Bully:

Use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.

Writers in general do not have superior strength. Trolls on the internet do not have superior strength. But do they use influence improperly? You judge.

[Photo of Thai boy in muddy shirt] 'Thai Soccer Player Still Waiting For Parents To Pick Him Up'

The Onion on Twitter

Replies:

• 'Too soon' (many times).
• 'Oof', 'Yikes', and similar.
• 'Maybe you should give them a calendar so they know when it's okay.' And other comments indicative of support for The Onion's joke.
• 'Relax, ladies' and other comments directed at those who protested.

The Onion has an admittedly hit-and-miss record of being actually funny. My favourite headline from the old print version was historical, featuring an image of Titanic: 'World's Largest Metaphor Hits Iceberg, Sinks'. I found that mildly amusing because the comment was less about the event than the historical analysis. Be that as it may, while I often chuckle at The Onion's slapdash approach to Twitter – take a stock photo, have what I presume are interns affix a presumably chuckle-worthy caption – I find myself increasingly sighing. Why did anyone think that was funny? Oh, yes: because it was fifteen minutes before lunch, and the boss said come up with a joke, and if I hurry I can beat the crowd to the taco truck. I get it. Result=hundreds, maybe thousands, of annoyed readers.

I'm less concerned here with the attempt of The Onion's lazy staff to be witty on a deadline. I'm more worried about the largeish number of people who try to bully other readers into finding the bad jokes amusing – or at least into refraining from pointing out that they don't. Why? Because 'humour' that makes fun of the victims isn't humour. Because bullying people isn't funny. Deflating bullies is funny, and self-mockery can be not only funny, but also lead to insight. This is something writers should notice. Remember: we aren't talking about personal consumer choices here. I don't really care what makes you laugh. I'm thinking about strategies that will help us be better at writing.

Most successful comedians learned their trade early, and most of them learned self-deprecation at a young age. Why is Jack Benny funny? Because he makes fun of himself: he pretends to be miserly, vain, cowardly, and a very bad violinist. Of course, he was none of those things. If he were, it wouldn't really be funny. Victor Borge probably didn't hate sopranos, either, but those joke routines with the divas ('Don't touch my piano!') provoke audiences everywhere to giggle fits.

That's the key, really, to humour-as-insight. The funny person/writer/speaker pretends not to know what it is they're trying to get you to discover about life. Then they demonstrate it indirectly. You figure it out, and laugh, and feel clever. That's how you learn the lesson.

A few weeks ago, I watched a lovely little film about Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, called Stan, and I learned something I didn't know, but could have guessed. Of the two men, which one do you think was generally agreed to have the sweeter, more generous nature? Laurel, the perpetual underdog of the comedy duo, or Hardy, the alleged bully? If you guessed Hardy, you'd be right. Oliver 'Babe' Hardy was a good-natured man and a very loyal friend. So of course he played the 'bad guy' in the films, who always gets his comeuppance. Watch closely, though, and you'll see how they pull it off. The film makes a good point about the vulnerability 'Babe' displayed, and that distinctive twiddle of the tie….

Laurel and Hardy were usually funny, but I remember one time watching them as a child that Laurel made me want to cry. The sketch was this: both men were very hungry, but had very little money. Hardy bought a glass of milk. He told Laurel to drink half: they would share. Laurel drank the whole glass. When Hardy, looking hurt, demanded to know why, Laurel burst into histrionic tears. He choked out, 'My half was on the bottom.' As a kid, I didn't think that was funny at all – I thought it was mean. I thought it was a form of bullying on Laurel's part.

Obviously, there are Twitter users who would say, 'Grownups think this is funny, because they have a more sophisticated sense of humour.'

I say, 'If you believe that, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.'

Try this song in Yiddish – it's translated in the video – called Ikh bin a boarder bei mein weib. The singer mocks the stresses of immigration and social change that often led to divorce. He's found a happy solution to the problem: the couple get a divorce, the husband becomes a paying guest, and all is harmony again. That song tells you pretty much what you'll learn by watching Hester Street, though that's a good film, too, which I highly recommend as long as the film prof's Youtube stays up there.

If you've got access to Netflix, try watching the documentary The Last Laugh. It's a discussion with humorists, including Mel Brooks and some Holocaust survivors, about the role of humour in survival. If you can't find the documentary to watch, here's a discussion with the cast and crew of the film. Listen to people talk about what they find funny, or not funny. See if you can tell what attempts at humour might constitute bullying, and which ones might lead to insight.

Writing Right with Dmitri Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

30.07.18 Front Page

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