At 12:49 PM 11/8/02, John D. Giorgis wrote:
At 06:57 PM 11/3/2002 -0600 Dan Minette wrote: >> What I am >> saying is that it sounds awfully arrogant when an amateur claims to have >> the One True Answer ("this *is* how <etcetera>" -- notice the emphasis on >> the word "is") and then add that the professionals "haven't figured it out >> yet". >> >> He could easily have avoided coming across as arrogant, simply by stating >> that *in his opinion* "this is how the UNSC will end up", rather than >> making it look as if he knows better than all those professionals. > >John is a lot subtler than you give him credit for. I didn't quite >ROTFLMAO when he wrote "This is how it will turn out", but it is a pretty >good example of dry wit. BTW, dry wit depends on the humor being subtle, >so a smiley is out of place with dry wit.The other problem with dry wit is that you can't exactly come out and explain it to someone yourself once they don't get it. Oh well, I'm glad that *somebody* got it at least... :)
As I tell my students or others when a joke fails to go over, some people are very lucky in that they get to laugh _three times_ at a joke:
The first time -- when they hear it,
The second time -- when it's explained to them,
The third time -- when they finally get it.
-- Ronn! :~)
"Humor...it is a difficult concept."
--Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley) to Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) in _Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn_
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