Earliest Joke

[KenW]

Having spent such a time back in Australia recently, as some of you know already, has meant spending lots of hours with family, including small children.

 

To test little toddlers and others for sense of yuma made me think about jokes and the age we begin to appreciate them.

 

Someone told me once that a finely tuned (subtle) sensayuma and intelligence were correlated. I accepted that without question. But over the jourrney you have to query. I mean are Stephen Fry, Ronnie Corbett and Steve Martin bastions of high intellect? Goodness.

 

Anyway, to the topic. It also got me thinking about when we begin to appreciate humour and jokes.

 

At risk of sounding up myself, I have vivid recall of my Year 1 (age 6) teacher Mrs Matheson ticking off a fellow classer named Gloria Faraway. Mrs M had probably asked a question - I have no recall - of GF only to find her absent in the response area. Mrs M said something to the effect: you certainly are faraway Gloria Faraway.

 

I chuckled, getting the joke. Thought it wonderful. Not one other kid in the class laughed. Mrs M held her reserve, did not wink at me or let me know she heard my 6 year old cackling. But such was the impression, I recall it vividly to this day. That mix of getting the joke and having something up top fascinates me hugely.

 

Any thoughts on your earliest joke recollections?

[pacman]

Someone told me once that a finely tuned (subtle) sensayuma and intelligence were correlated. 

 

I have been aware of that for as long as I can remember & I have proved it (to myself) over & over again.

 

Show me a man with no sense of humour & I'll show you an idiot.

 

As far as my earliest recollection goes, it was well after my sixth birthday before I discovered any sort of "sophisticated" humour but I do remember how stimulating it was. Once I realised that humour could be about more than fart jokes, it was as if the whole world opened up to me. 

 

I respect comedians as much as I do Nobel Prize Scientists. Where would we be without 'em?

[Hefe]

You mean Steve Martin philosophy degree holder, novelist, playwright, New Yorker contributor, multiple Grammy winning banjoist, pianist, noted modern art collector, film actor, screenwriter & producer?

 

 

Someone told me once that a finely tuned (subtle) sensayuma and intelligence were correlated. I accepted that without question. But over the jourrney you have to query. I mean are Stephen Fry, Ronnie Corbett and Steve Martin bastions of high intellect? Goodness.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emqv4Lr3lD0

[pacman]

Good question Hefe. Very subtle.

 

I did think Ken's choice of comics was poor in regards to making his point. Mr Corbett notwithstanding, Stephen Fry is not academically challenged either. He's a graduate of Queens College in Cambridge who went on to be an actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter & film director. Plus he's a fairly savvy business investor allegedly.

 

Who's going to champion Ronny Corbett's defense? He might turn out to be a rocket scientist...          

[Hefe]

To respond less snarky to Ken's query, & I value a sense of humor in life above all other qualities save real love.

I suppose it's the first time you laugh at something that isn't slapstick or someone else's visible minor misfortune, ie., the ability to connect two previously unrelated ideas in an unexpected context?

 

Many/most people don't do this or value it.

 

Earliest I can dredge up is a fad of jokes about elephants in the 60's:

 

"Why do ducks have webbed feet?"

"So they can stomp out smoldering forest fires."

 

"Why do elephants have round feet?"

"So they can stomp out smoldering ducks."

 

To an 8 year old this was pure gold.

 

(Decades later I heard a rumor that posited that the elephant joke craze was started by the CIA in California to see how fast word of mouth could spread from coast to coast.) 

[KenW]

OK OK already. I chose badly in mentioning comic names off the top of my thick skull.

 

Points taken.