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It's been a while since I've been really captivated by an idea, but the one that's got me hooked right now is the idea that jokes are social – they perform social functions, they sustain social orders. They establish identities and boundaries, they alienate and assimilate
the thing I love about a good idea is that, when it makes it into your brain, all the other ideas, as well as a large set of memories, all get excited and rush over to meet it, and there's this big huddle and everyone starts re-examining themselves & reconsidering their existence https://t.co/9nohHMHwHR
so now I'm wondering: - what are all the things I've ever joked about? - what were my best jokes? - what were my worst jokes? - have I ever hurt anybody with a joke? - have I ever helped anybody with a joke? - have I ever been hurt or helped by someone else's joke? https://t.co/YLxG2oZISb
This reminds me of a joke one of my enciks (NCOs) told us when we were in the army. “Don’t say you have no choice. The army gives you a lot of choice. Do you bathe first or brush your teeth first? Put on left boot first or right boot first? So many choices! So much freedom!” https://t.co/d0Y5aODfxR
Oddball confession: one of my first life-shaping experiences on the Internet was lying on a video game forum (Darkstone, Delphine Software). Somebody joked that they got “Helm of the Arse Gods”, and I lied and said I got it too. I was like... 8. Everyone cringed and laughed at me
Finite players play for immortality (Hall Of Fame) while infinite players play as mortals. Death for finite players is a sort of defeat, death for infinite players is a sort of joke (in this elevated sense where joke =/= frivolous or dismissive, but somehow enriching, joyous) https://t.co/ZzbbihQOSy
Like, jokes and grievances aside, I think there is some real truth here about the real differences between men and women, broadly speaking. There was a Chris Rock joke that went something like, “if women would fuck n*ggas in a cardboard box, the property market would collapse”
jokes aside, I think this is a real and honest expression of desire – it's the understanding of marketplace that's warped. You can actually get all of this and more, just that market price is closer to $3,500/hr than $3.50/hr. For $2,000/hr I'll put on a wig and be your waifu
btw a common joke in Singapore (I don't know if it's universal) – if a dude does something uncommonly romantic or thoughtful, a common response from other dudes is "wah, spoil market leh". It's a joke, yes, and jokes serve a social purpose + sustain a social order https://t.co/uZQcUkMrLT
Bunch of revealing jokes in this one https://t.co/cP15JpMtj2