This week: Inder the Unfluence Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.
—Benjamin Franklin
Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol.
—Steve Martin
I drink to make other people more interesting.
—Ernest Hemingway
Disclaimer: Some of those quotes may have been misattributed. This does not make them any less true. |
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A very long time ago, I went to a bar with a group of friends, and friends of friends, one of whom had just started a new job. New Job Guy (NJG) had promised to pick up the tab, as it was a very good New Job. So, naturally, I indulged.
Next thing I knew, one of my friends was peeling my face off the table, fingers entwined in my hair. "Waltz!"
"Huh?"
"NJG just bailed."
"And?"
"He didn't pay."
"And?"
"They want us to settle the tab and none of us brought money."
How this was my problem is unclear to this day, decades later. It was even more unclear at the time, as the friend with her fingers in my hair attempted to explain the situation to me. Apparently, I was the only one with a credit card.
What is different between now and then is that, now, I can laugh about it taking ten years to pay off that tab, or about never seeing NJG again. None of which might have happened if I'd been eating salads instead of throwing back shots of tequila.
The thing is, as reckless as it sometimes is to overindulge in mind-altering substances, the results can often be a source of comedy. Some writers—Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind—made an entire career out of it.
"In vino veritas" is a shortened version of something Pliny the Elder wrote, some 2,000 years ago. It translates as "In wine, there is truth." Perhaps there is something to this phrase reverberating from ancient times, but I can also assert: in vino comoedias—in wine, there is comedy.
And look, it's been a very long time since I studied Latin, so don't tell me I've got that ablative wrong or whatever. Never let pedantism get in the way of a joke.
Point being, sure, there's something to be said for moderation.
But where's the humor in that? |
Let's take a bleary look at some funnies:
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Last time, in "Sarcasm" , I explained how sarcasm can be comedy.
🌕 HuntersMoon  : Thank you, Robert, for finally making the case for moving sarcasm into the realm of humor. Yeah, right 
Sure, no problem.
Beholden  : Thank you very much for including my short story, The Mad Tailor, among your Editor's Picks.
Sure, no problem.
NaNoNette  : You say, "it's sometimes possible to dodge or deflect the bite of sarcasm. I find one method that's usually effective is to pretend you didn't pick up on the sarcasm."
I don't even have to pretend. I seriously don't know when people are making jokes most of the time. I tend to take everyone serious until they prove me wrong. Once I figure out that their words aren't describing what they say, I shift 180 degrees to, "Every single thing you say is a lie and I don't believe a word of it."
Apparently, part of that comes from growing up in a low-context culture: Germany. Even among Germans, I am extra dull when it comes to figuring out if something that was said was a joke. Think Drax, that's how literal I take things said to me.
"Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it."
And that's it for me for June! See you next month. Until then,
LAUGH ON!!!
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Comedy: June 21, 2023 Issue [#12024]
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