If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does
it make a noise? The short answer is no.
If you say something funny and no one in the room gets it, is it
still funny? The short answer is yes.
Assuming the thing is actually funny, of course. Even if only one
person thinks it's funny, it is. But that's not a license to be obscure.
Whether you're writing or speaking, go ahead and throw in one or two
just for you and the rest of the cognoscenti. But for every lofty
bon mot that sails over the heads of the majority, the majority of
your goodies should hit them right between the eyes. Don't be your
own best audience.
The first memorable example of the subjectiveness of humor happened
back when I was teaching photography at an art school. I was subbing
for another instructor for two evening classes on successive days.
It was an introductory class, so I introductoried myself and told
them what we would be doing. Included in the intro were a few jokes
and one- liners and some self- deprecating humor.
The Tuesday group was very open and receptive, laughing in all the
right places. Then we got into the content of the class. It was an
enjoyable evening. I did the same routine with the Wednesday group.
Same intro, same humor, same flawless delivery. It was like the night
of the living dead. No response. Nothing. I might as well have been
speaking Finnish to Brazilians.
So sometimes it's the audience. One group will get what you're saying,
whether you're spouting humor or explaining a concept, but another
might not have the first clue what you're talking about. It might
mean you're on a different plane than they are. But if you want to
connect with your audience, you need to change planes, sometimes in
midair. If they aren't responding to your humor, set it aside and
go on with the information.
Humor in writing is safer. You won't know if each of your readers
gets the joke or not, but at least there's no flop sweat because you
don't need to time the laugh. But if you're up there speaking to a
group, it's a different game entirely. Lob those high ones at your
own risk. Few things are as unnerving as leaving a pause for a laugh
and hearing only your heart pounding in your ears.
Speaking of ears, here's my take on the falling tree. Sound is all
in the receiver of the noise, whether that receiver is the tympanic
membrane of an ear or the diaphragm of a microphone. If you're near
the tree when it falls, the tree's landing sets the surrounding air
molecules vibrating at various frequencies. Some of those molecules
vibrate against your eardrums, resulting in electrical impulses being
sent along your auditory nerve to your brain, where they're recognized
as the sound of a lot of heavy wood hitting the ground. Without those
receiving membranes, there would just be a lot of frantically moving
air molecules, but no noise.
If some people don't get your joke, let it go and move on. They wouldn't
get it if a tree fell on them.
~end~
