July 23, 2008 at 6:14 am
I agree with Steve, because a joke for one group is offensive or insulting for the other. I am working in an environment where people from diverse places work and so sharing a joke is hard. I used to think over the joke and then share it or just bite my tongue.:)
July 23, 2008 at 6:15 am
A man walks into a bar...and says "ow that hurt!" 😀
or
How about that great book vomitting by Chuck Up? 😀
oh don't get me started.....*wagon arrives, men get out, attach straight jacket and gag, shaun is removed*
(well one of my clan did build the first inconvienience store).
Hiding under a desk from SSIS Implemenation Work :crazy:
July 23, 2008 at 6:21 am
Humour in the workplace is pretty much essential. My last boss had no sense of humour and working for her was rather difficult. Now I work somewhere with people that crack jokes frequently and are much more relaxed. Certainly I run the risk of being offended, but as long as you keep in mind that no one is purposefully trying to offend you, things are quite enjoyable. False intentional offense is pretty funny in my mind, so I get along with my coworkers well. This is also why it's important to have people who fit with the environment where you work.
Humour would be quite difficult to teach to machines since there is much about communication that they can't read well(body language, tone). For instance.. Will Ferrell could be in a grocery store and say "Where are the apples?" and people would laugh. I could do the same, it wouldn't be funny.
July 23, 2008 at 6:33 am
Aw, look at how Steve just "took the piss" with his Office comment. See, Americans DO get satire!
James Stover, McDBA
July 23, 2008 at 6:34 am
One problem is that many people take themselves and their jobs way too seriously. If they actually had to smile, their face would probably break. I take my job seriously and professionally, but I can have fun and actually get quality work done at the same time (wow, what a concept!). Who made the stupid rule that the two had to be separate? I find that in a lighter atmosphere (no, not outer space, but one where you can inject a bit of fun), that the productivity is usually better and we accomplish more...probably because everyone can relax and be themselves more. In situations where the atmosphere is conflict, egos, turf-protection, my-way-or-the-highway, not much is usually accomplished and everyone has their hackles up (and their defenses) most of the time.
Everyone enjoys a good laugh, or they should at least. If you don't, that's fine...just sit there and be quiet and don't spoil it for the rest of us. Don't worry, the work will get done...it always does. And always remember, if you can't laugh at yourself, you don't deserve the right to laugh at others. Enjoy life...have a good time!
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it!;)
July 23, 2008 at 6:35 am
Culture plays an important part, so we have to watch as we get more people crossing international borders. Things that are funny in one culture aren't in another. A study was done a few years back (unfortunately, I couldn't find it for this post) that looked at humor accross cultures.
Yes, the British like puns more than other English-speaking people.
Americans tend to like "superiority" humor - in other words, jokes that make fun of someone doing something considered unintelligent. If you watch Letterman, Leno, or Seinfeld, most of their humor is centered around the idea that someone did something stupid, so it makes the listener feel superior.
According to the study, there is one common denominator: In all cultures, ducks are considered to be funny.
"Why a duck?" (Harpo Marks)
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July 23, 2008 at 6:36 am
James Stover, McDBA
Do you like wear a kilt when administrating SQL Server? 😀
Hiding under a desk from SSIS Implemenation Work :crazy:
July 23, 2008 at 6:54 am
Shaun McGuile (7/23/2008)
James Stover, McDBADo you like wear a kilt when administrating SQL Server? 😀
No Shaun, this is my own little personal joke. As you will see from posts in other threads, there is common agreement that certifications are...well, worthless. So I took my MCDBA and "Mc'd" it. This is me taking the piss out of Microsoft's once-premier certification. Sort of like taking a chicken and pressing it into McNuggets. James Stover, McDBA; may I take your order?
It's nerdy but hey, to thine self be true.
James Stover, McDBA
July 23, 2008 at 6:58 am
The celtic origin has so much more to it. McDBA - Scottish DBA, kilt bagpipes and sporan. och-eye!
Never has such a people/culture had more influence on this planet as that of the celts...
Hiding under a desk from SSIS Implemenation Work :crazy:
July 23, 2008 at 7:02 am
True, but a CUSA can at least spell color. 😀
July 23, 2008 at 7:07 am
webooth (7/23/2008)
True, but a CUSA can at least spell color. 😀
or not as it appears 😀 my English dictionary has honour, colour and humour,
Good God man next you'll tell us that there are words that rhyme with purple and orange!
(N.B. Fact: in strict English there are no words which truly rhyme with orange an purple).
Hiding under a desk from SSIS Implemenation Work :crazy:
July 23, 2008 at 7:09 am
Nothing illustrates "funny is defined by the audience" than Steve Martin's classic joke about plumbers.
"OK, I don't like to gear my material to the audience, but I'd like to make an exception, because I was told that there is a convention of plumbers in town this week—I understand about 30 of them came down to the show tonight—so before I came out, I worked up a joke especially for the plumbers. Those of you who aren't plumbers probably won't get this and won't think it's funny, but I think those of you who are plumbers will really enjoy this. This lawn supervisor was out on a sprinkler maintenance job, and he started working on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom seven-inch gangly wrench. Just then this little apprentice leaned over and said, 'You can't work on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom seven-inch wrench.' Well, this infuriated the supervisor, so he went and got Volume 14 of the Kinsley manual, and he reads to him and says, 'The Langstrom seven-inch wrench can be used with the Findlay sprocket.' Just then the little apprentice leaned over and says, 'It says sprocket, not socket!' [Worried pause.] "Were these plumbers supposed to be here this show?"
Some people (Monty Python, Steve Martin, etc.) know how to make being funny look easy.
July 23, 2008 at 7:09 am
webooth (7/23/2008)
True, but a CUSA can at least spell color. 😀
No no no, you SEE color, you don't spell it.
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July 23, 2008 at 7:17 am
Curious... the study I am familiar with stated that Americans displayed a tendency toward "Duck Superiority" humor -- e.g. Donald Duck, Howard the Duck, etc. Also, in this study the British were not so amused by puns as they were by cross-dressing males, but the top category of British humor was "blokes in drag engaged in silly pun-fests" Unfortunately for the state of British humor, that's as good as it gets, unless you count Mr. Bean, which is way funnier than the CUSA "Family Circus" syndicated cartoon by Bill Keane. As a whole, humor researchers could generally be induced to fits of hilarity by improperly calculated statistics, particularly analyses of variance involving small sample populations.
God, I love academia.
July 23, 2008 at 7:33 am
I worked at many different companies and each company had its own culture. The people at one company were totally serious and would not take any joke. On the other hand, the people at the company joked around all the time. So depending on where you work, but be careful when you crack a joke, some people may take it the wrong way. I had it happened to me before and it ended up another complaint to my manager.
Somehow the fun at work place is lost after the dot.com bust and outsourcing, the people worry about their job and take things much more serious.
Communication becomes much more serious.
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