I predict that 3 years from now, Megan will be forced to write a mea culpa after repeated reminders that she once compared being a rufugee to waiting for an iPhone.
>> I predict that 3 years from now, Megan will be forced to write a mea culpa after repeated reminders that she once compared being a rufugee to waiting for an iPhone.
No one forced her. It takes time for people to realise the extent of their errors (or poor attempts at humour). In MM's case it can take years, indeed.
As to the linked cartoon - just because it's a "comic" strip does not mean it has to be funny or even humorous, but it does well to represent the core of the issue. My own father was classified as a refugee in 1992 and for valid reasons. I doubt he would find his plight being compared to waiting in line for a cellphone all that funny.
Hey, at least Megan can laugh at herself. More bloggers (and columnists), especially political ones, should do so -- it would vastly improve the tone of the discussions.
I wonder if people like Pollak and the feminists who got upset about Megan's Sci-Fi comments realize how completely boring and predictable they are. Someone on the other side of the aisle says something that grazes a controversial or difficult subject and you can count on them trying to turn it into a Serious Issue. It’s like they’re little outrage machines; just flip a switch and they’ll manufacture a controversy. Completely dull. Don’t they have anything interesting to say? Do they ever think outside of the parameters of taking offense and scoring points?
Most humor relies on the propagation of general truths with a twist of absurdity thrown in. Personally, I think that camping out on a sidewalk and receiving bottled water from uniformed Apple Store representatives, pretty much qualifies -- yes, this is roughly how many refugees live, but the fact than an iPhone 3G was involved puts the twist on it.
But I suppose if someone only has an axe to grind, even this trite observation can be made into a whetstone.
What most of her critics are missing, and was also missed by the cartoonist in my opinion, is that Megan knows that waiting for the iPhone and being a refugee are not the same experience. That is what made the comment funny- she was making fun of herself and her relatively privileged place in the world of being an American yuppy.
Now, some critics find it tasteless to make such jokes because being a refugee is something that is unfunny and should never be included in a joke of any kind. I think such people should be ignored. Much of the world's best humor would be out of bounds if we give into this kind of political correctness.
I did not take the line as Megan truly comparing the wait for an iPhone to being a refugee. As someone who often uses hyperbole in an often fruitless quest to be funny, I recognized an attempted joke when I saw one. But of course, nothing serious can ever be make light of. Everyone don your hair shirts and do your penance.
I thought the cartoon was funny, and I didn't think Megan's comment was out-of-line. I don't even really think the cartoonist thought Megan's comment was *wrong*, just a bit daffy if you carry out the implications. All around I'm amused by the situation.
...and people who indignantly claim that a tongue-in-cheek comparison of an iPhone line to a refugee camp is "making fun of poor people" aren't embarrassing anyone but themselves.
I thought both were funny. The analogy is preposterous, and was funny in that right. The analogy then is taken to it's logical (and absurd) conclusion to create yet another joke. It's like a very, very slow comedy routine.
Brad, that was more like wealthy people mocking wealthy people. Just using poor people as an instrument/reference to mock wealthy people -- which the poor, in my experience, do not object to particularly. Certainly there was no sign that I could see fo the poor being mocked.
Where did Pollak say the left has no sense of humor in that link?
Ah, rape....for some reason one of the most underused punchlines. Go figure.
I predict that 3 years from now, Megan will be forced to write a mea culpa after repeated reminders that she once compared being a rufugee to waiting for an iPhone.
Well, with respect, it was a pretty silly thing to say...
>> I predict that 3 years from now, Megan will be forced to write a mea culpa after repeated reminders that she once compared being a rufugee to waiting for an iPhone.
No one forced her. It takes time for people to realise the extent of their errors (or poor attempts at humour). In MM's case it can take years, indeed.
As to the linked cartoon - just because it's a "comic" strip does not mean it has to be funny or even humorous, but it does well to represent the core of the issue. My own father was classified as a refugee in 1992 and for valid reasons. I doubt he would find his plight being compared to waiting in line for a cellphone all that funny.
Well, with respect, it was a pretty silly thing to say...
Indeed, that's a common trait for many jokes.
Jens-
RIP George Carlin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3av_qRR_DWc
Hey, at least Megan can laugh at herself. More bloggers (and columnists), especially political ones, should do so -- it would vastly improve the tone of the discussions.
What if there were no analogies?
I wonder if people like Pollak and the feminists who got upset about Megan's Sci-Fi comments realize how completely boring and predictable they are. Someone on the other side of the aisle says something that grazes a controversial or difficult subject and you can count on them trying to turn it into a Serious Issue. It’s like they’re little outrage machines; just flip a switch and they’ll manufacture a controversy. Completely dull. Don’t they have anything interesting to say? Do they ever think outside of the parameters of taking offense and scoring points?
I thought what MM wrote was light hearted and a bit humorous. The comic strip was neither.
From Half Canadian:
What if there were no analogies?
That would be like...........................................................What were we talking about?
Apparently, I was the only one who understood that when Megan compared being in the iPhone line to being a refugee, she was making a joke.
Most humor relies on the propagation of general truths with a twist of absurdity thrown in. Personally, I think that camping out on a sidewalk and receiving bottled water from uniformed Apple Store representatives, pretty much qualifies -- yes, this is roughly how many refugees live, but the fact than an iPhone 3G was involved puts the twist on it.
But I suppose if someone only has an axe to grind, even this trite observation can be made into a whetstone.
What most of her critics are missing, and was also missed by the cartoonist in my opinion, is that Megan knows that waiting for the iPhone and being a refugee are not the same experience. That is what made the comment funny- she was making fun of herself and her relatively privileged place in the world of being an American yuppy.
Now, some critics find it tasteless to make such jokes because being a refugee is something that is unfunny and should never be included in a joke of any kind. I think such people should be ignored. Much of the world's best humor would be out of bounds if we give into this kind of political correctness.
I did not take the line as Megan truly comparing the wait for an iPhone to being a refugee. As someone who often uses hyperbole in an often fruitless quest to be funny, I recognized an attempted joke when I saw one. But of course, nothing serious can ever be make light of. Everyone don your hair shirts and do your penance.
The main reason the joke falls flat is that it's impossible to imagine it being drawn without the first two words in the first narrative bubble.
Megan, here's a little secret about comedy; wealthy people mocking poor people isn't funny to anyone but them.
I thought the cartoon was funny, and I didn't think Megan's comment was out-of-line. I don't even really think the cartoonist thought Megan's comment was *wrong*, just a bit daffy if you carry out the implications. All around I'm amused by the situation.
...and people who indignantly claim that a tongue-in-cheek comparison of an iPhone line to a refugee camp is "making fun of poor people" aren't embarrassing anyone but themselves.
I thought both were funny. The analogy is preposterous, and was funny in that right. The analogy then is taken to it's logical (and absurd) conclusion to create yet another joke. It's like a very, very slow comedy routine.
wealthy people mocking poor people isn't funny to anyone but them.
Brad has obviously never made a redneck joke. Never laughed at NASCAR or flyover country.
Brad, that was more like wealthy people mocking wealthy people. Just using poor people as an instrument/reference to mock wealthy people -- which the poor, in my experience, do not object to particularly. Certainly there was no sign that I could see fo the poor being mocked.
Sememes:
Those are the kinds of links that kept you out of the really good schools.
Isn't this just a variation of the New Yorker cover controversy? You know, satire being mistaken for truth by extremists.