Objectivist Jokes

Recreation and The Good Life
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I’m figuring that in this section we can post humor, jokes, one-liners, satirical comments on current events, etc.

The following light bathroom humor I made up. I was actually sitting on the–well you know where–when I thought of it.

The manager of a beer store asks, “where’s Pablo, I bet he’s in the bathroom again!” about an employee who manages to sneek to the bathroom several times during his shift. Moments later Pablo comes strutting swiftly back to his post. The manager asks reproachfully, “So where have you been?” “Nature called,” replied Pablo with a smile. “But this is the fifth time today!” rebuked the manager. “Sir, nature to be commanded must be obeyed,” responded Pablo respectfully. “Well, how come nature doesn’t call myself or the rest of us so much?” Pablo answered, with his hand to his mouth as if revealing a secret, and winking at the last instant, “Nature has a thing for me.”

Americo.

2

In Bible class we sang a song titled “Consume Me.”

3

that’s nothing. when I went to christian high school we used to sing a song called “make me a slave, Oh God”

:smiley:

4

The following light bathroom humor I made up.

Why do you choose to focus on such things?

Ayn Rand portrayed the ideal man in the leading characters of her novels. Howard Roark, John Galt, and Dagny Taggart are examples.

Do you believe that an ideal man would spend time in his life creating “bathroom humor”? If so, why?

If not, then why do you? Or do you see a flaw in Ayn Rand’s philosophy that led her to portray ideal men the way she did?

5

that’s nothing. when I went to christian high school we used to sing a song called “make me a slave, Oh God”

:slight_smile:

I saw a guy in one my classes yesterday wearing a T-shirt that said “Serving God isn’t just a duty, it’s an adventure”.

6

Why do you choose to focus on such things?

Ayn Rand portrayed the ideal man in the leading characters of her novels. Howard Roark, John Galt, and Dagny Taggart are examples.

Do you believe that an ideal man would spend time in his life creating “bathroom humor”? If so, why?

If not, then why do you? Or do you see a flaw in Ayn Rand’s philosophy that led her to portray ideal men the way she did?

Oh my god! Because it is Humor. Why would I laugh at Roark or Galt? A guy is drinking on the job. But he’s intelligent and it doesn’t affect his job so much, the only consequence being that he goes to the washroom a lot. Yes, he may get fired. But he’s still not at the point where he’s passed out, or something. He still has his wits with him. But he’s daring. But he’s drunk.

I think the British do similar comedy.

I am certainly not laughing at Ayn Rand but I am laughing.

I recently experienced what I thought to be a drunk alcohol salesman/cashier. He was certainly funny–the only sad problem was he tried to give me $5 back as change when I gave him exact change.

Maybe the job is so easy for the guy that he CAN drink on the job.

And the point of this thread is to try to pinpoint Objectivist humor with examples. Obviously Roark or Galt would not be subjects of humor.

For example the joke long back about god farting I almost spit my drink out with.

What’s a better example of humor?

But don’t you have those humorous one liner moments in your day?

If you don’t I admit we are different people. I regularly have those funny moments. There’s a lot of metaphysical impossibiliities to laugh at.

And if you read my poetry or my fiction on this forum you will see that I do know how to worship with serious fiction and how to laugh at the right object.

The Queen of Canada is certainly an object of laughter. She’s useless.

And no as an Ideal man, which I am not yet, I do not spend my LIFE writing bathroom humor as you see I only posted one. I wrote in on the whim in my head while I was doing something very mechanical requiring very little effort.

Americo.

7

I saw a guy in one my classes yesterday wearing a T-shirt that said “Serving God isn’t just a duty, it’s an adventure”.

heh, good one. Christians can come up with some pretty nutty stuff. Another song came to mind “Break my mind” in which we need to stop listening to our brain and start listening to our hearts, because that is where God resides, and when we follow god, things are good… apparently

I remember once I feel asleep during one of these assemblies. Having to sing songs about enslaving oneself to God and church for 45 minutes everyday is tiring. Anyway, one of the militant-christian girls (you know, the ones that feel the need to kick the ass of every non-christian) got upset at me and started saying I was a bad christian who was going to hell. It didn’t confront me too much because by that time in high school I was pretty worn out on religion.

Later, that same girl got expelled because she was caught smoking weed and having sex with her foster brother.

She came from the foster family from hell. The parents were also militant christians who forbade TV, video games, non-christian books and movies, and staying up past 8:00 (imagine being a senior in high school and having that curfew.) If the kid wanted to go over to a friends house, the friend’s parents had to fill out papers and submit police records and have an interview with the foster parents before the child was allowed to spend time at his house. But sleep-overs were expressly forbidden.

and they wonder why christianity was the cause of the dark ages.

8

Americo - that was brilliant!

I don’t know very many good jokes off the top of my head… but this one always gets me.

Marge: I’m worried about the kids, Homey. Lisa’s becoming very obsessive. This morning I caught her trying to dissect her own raincoat.

Homer: I know. And this perpetual-motion machine she made today is a joke. It just keeps going faster and faster.

Marge: And Bart isn’t doing very well either. He needs boundaries and structure. There’s something about flying a kite at night that’s so unwholesome.

[Looks out window]

Bart: [creepily] Hello, mother dear.

Marge: That’s it, we have to get them back to school.

Homer: I’m with you, Marge. Lisa. Get in here.

[Lisa walks in]

Homer: In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!

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don’t you have those humorous one liner moments in your day?

One-liners make great signatures and short posts.

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I wrote in on the whim in my head while I was doing something very mechanical requiring very little effort.

Americo.

[boldface emphasis added.]

A true explanation identifies the cause of a phenomenon. You have done that here.

Miscellaneous Forum Moderator

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I saw a guy in one my classes yesterday wearing a T-shirt that said “Serving God isn’t just a duty, it’s an adventure”.

Yes, an adventure into the unknown.

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I have an idea: term limits for moderators!

This is an example of humor that – while funny – is disrespectful. If you disagree with Mr. Laughlin’s idea that humor has no place in the life of an objectivist, then explain why.

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[…] idea that humor has no place in the life of an objectivist […]

To set the record straight: I did not say humor has no place in the life of an Objectivist. What I asked about is whether spending time in one’s life creating bathroom humor is consistent with Objectivism, particularly its philosophical values, its romantic-realism esthetic, and its image of man as heroic.

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I did not say humor has no place in the life of an Objectivist. What I asked about is whether spending time in one’s life creating bathroom humor is consistent with Objectivism, particularly its philosophical values, its romantic-realism esthetic, and its image of man as heroic.

Burgess: Thank you for mentioning the “romantic-realism esthetic”. This helped me down a path where I have been asking myself how I can find certain jokes funny, but disgusting… funny enough to think “that’s clever”… and yet disappointing in that I hate the subject being caricatured.

Your comment made me think that there is some parallel to reading a book and thinking something like: “this is good naturalism, but I don’t like it”.

15

How many Marxists does it take to change a light bulb?

None. Every light bulb contains the seeds of its own revolution.

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To set the record straight: I did not say humor has no place in the life of an Objectivist. What I asked about is whether spending time in one’s life creating bathroom humor is consistent with Objectivism, particularly its philosophical values, its romantic-realism esthetic, and its image of man as heroic.

This is a good question for the purpose of this topic. The Objectivist dramatist should spend his life writing serious exalting fiction. However, most students of Objectivism are in a transitional period. Since they are in a transitional period, then they are moving from malevolence to the appropriate benevolence. It is the malevolence that still exists in their psychologies that is the source of their reaction to the darker type of humor. For most there is this bitterness at the world, and laughter at the evil of the world is a way to stab at it.

The ultimate goal is to rid oneself of this bitterness.

It is interesting that Leonard Peikoff is one of the funniest men I’ve ever heard. And he even admits that he still has a bitterness. I remember in a lecture hearing him say that he has always been at war with the world. In the context of the entirety of the lectures, the humor of Peikoff is very marginal. I remember telling Andrew Bernstein once that I found Peikoff hilarious because Bernstein is funny too. Bernstein said that Peikoff spends time on those jokes and they are intentional and planned so as to keep the listener interested. (But I’m sure many are spontaneous too).

In the life of a future successful Objectivist fiction writer I could see it as healthy for that person to spend enough of his life to write a satire, as a form of psychotherapy, to help and get the bitterness out of his system. There are many suitable objects of satire in this world.

I remember hearing Robert Mayhew refer metaphorically to humor as not the salt or pepper of life but something like oregano or paprika. It goes well with the meat but the meat will still taste good with out it. Such is life: your diet cannot consist of paprika without the meat. :wink: (The lecture was Ayn Rand on Humor).

Americo.

17

This is an example of humor that – while funny – is disrespectful. If you disagree with Mr. Laughlin’s idea that humor has no place in the life of an objectivist, then explain why.

I thought it was funny as hell. But if anyone ever said this to me id have them executed.

Do Mods have that power?

Why do you choose to focus on such things?

Ayn Rand portrayed the ideal man in the leading characters of her novels. Howard Roark, John Galt, and Dagny Taggart are examples.

Do you believe that an ideal man would spend time in his life creating “bathroom humor”? If so, why?

If not, then why do you? Or do you see a flaw in Ayn Rand’s philosophy that led her to portray ideal men the way she did?

Oh come on, hes just putting the Rand back in Randy!

[MISCELLANEOUS FORUM, MODERATOR NOTE: This post violates Forum Rules. It is devoid of intellectual content, threatening, and disrespectul to Ayn Rand. – Burgess Laughlin]

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[MISCELLANEOUS FORUM, MODERATOR NOTE: This post violates Forum Rules. It is devoid of intellectual content, threatening, and disrespectul to Ayn Rand. – Burgess Laughlin]

Does that mean you didnt like my jokes?

19

Source

The Semi and the Butcher (humor)

by Brett Holverstott

[Miscellaneous Forum, moderator note: This post originally reproduced a whole article, in violation of Forum Rules on quotation. A link should be provided instead, to avoid violating copyright laws and the ethical principles underlying them. – Burgess Laughlin]

20

Source

The Semi and the Butcher (humor)

by Brett Holverstott

[Miscellaneous Forum, moderator note: This post originally reproduced a whole article, in violation of Forum Rules on quotation. A link should be provided instead, to avoid violating copyright laws and the ethical principles underlying them. – Burgess Laughlin]

Now that essay would have made Ayn Rand smile, I think :smiley: