a spoon.  She said that at her high school in the days following Easter, people would bring their eggs to school to eat at lunch and often try bites of each other's.  The giant chocolate eggs sound delicious & I personally think that they should sell them here in the U.S.

They sometimes have Easter egg hunts, but it involves finding their big chocolate eggs, not a bunch of small ones.  She said that the little plastic eggs filled with candy that kids often hunt for here are lame in comparison, and I have to agree.  My family used to hide the real eggs that we had dyed.  Giovanka thinks it's interesting how people color eggs here because they don't do that in Brazil.

  

We talked some about what television shows we like to watch and she named off a number of shows.  I asked if she had gotten into watching those shows since living in the U.S. or if she watched any of them back in Brazil.  I was a little surprised to hear that she was already a fan of most of the shows before coming to TCU.  She said that a number of american shows are popular in Brazil on the international T.V. channels.  It's interesting to think how many people, even in countries where English is not the main language, watch american television shows.  It really shows how U.S. culture reaches people all around the world.

Tales of Juha

Tales of Juha is an easy and entertaining read.  While I was not amused by all of his shenanigans, some of the stories were quite funny.  Most of the time it is easy to look out Juha & see how ridiculous the things he says are.  I found it interesting that in a number of the stories however, Juha is actually right in what he says—just not in the conventional sense.  Sometimes his childlike logic allows him to see things in a way that others don’t.  I found a number of the anecdotes to be quite amusing.  After chapter one however, my opinion of Juha started on a downhill slope.

In chapter two however, a much larger number of the anecdotes were demeaning towards women.  After a certain point it was just annoying.  The jokes really show how little value society sees in women in Arab countries.  I was a little surprised by how disrespectful Juha was about his mother-in-law in a number of the stories.  In-law jokes have been around for quite some time, but most people have the decency not to say mean things about people—even ones they really dislike—after they are dead.

I think chapter three would have been better titled Deceitful & Cheating.  I know that the anecdotes are supposed to be viewed in a light-hearted comedic manner, but I quickly grew tired of reading story after story of how Juha tricked people out of their money or possessions.  The stories play off his unethical behavior as clever ways to get what he wants.  Chapter four was basically a collection of Juha looking ridiculous doing completely illogical things, but I was able to find a larger number of them quite funny.  I particularly enjoyed the one where Juha runs while singing because he likes to listen to himself from a distance.  

Tales From Giovanka: The Lost Purse

I met Giovanka (and Alison) for lunch in the BLUU again.  It's nice because it doesn't just feel like we are doing forced discussions for a class, but more like just catching up on each other's lives.  I'm so used to her accent that I find myself forgetting that she only recently learned English until she asks how to pronounce a word every once and a while.  Also after talking with others I realize how big of a challenge it is for some people to meet with their conversation partners, so I'm really glad that I got someone so willing to meet with me.

Most of our conversation this time was spent on Giovanka telling me about her adventure in finding her lost purse.  I'll try to relay the story here.  So Giovanka had a tiny purse that she accidentally dropped getting into the car on a street near campus.  When she got back she realized that it was gone & it had her money, phone, keys, ID, and all of the really important things you need to do basically anything at TCU.  She alerted the TCU police but they said that they couldn't help her find it since she lost her purse off-campus.  The next day she looked up the location of her phone with GPS on the computer and it showed that was in the middle of the highway nearby.  They called the phone & a person answered who agreed to meet them and return the phone.  Giovanka drove with a guy friend near the place where she thought that she had lost her purse to meet the man.  They could see the phone moving closer to them with the GPS tracker & figured that the man was driving towards them.  He wasn't.  It ended up being a homeless man who was walking to meet them.

The man returned the phone to Giovanka.  She asked if he had her purse and he said no so Giovanka and her friend turned to get back in the car.  The man then turned around and said that he did have her purse but they would have to drive to go get it.  They let the man get in the car with them (which she said she realized afterwards how much of a safety violation that was) and followed his directions to one of the bridge overpasses.  The man got out of the car and disappeared under the overpass for a few minutes.  He came back with her purse with all of her ID's, keys, etc still in it.

Giovanka was telling me how thankful she was that she was able to get everything back and that nothing bad happened.  The whole time she was telling me the story I was like "no you didn't?!" with each turn of the story, thinking about how dangerous it was.  Of course Giovanka's parents were less-than-thrilled when she told them about losing the purse and all she did to get it back.  Besides just chatting about other things, this was what most of our discussion covered this time.    

Only Joking

Everything that Morreall did wrong, the authors of Only Joking do right.  Who knew that a book about humor could actually be funny?  The authors fully acknowledge how analyzing jokes can effectively ruin them,  and make a successful attempt "not to spoil everyone's fun."  Plus, jokes at the bottom of each page; can it get any better?  In fact, the book makes fun of the idea of analyzing jokes with cracks such as the continuing analogy to dissecting a frog.  At the start of the chapter on the theories of humor, the reader is told to "prepare for the descending gloom," which I thought would have been more appropriate on the title page of Comic Relief (sorry Morreall).  The book covers most all of the same theories that Morreall does, yet manages to remain interesting and entertaining.  Only Joking still analyzes humor and theories of it, but it does so without being repetitive.

I enjoyed reading some of the book's perspectives on humor, such as comparing joking with someone to dating.  The authors present humor as a "noble art," which was refreshing after reading so many negative opinions of laughter.  The book gave examples of people using humor to make a positive impact.  I found it interesting that out everything we have read on humor so far this semester, this book was the first to actually describe ways that people were using humor to benefit others.  It was neat how Alice Hortop was able to use humor as a form of therapy after seeing how helpful it was when she joked around with her amputee patients.  I think technique such as this should be more widely used.  The STANDUP program was also interesting to read about.  The idea alone of creating software to create jokes is intriguing, but using it with the eventual goal of helping speech-impaired children tell jokes is even better (especially coming from someone who was in Speech-Pathology for a semester).  These examples show that like the title of chapter one says, joking matters.

Overall I really enjoyed reading Only Joking.  It was not hard to read about theories of humor when the authors make jokes along the way.  In fact, the book pokes holes in the various explanations of humor just as I normally do in my head when I read about them.  Even though the authors do not go into quite as much detail on the different theories from the chapters we read, I still think that any reader can walk away with a good general understanding of them.  It also offered new perspectives that were different from our other class readings.  I give Only Joking two thumbs up.

April Fools!

We pulled a prank on our neighbors!  As far as April Fools pranks go this one is kinda lame, but their reaction made it funny.  There isn't much explaining to do because I pretty much say it all in the video (probably more than you want to know).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYTUJO51C60

The surprise factor is what made this prank funny.  Throwing a bunch of paper all over someone is not that great of a prank, but it was funny mostly because they were not expecting it at all.  It made it even better that they were left in complete confusion.  They had no idea who threw the paper or why, even when Bailey went in their room and asked about it.  If I had to categorize this under one of the main theories of humor, I would say it fits with the superiority theory.

I Heard You Laughing

I did not have to look very far to hear people laughing.  I am a desk assistant in my dorm so without even trying I often end up hearing many conversations (and laughter) as people walk in and out of the building.  In just one shift I witnessed two prime examples of people laughing at others.

Monica was sitting at one of the tables in the Great Hall working on homework when Jordan came in and stopped to talk to her.  As they were talking Manoj snuck up behind Jordan and barely touched the back of Jordan's neck.  Jordan rubbed his neck as if trying to brush off a fly.  After a little bit Manoj touched his neck again and Jordan repeated his fly-swatting action.  This continued as Jordan talked to Monica, who began to giggle.  What I found interesting was that Jordan did not turn around for quite some time even though Monica was laughing pretty hard during their conversation that was not remotely funny.  Eventually Jordan turned around and saw Manoj, and everyone had a good laugh.

The second laughing incident is one that is a reoccurring theme during my shifts.  Right by the desk there is a handicap button that opens up the front doors.  Michael and Wyatt think it is quite hilarious to push the button when they see someone coming and then run away.  They often run down the stairs and then nonchalantly come back up seconds later as if they are just entering the great hall so they can see people's reactions.  I have a great vantage point to watch all of this and it is quite amusing.  Not just watching people's reactions, but watching how much glee Michael and Wyatt get out of taking turns pushing the button and then hightailing it downstairs.   Some people appear totally confused and look around for who could have pushed it (these are the best), while others make a funny face but don't attempt to look for anyone.  A few people appear completely unfazed as if they expect every door that they approach to magically open for them.  

Both of these instances of laughter that I witnessed involve people laughing at the confusion they cause to others, prime examples of superiority theory.  Jordan looked silly trying to shoo away a fly when Manoj was standing right behind him.  In Michael and Wyatt's case they were doing people a favor by opening the doors for them, but Michael and Wyatt were amused by watching how people reacted to the unexpected.  While both of these examples show superiority theory as people laugh at other's reactions, they were both in good spirit.  Jordan is friends with Manoj so he saw it as a funny joke while Michael and Wyatt are opening doors for people, even if they are getting a laugh out of it.

Souvenirs

Some people use photos and picture frames to essentially trap past memories that they believe characterize the meaning of their lives. Picture frames preserve the past for the pleasure of people living in the present. They are like fossils of memories. The function of a frame is to bring emphasis to a particular enjoyable moment of life caught on camera. Picture frames help to creatively illustrate the positive moments of life that people think are significant. For example, many grandparents (including my own) will cover their homes with picture frames filled with the smiling faces of their family members and grandchildren. They do this to show other people what is important in their lives. Picture frames also encase special mementos that provide a constant reminder of that specific memory. In my dorm room, I have many picture frames that remind me of special events such as prom, graduation, or just being with my friends and family. They are more than decorations because they provide a bittersweet nostalgia of special people and moments in my life that I treasure. Picture may say a thousand words, but it is the picture frame that highlights them. 

While pictures can show a snapshot of the moment, only someone’s words can truly describe their personal experience in that moment.  Journals are often found in gift shops, with the idea that people will feel inspired to write about their travels or experiences, but they are more than just gift shop trinkets.  A journal has the ability to capture how a person made sense of that moment in time, and preserve it.  A journal can reveal as much as the writer chooses to share.  They can tell exactly how someone was feeling in a particular moment, or how many moments impacted someone’s life. Journals are treasured objects.  Some diaries may only be seen by the eyes of the writer, while those of people who went on to do great things in life are often published for the multitudes.  Both are just as important.  We use a journal to cherish the present as we record it and the past as we read.  They can remind us of lessons we learned or just a beautiful moment in life.  A journal can help someone not only make sense of their own life, but helps others to understand them as well when shared.

A small painted sign is the epitome of a gift shop souvenir, but perhaps for a good reason.  A sign is something that can easily be displayed in a house.  Passing by it can make you smile as you recall all of the fun you had on a vacation with friends or family.  Many have inspirational quotes, or even just silly sayings.  This particular one state’s that “Life’s A Beach.”  Sure, it may sound like something on a cheap T-shirt sold at a beach shop, but the saying does have a point.  Life can be stressful and sometimes we need a reminder to take a breath and just enjoy it.  That is why people go to the beach: to get away from the stress of everyday life and relax.  The sign is a reminder that we can enjoy each day like a vacation on the beach if we try.  The tide may be high at times and we have to make an adjustment to our lounging spot, but that’s the good thing about beaches and about life.  The tide ebbs and flows.  Even though things may be looking down at the moment, they will get better.  The beach isn’t necessarily a safe haven.  One can get sunburnt or get swept out by the tide if they’re not careful.  The hurricanes of life may hit us sometimes, but the sign (even if it’s just a cheap souvenir from a gift shop) reminds us that when we step back we can learn to just enjoy the beauty of it all.