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Surreal Humor

Surrealism was a literary movement that experimented with a mode of expression called automatic writing, or automatism, which sought to release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious. 

Using positive Freudian methods of free association, poetry and prose draws upon the world of the mind, unharnessing surrealistic humor. 

Traditionally, comedy has been limited to a low-brow application of humor - jokes that belittle ethnic groups and jokes that draw upon the pain and suffering of one group to make another group feel better about themselves. 

 Telling a joke at the expense of another is not funny

For me, this kind of joke does nothing other than further the cruelty of an already too willing audience.  Jokes riddled with oppression produce nothing more than nervous laughter. No wonder there's little funding for humor research. 

Many of the comedians today are clueless Pavlovian-type proponents of an outdated sense of humor (see above comic). They observe differences and are too eager to laugh about them, never questioning whether or not being the butt of a joke is funny. Admittedly, these comedians question whether or not something "is funny" but only by asking people who demographically or culturally share their preconceived biases, therefore failing "to get" that the joke is on them. 

The comedian, Steve Carell, said that he wouldn't work on a "mean" comedy movie. He said: "I don't care for mean humor. It doesn't sit well with me. There's already so much bitterness and cynicism out there. What I find funny is human." 

Surrealistic humor, like surrealistic art, draws upon the clever and whimsical disregard for tradition fostered by the Dadaist artistic and literary movement that flouted conventional aesthetic and cultural values in 20th-century Europe. The work illustrated absurdity in social values, visually expressing cynicism about conventional ideas of form and beauty. 

 No hang ups...

It is this type of humor that has the broadest appeal. In my mind, Carell hit the nail on the head when he said: "Look at Peter Sellers - he played characters who were heightened and silly, but at the same time, you were watching a human being trying to hold on to a semblance of dignity." 

I strongly believe that the anarchist comedy of the 1920s is dying out. Unbridled humor is not achieved at the expense of bridling another. For humor to be truly unbridled it has to have a continuous flow of energie that emerges from the strange and symbolic images we perceive and conceive of as a species. It's the seemingly symbolic forms and twisted lines we observe in art, nature, humor, and life, that create a truly imaginative world of fantastic figures. 

Surrealistic art depicting dismembered female nudes is emotionally shocking. For me, it feels like taking the aspirations, hopes, yearnings, and goals inherent in the word "dreams" and limiting them to a Freudian repressed or frustrated sexual desire. 

The subject of sex (a favorite topic among comedians) conjures up many ideas and thoughts and is an easy topic to introduce comically in an act. The irony is that sex evolved from our species' need to reproduce without passing on bacteria, infections, and parasites. Essentially, it's "bacteria" that is responsible for the meiotic sex that evolved 520 million years ago. 500 million years later, I'd like to think we're ready for some new material. 

If I were alone in my belief that "dreams" represented nothing more than a Freudian repressed sexual desire, the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. would have never inspired a nation to work toward solidarity. 

I have a Dream...

I think humor can be used to find solidarity in a time when more and more people on the planet are connecting with people who have different viewpoints, religious beliefs, and even, different values. Every day, people "befriend" people they don't know in an attempt to learn and grow. 

Surrealistic humor can be surprisingly imaginative. It ranges from the deeply symbolic to refinement of thought in puns and wordplay. Whichever approach, the creativity in abstract expressionism is the spirit of the modernist vanguard. It has the power to shift comedy from the oppressive to the monumentally funny aspect of what it means to be human. Breaking away from negative conventions inherent in lowbrow comedy, surrealistic humor stands as a reflection of the individual's psyche, both the comedian's and the audiences'.  It expresses a basic inclination: an emphasis on the hilarity found in the dynamic, energetic gestures we express as humans.

In my desire to find richer content and meaning in humor, free of provincialism and explicit themes, I have to look deeper. Redolent of social responsibility is the true need we have to express comedy that minimizes the dark side of humanity as a device for breaking free of a conscious mind that has been historically automaton - negative without thinking about the consequences. Here, we let go of the reins that inhibit true freedom of expression. 

There's adventure to be held when you venture into the unknown world of the imagination with the distinct goal of making people "laugh together" rather than at each other. I challenge comedians everywhere to develop radical new techniques that drip and spatter fresh paint onto a raw canvas laid on the ground instead of aimed at someone's back. Make humor nonobjective. Scale it in a way that is shockingly and powerfully iconic, highly charged, gestural, and abstract, rather than directing it against a weaker foe. 

 

The path lay in the expressive potential of our intellect and sense of humor. The impulse toward negativity seems to lull people toward it, but they do so laughing out of nervousness and recognition of the incongruities, superiorities or inferiorities, rather than from the goodness of their own hearts. When people can look to humor and feel uplifted rather than apprehensive, that will be the day when the true meaning of humor is understood. 

From my viewpoint, it's time to confront the work, not the comedians. In doing so, we raise the expectations of humor and illuminate in our audiences a quasi-religious experience, even eliciting tears of laughter. It's the height of the humor scale we strive for that contributes to the meaning of funny. 

A number of my readers have asked me whether or not I consider bathroom humor to be funny... I have to admit, I think it (within reason) it can be - this is why:

Bathroom humor is widely recognized as a funny human expression. It is not usually oppressive, which is probably why it appeals so much to the innocence of youth. It may be socially unacceptable, but it is still very human. It takes years to develop biases about socially acceptable behavior. In this respect, children haven't yet had the time to judge it. For them, it's a funny part of life. If it were oppressive, the book, Everybody Poops, would have never sold a million copies to parents of baby-to-prekindergarten and nine to twelve age ranges.

To come across a toilet on display as art in the Pompidou is surreal and funny. 

To the guy who sold it, even more so!

Learn Morse Code

Hi, this is Sophy Laughing

...... -......... ..... ...---.--.....-.-- .-...-..---.......-.--.

Sorry to disturb you

...---.-..-.-.-- ---- -.......-..-.-.-... -.-----..-


But I was wondering if you wanted to play a game? 


-.....-- .. .--.-... .------.-....-...-.--. ....-. -.-----..- .--.--.-.-.. ---- .--..-...--.-- .- --..---...--..


it is really fun


..- ..... .-...-.-...-..-.-- ..-...--.


it is called 


..- ..... -.-..-.-...-...-.. 


count the dots


-.-.---..--.- -..... -..----...


just kidding


.---..-...- -.-..-..-....-.--.


but that is kind of funny, right? 


-.....-- -.....-- ..... -.-..-.-.. ---..-. ..-...--.-.-.-- .-...--.....-..--..


I mean, that would be a pain


.. --..--.--..-- -.....-- .-----..-.-..-.. -.... .- .--..-..-.


not to mention it would take you all night


-.---- ---- --.-.-..----. ..- .-----..-.-..-.. -.--.-. -.-----..- .-.-...-.. -...--.....-


besides it is more fun to count the dashes


-.........-......--..-- ..- ..... -----.-.. ..-...--. ---- -.-.---..--.- -..... -...-...........


once I went to an army camp


----.-.-.. .. .--.-.- ---- .--. .-.-.---.-- -.-..---.--.


they left me in the room alone, so I played the tape twice


-.....-.-- .-.....-.- --. ..-. -..... .-.-------- .-.-..----..--..-- ...--- .. .--..-...--.--.-.. -..... -.-.--.. -.--..-.-..


that is how i got a job under military intelligence


-.....-- ..... ....---.-- .. --.---- .- .-------... ..--.-....-. --...-....-.-.-.-.-- ..-.-..-...-....--..-.-.-..


my job code was o5hotel


---.-- .-------... -.-.----... .--.-... ---....----..-..


army camp was not the nicest hotel, I have to admit


.-.-.---.-- -.-..---.--. .--.-... -.---- -..... -...-.-.....- ....----..-..--..-- .. .....-...-. ---- .--..--..-


plus, the outfits were awful


.--..-....-... -..... ---..--..-...-... .--..-.. .-.--..-...-.-..


I got to play music in a parade


.. --.---- ---- .--..-...--.-- --..-.....-.-. ..-. .- .--..-.-..--...


boy was that drum heavy


-...----.-- .--.-... -.....-- -...-...--- ......-...--.--


I got to go home early because diabetics are not allowed in army camp


.. --.---- ---- --.--- ....-----. ..-.-..-..-.-- -....-.-..-..-.... -.....--....-..-.-.... .-.-.. -.---- .-.-...-..---.--.-.. ..-. .-.-.---.-- -.-..---.--.


I left with some medals as souvenirs 


.. .-.....-.- .--..-.... ...-----. --.-...-.-..... .-... ...---..-...-.-....-.... 


and some money to buy candy


.--.-.. ...-----. ------..-.-- ---- -.....--.-- -.-..--.-..-.--


which nobody wanted to give me


.--......-.-..... -.----...----..-.-- .--.--.-.-.. ---- --......-. --.


so it all worked out in the end


...--- ..- .-.-...-.. .-----.-.-.-.-.. ---..-- ..-. -..... .-.-..


aren't you glad that I posted the actual words? 


.-.-..-.- -.-----..- --..-...--.. -.....-- .. .--.---...-.-.. -..... .--.-.-..-.-.-.. .-----.-.-.....


otherwise, you really would have had to learn morse code


----......-..--......--..-- -.-----..- .-...-.-...-..-.-- .-----..-.-..-.. .....-...-. .....--.. ---- .-....-.-.-. -----.-..... -.-.----...

The Meaning of Life

If you don't have anything better to do today, try asking yourself this question:

What is the meaning of life? 

Celebrate Addiction-Free Day

Celebrate 

Addiction-Free Day!

 

Instructions

1. Make a list of your most common addictions

2. Cut out the addiction for one day

3. Write down your thoughts in a journal

4. Post them to your Facebook page the following day 

   

The following images are common addictions to help you decide which ones you may want to consider eliminating for one day...

Out of Order

Social Experiment Instructions

1. Cut out the image above

2. Stick this sign on a public infrastructure

3. Have your camera battery charged

4. Double-check that you have space on your memory card

5. Record peoples' frustrations as they try to utilize public infrastructure 

(elevator, phone booth, public toilet, escalator, entrances to banks or Starbucks)

6. Post reactions to Facebook or YouTube

7. Enjoy!  

UFO Spotting for Fun

This is going to sound crazy, but there are many mysteries in this word, which we cannot explain, UFO's are one of them. If you're like me, you've probably seen a few documentary clips whereby pilots report strange objects flying close by commercial aircraft. Admittedly, that's a bit disturbing. I'd not want to be in an airplane only to find it taunted and teased by a run-a-muck alien craft. While the official statements are just that, official, the threat to planetary security remains if the public is not made aware of the fact that aliens do not follow our airspace rules. In the event a UFO should ever collide mid-air with a commercial jet liner, with whom would we file the complaint? 

I figured it was time to start doing a little UFO hunting on my own. I started with some light stargazing. "Son, may I borrow your telescope?" 

"What for mom?" 

"I'm searching for UFO's."

Blank stare. 

3 hours later... I had mosquito bites, saw nothing, and went to bed. 

Since a number of "sightings" have happened during broad daylight, I thought, "Oh goodie, I don't have to subject myself to mosquito attacks, and can simply watch for daylight discs, whose ships are supposedly metallic in color. 

I got a crick in my neck after about 20 minutes. 

I then volunteered to become what they call in meteorology: a weather spotter. While I gained all sorts of anomalous weather phenomena spotting skills, still, no UFO amid the fluffy cumulus clouds. 

Then, a friend suggested that I join a bird watcher's club. This was way more fun than weather spotting, but other than the shrill thrill of watching adorable hummingbirds and busy woodpeckers, I quickly lost interest.

I returned to science and decided to conduct some research on the difference between terrestrial and extraterrestrial objects. I discovered that The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has a history of identifying the configurations of different types of aircraft (dating back to the Cold War). I very much enjoyed my CAP training and learned some pretty interesting observation skills, but still, no UFO's. 

Finally, I decided to drive out to some UFO "Flap" areas (supposedly UFO's can be seen in waves of "flaps" every few years. Flaps are generally confined to specific geographic locations and can last for days or weeks. Result: Nada. 

UFO's avoid densely populated areas, so I decided to go on a day hike in the mountains. I packed my gear, snacks, and iPod and headed out. While it was nice to get away from the noise and smog, I can't say I did anything but run out my iPod batteries, eat some energy bars, and text from my cell phone. 

Perhaps I tried to hard to spot a UFO. So many report to have seen them, I thought this would be easy. After watching a The 4th Kind, I realized I should count myself lucky, for had I spotted a UFO, I might have been the victim of a drive-by abduction, which in my opinion, would totally stink. 

As such, I have given up my quest to spot a UFO and have decided that if I ever do accidentally spot one, I will simply run away. For those of you still wishing to spot a UFO, here's some pictures to help you spot one. 

Good luck! ...and beware of probes!

UFO Mother Ship

UFO Cigar

UFO Disc

UFO Triangular

UFO Fanatics

Typical UFO chaser

UFO driven by a teenage alien