" the trouble with culture-specific humor "

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i mean it's funny, all the torrents of craigslist's "best-of" list. they are all sorts of particularly gold pieces of rant-type writing that has lifted me to a laughing fit.

some of my favorite headers being:

"Say hello to my middle finger."

"Pubes: Clip, Don't Shave."

and

"Diary of a Vasectomy."

i mean, they're just funny and very cleverly written. there are nuances of regret and embarrassment intermingled with solid observational details that just rock. in fact i am in my office, surrounded by all of my co-workers, and i cannot explain to them why some rant by a crazy woman is funny. or the dimwit who shaves his special area when drunk. i mean it's stories like this that belong on radio, because then everyone would be tuning in. well maybe not.

the great thing about reading other people's misfortune-turned-humorous-tales, is that you really get a workout. the stomach muscles ripple in glee as they tautly flex and release. your neck and upper back muscles really get a chance to expand and retract like nothing else, and you have this moment of sheer joy, that is unmatched, and utterly priceless.

but no one understand me and my funny. i tried to explain to them as best i could why the dude getting a vasectomy almost in front of a 19 year-old stranger could be really odd, but no. no one bought it and passed me off as a silly stranger, gawking in a private bubble of delight. which i was.

a lot of american humor is based on ranting, strange stories of childhood, observational insights on the inequalities in society, or humiliation with a stern handle on the particulars that make a certain story humorous, while most thai humor is based on put-downs, musical cues, and physical comedy. it's not that one is better, it's just dissimilar is all.

it's just nice to actually laugh, loud, and out loud for once. i think it's the first time i've really had a good laugh. and other than the obvious inconvenience i've placed on my hard-working fellow employees, they should understand that at least this way, i won't be uptight or cranky tomorrow.

yay funny funny fun fun.

if anyone wants a copy of some of these articles/posts, i can email em to yas : golden_buddha23@hotmail.com (but you have to email me first!)

bonus one!!!

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