What is Funny?
What is funny?
What is funny to one person is not necessarily funny to another. I have been on a stand up comedian kick lately. Now I have always enjoyed a good stand up act but lately I have been obessed with it. Like Ryan I always have wanted to try my hand at doing stand up but am not sure that it would be something that I could live through. 2 years of drama and starring in our Church roadshow was not enough to get me over my stage fright. Not to mention what if I am not as funny as I think I am. I have my moments but is it enough? Some of my favorite comedians lately have been Demetri Martin, Sarah Silverman and George Carlin. Mandy and I went to see Sarah Silverman in Vegas and I thought it was hilarious but I am sure Mandy while she enjoyed it didn’t think it was as funny as I did. So that makes me wonder. What is it that makes something SOOO funny to one person but not too funny to another? Is it an issue of peoples standards? Or is it a level of sophistication. Some people think they are above the level of humor that includes profanity or toilet humor. I personally find just as much humor in poop jokes as the jokes about era specific jokes about Sigmond Freud.
Out.
William Russell said,
March 3, 2008 at 12:33 am
Mitch hedberg was funny. So was Chris farly. God must have thought so too.
Anonymous said,
March 3, 2008 at 9:40 am
William Check out Demetri Martin alot of his humor is similar to Mitch Hedberg. But hopefully god doesn’t like him as much as the rest of them.
Bobby said,
March 3, 2008 at 9:42 am
Sorry that was me ^
Kevin Russell said,
March 3, 2008 at 11:10 am
I am Funny, I should have final say in everything Comedic.
Bobby said,
March 3, 2008 at 11:40 am
But who will tell me what is funny when you are in Alaska funny man?
Kevin Russell said,
March 3, 2008 at 11:56 am
just go ahead and Assume that it is not. Will give you more time to perfect it until I get back.
(warning Language, get over it mom haha)
“Why shouldn’t I work for the N.S.A.? That’s a tough one, but I’ll take a shot. Say I’m working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I’m real happy with myself, ’cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had a no problem with get killed. Now the politicians are sayin’, “Oh, Send in the marines to secure the area” ’cause they don’t give a shit. It won’t be their kid over there, gettin’ shot. Just like it wasn’t them when their number got called, ’cause they were pullin’ a tour in the National Guard. It’ll be some kid from Southie takin’ shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, ’cause he’ll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And of course the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain’t helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And they’re takin’ their sweet time bringin’ the oil back of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin’ play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain’t too long ’til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy’s out of work and he can’t afford to drive, so he’s got to walk to the fuckin’ job interviews, which sucks ’cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin’ him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he’s starvin’ ’cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat the only blue plate special they’re servin’ is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I’m holdin’ out for somethin’ better. I figure fuck it, while I’m at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president. “
William said,
March 3, 2008 at 10:01 pm
That would be from good will hunting.
big daddy Jrod said,
March 5, 2008 at 10:27 am
that was an ez one
big daddy Jrod said,
March 5, 2008 at 10:30 am
yo is everyone bringin their paintball guns to the d.a.?
Bobby said,
March 5, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I’ll bring mine. I need to find paint and air all the paintball places around here shut down.
Julie Russell said,
March 5, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Wow…was that funny, Kevin? Hmmm…. maybe there is something wrong with my sense of humor.
Julie Russell said,
March 5, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Oh…and Kev…are you going to Alaska? What are you doing?
Bobby said,
March 6, 2008 at 9:46 am
See Julie. My point exactly. I thought it was funny. I have never seen Good Will Hunting so I just read it and it made me laugh. But jokes about clubbing baby seals and bombing villages aren’t going to make everyone laugh. I guess some of that comes from a darker sense of humor.
Raeni said,
March 6, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Yeah…
Raeni said,
March 6, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Do you think the picture of the lady is funny?
Cool Kid said,
March 6, 2008 at 10:35 pm
All of you have way too much time on your hands. Most Americans spend 2/3 of their life sleeping and working. I have read every post of every blog. Most people think their opinions actually make a difference. I just stumbled upon this site and thought I should share mine. Now did that make a difference?
Kevin Russell said,
March 7, 2008 at 4:29 am
Did not know we were trying to make a difference, Thought this was about “Our Family” staying in touch and poking fun at eachother.
Glad you Spent all that quality time reading our site, you ask “did we make a difference” I guess you posting proves we did, may it be a good change or bad, or not relevant to anything. You took the time to read and post on our site. Taking that time to Read our site hinders you from doing something else. “making a difference in your life” you will come back at me with “you did not make a difference” but I would say, “what if you were to spend that time reading the inter workings of the mind, or something spiritual, and you happen to stumble across the meaning of life” Well that time sure would have made a difference.
What we do with our time is the only thing that matters. We take the time when we are not “sleeping or working” to post on a site for “Our family” that keeps us in contact. Has this site made a difference? to me, Absolutely, I have had the privilege to talk with extended family members that I would only see once a year normally.
So Cool kid, If you want to “Troll” this site, be my guest. But I ask what the intent of your post was?
Kevin Russell said,
March 7, 2008 at 4:46 am
Hey Cool Kid,
Its odd that you have the same Ip Address (24.255.52.100) as My Great cousin Brandon, you must be in his house, On his computers. Hmmm…. I would Watch out. He has a gun and a Crazy family as you can see.
ckdiesel@cox.net (24.255.52.100), You Are a Very Tricky one.
If you want to stir up the pot, Why dont you just throw out something everyone can get ruffled up about. say, Susan she is trying to get attention again growing her hair back and at the same time more Cancer.
Bobby said,
March 7, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Raeni,
The picture itself is not funny. But it is of Sarah Silverman who as I mentioned in my post I think is hilarious.
Callie said,
March 7, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Brandon consider this, it is only your opinion that opinions don’t make a difference.
Julie Russell said,
March 8, 2008 at 12:37 am
Yes, yes…I think the picture is fun…she is a beautiful woman…and she is animated…I don’t know about funny…
I agree that “funny” is VERY subjective…I think it is SO interesting what people find humorous… everyone is different…
Kevin…you didn’t answer about Alaska…
Julie Russell said,
March 8, 2008 at 12:40 am
Oh…and “Cool Kid”…this site has made a difference in my life…I don’t think my opinions are worth anything…but I really enjoy hearing what my fabulously interesting family have to say about things…it is fun, entertaining…and like Kevin says…it keeps us connected somewhat…
So there…haha
Brandon said,
March 8, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Kevin,
u lil hacker
Julie,
i’m glad it empowers u
Callie,
i know its my opinion, thank you for sharing
Raeni said,
March 9, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Hmm… didn’t know who the person in the picture was. Guess i learned something today!
Ok:
So there is this family that goes camping- they just have water for the drive to the camping grounds. At the camp ground, where they expect to fill there water bottles- (and use that water for the rest of the weekend)- the well has dried up- so they drink out of the creek. The next day they all have diarria because the water was unsanitary- so one of them goes to town to get some water, it would normally only have been a 20 minute drive- but the roads were bumpy and the driver kept having to get out of the car to take a dump, so it took a lot longer.
This irony is rather hilarious- in a morbid sort of way.
Raeni said,
March 9, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Without water.
Without a toilet.
Raeni said,
March 9, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Brandon,
who said you were a kid?
DR LIVE said,
March 10, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Everyones opinions do make a difference.
They have lifted my spirits, given me hope and inspired me to live another day.
Does Landmark support the the freedom of everyone being able to express their own opinions? Or does Landmark expect its followers to adopt the opinions of Landmark?
Aunt Marci said,
March 11, 2008 at 7:49 am
Funny is someone reading every single post and then saying it doesn’t make a difference. Isn’t that a complete contradiction?
I have a non sensical sense of humor so I would say Ryan is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever been around….which makes Ryan nonsense.
Aunt Marci said,
March 11, 2008 at 8:03 am
One more thing about “funny”…I believe it to be the single most important thing you can do to have it in your life as much and as often as you can. This blog has brought me joy and in truth the connection I have felt with others and the humor that has made me laugh out loud (like my superb poems) helped me remember what “joy” felt like…because I had forgotten. So, thanks to all of you, who post….it changed my life. I OWE YOU!!!!!
Bobby said,
March 11, 2008 at 9:30 am
Don the landmark forum encourages you to be fully self expressed.
Ryan said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:11 am
Thank you Marci… I think.
Aunt Marci said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:20 am
Ryan, it was a compliment but I am unable to give a compliment without a little edge to it, if you know what I mean!!!!! I really do think you need to get out there with your talent, however, your humor in writing is some of the best I’ve ever read, so you might want to consider some kind of writing endeavor.
Eric D. Russell said,
March 11, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I step away for a couple weeks, and all of a sudden Ryan becomes funny? That’s not funny…
Do opinions matter…? Absolutely they do, because without them we would still be singing “God Save the Queen” with some not so pearly whites. Other people’s opinions when “shared” have changed my thoughts on a subject many times. Opinions help shape our society for better or worse and its one thing that separates us from the animal world.
Oh and Ryan not being funny is my opinion, in which I hope by sharing will open Marci’s eyes to the Kool-Aid that she has been served.
Aunt Marci said,
March 11, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Eric, I understand your pain at finding out that your very best friend is indeed VERY funny. Now, you are VERY funny too but…….today Ryan wins the prize. I agree with you about opinions. The thing I LOVE about opinions is that it helps me get to know a person and what they are all about. Although finding out what you’re about has given me pause on at least 3 1/2 occasions. It is always better to know. Don’t you agree?
Eric D. Russell said,
March 11, 2008 at 2:48 pm
That would make for a great topic Marci…
Would you want to know…?
If you had 2 weeks to live…2 years to live or even 20 years for that matter…
Would you want to know if someone you cared for very much did, or was doing something extremely morally wrong?
Aunt Marci said,
March 11, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Eric, you are scaring me. Are you trying to tell me something? This was supposed to be fun.
Ummmmm, is it criminal in nature? Is your source reliable?
Eric D. Russell said,
March 11, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Why are you scared, is it becasue we found out about you running a brothel in your new lodge?
I would say for this topic you can choose it either way. If it was illegal, and you had a good source I would want to know simply to turn the person in. What if it was not against the law though, and it was just something of a purley moral issue. Would you want to know?
I also want to hear if you had the opprotunity to know when you were going to die if you would take it???
Kevin Russell said,
March 11, 2008 at 6:31 pm
depends eric. If it was 20+ years from now then Yes, I would want to know. but if it was sooner… No i dont want to know the Exact date. But I just conned the Gennie into giving me a “over under” of 20 years haha. I win….
Aunt Marci said,
March 11, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Eric, these are some very thought provoking questions and I need some time to think about them before responding in absolute terms. I think if I had a terminal illness I would want to know but I have to really think about whether it would be useful or not to know if I was going to die in an accident. As far as knowing whether or not you would want to know if someone you love is committing what you consider a moral sin I would have to answer, how would your knowing help anything?
While I am pondering your excellent questions, I would ask you, if you knew you had a terminal illness and you only had a certain amount of time to live, would/should you tell anyone? Would/should you keep it to yourself? If you would/should tell, why would/should you? Sorry about the would/should thing but would and should are really two different questions. Do you have a moral obligation to tell and if so, why?
I believe dad had a premonition that he was going to die. Not that it has anything whatsoever to do with my question or yours. I just thought it was worth mentioning. Carry on.
big daddy Jrod said,
March 11, 2008 at 8:13 pm
i dont know about u guys but my opinion is worth 2 cents….
and eric to answer ur question about the moral issue..u can say that what i think is right and what u think is right is prolly not the same in all fields…i dont think its right for either of use to draw the line of right and wrong……but if u want we can go to war over it.. i heard thats the thing to do..lol…
Brandon said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Don,
If sharing your opinions empowers you…..then go for it. Landmark Education doesn’t encourage or discourage having opinions. As for me I was just being rhetorical.
I didn’t actually go through every blog, however, my OPINION is that I find other’s opinions entertaining.
I think the blogs are great!
Raeni said,
March 12, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
-Mohandas Gandhi
Controversial thoughts; knowing when you were to die would help to plan what you would like to achieve in a certain amount of time. But you must first consider if you would achieve less if you knew that you were to die in- say- a year.
Oh Eric,
When did you find out about this? Marci owns a brothel… very interesting. do tell
Raeni said,
March 12, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Jrod, I am rather curious… What do you consider morally right?
Kevin Russell said,
March 12, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Raeni your awesome
Aunt Marci said,
March 13, 2008 at 10:58 am
Jarod is one of the most moral people I know.
Aunt Marci said,
March 13, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Hah, hah, the point I was trying to make was the same point that Jarod was trying to make which is, who is to judge what is “moral” to begin with. For example, I was raised in a church that felt that smoking was immoral but gossip was the norm and rampant thoughout. My values are not yours and yours are not mine. Is not paying back debt moral? Is cheating on your taxes moral? Is judging moral? Is giving the impression that you are righteous when your heart is not, moral? Is sex outside of marriage moral? It is never ending. I might consider some of the people you consider to be moral anything but and vice versus. That was the point. Many times it causes war…sometimes a separation of family but on this blog it is like discussing politics and religion. There will never be any resolution to it. In addition we are all moral with some things and immoral with others (even with our own values), so it is best to leave this subject alone and when judging, judge your own life, your own heart…which is all you have control over anyways. Over and out.
DR LIVE said,
March 13, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Some of you are speaking way above my education level, what the heck is a brothel and what does rhetorical mean?
Also please explain what the term “your turn in the barrel” means? Someone used it at work and said it was my turn in the barrel, huh? I dont get it.
Brandon said,
March 13, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I concur…..morality based conversations are endless and make no difference.
Bobby said,
March 13, 2008 at 7:19 pm
there are some that believe that moral is black and white. I hear the Pope just declared it unmoral to be extravegantly rich. Those evil rich people. Oh apparently drinking and eating too much red meat are sins as well.
susanjeide said,
March 14, 2008 at 3:01 am
Would I want to know if I was going to die from a terminal illness:
Very interesting question that I seem to keep facing….
Well who really knows if you will die or not I think half the battle would be in your mind. So if the information would make you fight harder to live thus prolonging or even curing it then YES. But if the information left you feeling hopeless and trapped then I would say no it would only speed up the process.
Would/Should I tell my family?
I think the same principal would apply here as I stated above. If the family was able to embrace it and enjoy what time we had left then yes. If it would be a crying session while everyone sat around looking at their watch waiting for you to die, then that would be allot of pressure. I don’t think I would want all the pressure of dieing on my hands. But in all fairness to them. I think at some point they should know so they can be at peace with your relationship before you die. The people who are left behind are the ones who feel the pain and loss. So I would want peace before I left.
As Far as what is funny:
Depends on that persons life experiences and how they felt about them. How they relate to the way that person is describing a situation and enjoy the spin they put on it.
Opinions:
Life would be very dull and boring if we didn’t have them. Opinions give life a dynamic edge to it. If we all thought the same thing then there would be no use for talking or discussion and the world would stop evolving. So yes if the world is to keep evolving then I would have to say opinions are very important.
Julie Russell said,
March 17, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I love to hear people’s opinions….I love when someone has an opinion even if it differs from my own…and especially if they have put in some effort developing that opinion. I’m with Susie… what fun would it be if we all had the same opinions?
Aunt Marci said,
March 18, 2008 at 11:15 am
I agree Julie. I love opinions too….until they involve someone elses character via moral judgments. That is all I object too. Opinions are great. Judgments HURT!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention, they are usually way off base. Just say YES to opinions. Just say NO to judgments!!! Are you coming for Easter? Do you need directions? Hurry.
If you don’t come it is my opinion that you are a bad bcf. Is that a judgment? I am totally screwing up my own directive. I hate that.
Raeni said,
March 18, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Never mix coffee beans and rosemary
Raeni said,
March 18, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Dad, a brothel is a hooker house.
I love Kevin
I had to look up retorical, it means:
the undue use of exaggeration or display
Julie Russell said,
March 19, 2008 at 7:00 am
Marci, I know I am a bad BCF…I can’t get off this weekend…no one wants to trade a holiday weekend…I am very distressed about it. Oh and I agree about the judgement/opinion thing…