Humor is subjective

I know this is obvious, but I look at the people around me - the ones who get me and the ones that don't. I always wonder about the ones that don't. Do they not get the joke, or do they want me to just go away?

My boss is one I wonder about. When she is in a good mood she responds well to my humor. When she is in a sketchy mood or a bad mood, I try to avoid humor, as it only results in her making the "who farted?" face at me.

I used to get in trouble a lot over my sense of humor. Mostly at work, and pretty exclusively with those who worked for me. And while I could literally write a book about that experience (which I won't do because it'll just make me cranky) the thing that really bugged me is how much self-effacing humor I used. I tried using humor to lighten the mood, or to try to make the best out of bad situation. My humor was rarely directed at other people in front of them (sure, behind their backs, but only with people I trusted. I never said I was a saint. No, I didn't. Just because you read my blog doesn't mean that you can put ideas in my head - and I never said that! Get. Out. Of. My. Head!).

It never worked. Oh sure, some people got it, and got me, and I like those people and I stay in contact with them - because to me they are good people. No, they aren't good people because they like me, they are good people in general, and in addition to that, they understand my humor, and often appreciate it. The rest of them? I swear if Big Foot came stumbling out of the woods, grabbed a mic, and told them a universally funny joke they would make the "who farted?" face. At which point Mr. Foot would be completely within his rights to feed them to the Loch Ness Monster, thank you very much.

I hear over and over that I am too sarcastic. Really, how much sarcasm is too much sarcasm? Can you measure it? Is that metric or US units? How many cups are in a quart?

See, some of you just laughed and said, "that crazy Sara" and some of you made the face and said, "Sarcasm is an intangible, not a solid or liquid and therefore cannot be measured in that way. I thought you were smarter than that."

I am. It was funny. F-u-n-n-y.

Even worse than that are the ones who went, "See, there she goes again, saying these things that are clearly insulting to us. She is insulting us!"

Shut your hole. Seriously. Go somewhere, stick your head in the sand and shut the hell up. You suck.

See, the thing is that I didn't start out to insult you, but now that you've shown what amazing schmucks you are I can't help myself.

You suck hard.

That's not sarcasm, by the way.

The humor I appreciate is very much like my own humor. I assume we all do. Of course, I have no idea what the schmucks find funny. Maybe nothing. How sad for them. I guess it would explain a helluva lot.

As you contemplate the humorful and the humorless of the world, think about where you actually fit in. Are you one of us or one of them?

When next we meet, just remember one of my favorite quotes:

If you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.
--Alice Roosevelt Longworth

And decide carefully whether or not you can properly fill that seat next to me.