GreatRidge Station

With the events in Egypt, my current courses on the Connected Economy have gotten just that much more difficult. There is a sense that we are on uncharted terrain, here, and the thought that a tool like facebook (some would argue, a toy like facebook) could bring down a dictator is staggering.

We’ve entered a new time.  The dust has not settled. One thing has become clear: The world is a far different place than it was just a few short weeks ago.

I like good humor. The problem is that so much humor decends into areas and ideas where I’d rather not go. I don’t need foul language, I don’t need racism, sexism, or the bitter, mean-spiritedness that is at the core of much contemporary humor.

This got me thinking, and I’ve been posing this question in conversations lately: Is all humor, by its very nature, offensive to someone? I usually qualify this by saying offensive doesn’t require that people take offense (yes, Norwegians tell Norwegian jokes), but that someone or something could take offense.

I’ve had fun with this, because everyone has an opinion. And generally, as soon as they’ve stated it, they change their minds. I usually press folks for an example, and it is obvious that this makes them uncomfortable.

Over the weekend, I asked this question at a graduation party, with a bunch of adults. Later, as the conversation moved on, we started laughing at some “had-to-be-there” humor. Dennis was sitting at the table, and said “See? Not Offensive!” The next thing that someone said was perfectly on track with the discussion–and a sharp jab to me. I laughed, put my hands up in the air, and said, “Well, it looks like I won that round.”  Dennis had to admit that I might be right–humor is mostly offensive.

This makes me wonder, of course: What does Christian humor look like? What is the nature of redemptive humor (I suspect that it still has a sharp edge, but an edge based on truth, and not on power)? What is the nature of redeemed humor?

These are not easy questions. But I find myself enjoying the exploration of the nature of humor in our society.

So, I conclude with this: How can you tell if an academic has a sense of humor? He does a review of scholarly literature for research that demonstrates that he really is funny.

Looks like I win this round, too!

About a year ago, I wrote about the $500 pencils. I did not understand why anyone would consider such a purchase as either 1) necessary or 2) not the stupidest waste of money to be found.

Oh, wait. I may have found a competing product.

Years ago, my piano teacher once described a man so lazy that “His self winding watch ran down.” Not an easy thing, since such watches (even in those days), wound themselves with an occasional walk down the hallway or while handwriting.

Well, lo and behold, if that is too much work, we now have the Orbita Watchwinder, for only $295. Just so you know–this only winds self-winding watches–no stem-wound or quartz movements need apply.

The whole concept seems almost surreal to me. And that is proof-positive that I am not, and never will be, a member of the leisure class. I’ll take care of my own self-winding watches, thank you very much.

By the way. This is in no way meant to impugn the firm that sells these products. I’ve purchased a few items from World-Lux, and since they are an amazon partner, I can tell you that they appear to be an ethical company, and one that is easy to work with.