Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama and McCain Walk Into a Bar ...
NY TImes ^ | Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 | John Tierney

Posted on 11/04/2008 1:19:31 AM PST by Hadean

While Americans choose their next president, let us consider a question more amenable to science: Which candidate's supporters have a better sense of humor? We began by asking nearly 300 people in Boston to rate the following three attempts at humor:

A) Jake is about to chip onto the green at his local golf course when a long funeral procession passes by. He stops in midswing, doffs his cap, closes his eyes and bows in prayer. His playing companion is deeply impressed. "That's the most thoughtful and touching thing I've ever seen," he says. Jake replies, "Yeah, well, we were married 35 years."

B) I think there should be something in science called the 'reindeer effect.' I don't know what it would be, but I think it'd be good to hear someone say, "Gentlemen, what we have here is a terrifying example of the reindeer effect."

C) If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong, though. It's Hambone.

They expected conservatives to like traditional jokes... And because liberals had previously been reported to be more flexible and open to new ideas, the researchers expected them to get a bigger laugh out of unconventional humor, like Jack Handey's 'Deep Thoughts' about the reindeer effect and Hambone.

Indeed, the conservatives did rate the traditional golf and marriage jokes as significantly funnier than the liberals did. But they also gave higher ratings to the absurdist 'Deep Thoughts.' In fact, they enjoyed all kinds of humor more.

"I was surprised," said Dan Ariely, a psychologist at Duke University. "Conservatives are supposed to be more rigid and less sophisticated, but they liked even the more complex humor."

Do conservatives have more fun?

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: conservative; humor; jokes; liberal; senseofhumor
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-26 next last

1 posted on 11/04/2008 1:19:32 AM PST by Hadean
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Hadean
Conservatives are supposed to be more rigid and less sophisticated

Gee, better get back to your research, until it conforms to your expectations.

2 posted on 11/04/2008 1:23:27 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean
Conservatives are supposed to be more rigid and less sophisticated

Conservatives are so-darn unsophiticated, I'm beginning to think Free Republic was created by someone else.

3 posted on 11/04/2008 1:24:27 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

There has never been the slightest indication that the Obamessiah has any kind of a sense of humor. He is the dullest, most one-dimensional pol around. McCain and Palin have both shown flashes of wonderful humor. Biden has a sense of humor but since he is the biggest joke around he needs to learn to laugh at himself!


4 posted on 11/04/2008 1:26:17 AM PST by Enchante (The real "bitter clingers" are on the LEFT -- ranting Obamabots clinging to delusions!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

Why should it be surprising? Conservatives instinctively believe in human imperfection, and see absurdity everywhere. Leftists wish to scrub imperfection and absurdity out of existence. It’s hard to laugh at something you are trying to exterminate.


5 posted on 11/04/2008 1:27:03 AM PST by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

The rest of us are just pretending to be conservatives to fool nickcarraway into believing that conservatives are sophisticated and intelligent.


6 posted on 11/04/2008 1:29:03 AM PST by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]



7 posted on 11/04/2008 1:39:54 AM PST by DoughtyOne (Our nation is uncomfortably close to having B.O. We need to use a Republican roll on by 11/04.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

I haven’t seen any signs of humor in Obama. In fact, I barely see signs of life in him. He’s robotic and programmed. Most of the time he looks like he needs a good laxative.

Lefties are too thin-skinned to have much humor. They seem to like goofy, non-sensical stuff. But I guess that makes sense in a way. Anything based in logic would be beyond their ability to understand.


8 posted on 11/04/2008 1:43:49 AM PST by Jezebelle (Our tax dollars are paying the ACLU to sue the Christ out of us.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

If liberals were smart enough to “get it”... they’d be conservatives.

If they can’t understand some humor why would they understand politics. This is why they get so angry at Ann Coulter’s sarcasm. They don’t realize it is humor.


9 posted on 11/04/2008 1:51:01 AM PST by aj7360
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
I am astounded. My personal experience shows me that Conservatives are better educated, more accepting of personal differences, more compassionate, and, usually, think much faster on their feet. I am amazed that so called “social scientists” are so far behind the curve! LOL!

I LOVED this article! It was clever and humorous. So, there, dim libtards!

10 posted on 11/04/2008 1:52:02 AM PST by singfreedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

IMO, it’s funny to see all these pinhead psychology professors observing conservatives as if we were natural vegatation.


11 posted on 11/04/2008 2:22:42 AM PST by Baladas ((ABBHO))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean
This guy is just figuring out now that Socialists are humorless prigs? What, does he think the Soviets painted all of Eastern Europe gray because they ran out of the other colors?

I will be the first person in line at my precinct this morning. Now go log off and be the first person in line at your precinct!

12 posted on 11/04/2008 2:49:04 AM PST by gridlock (18 Million Democrats voted for Hillary in the primaries. Are they all racists?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: singfreedom
I am amazed that so called “social scientists” are so far behind the curve! LOL!

Why do you think they majored in snap courses in the first place?? All it did was get them through Liberal Indoctrination on the way to the Master Of Basket Weaving degree.

13 posted on 11/04/2008 3:05:10 AM PST by Gorzaloon (NRA Lifer. Since Waco.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

C
A
B


14 posted on 11/04/2008 3:05:59 AM PST by normy (Don't take it personally, just take it seriously.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

I went thru school with a kid we had nicknamed “hambone”. I have no idea how he got that name.........


15 posted on 11/04/2008 3:12:38 AM PST by Hot Tabasco (Spreading manure around helps growth. Spreading wealth around creates manure)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

B and C are not only not funny, but also stupid. They don’t even qualify as jokes.


16 posted on 11/04/2008 3:16:34 AM PST by reg45
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

My 12 year old come up the other day and says,”Barack and Joe Biden are on a cruise ship. The ship sinks. Who is saved?”

America!


17 posted on 11/04/2008 4:13:34 AM PST by Helotes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Hadean

If the researcher had ever bothered to follow FR, he would have known that conservatives are full of wit and humor. Instead, he gets his stereotypes from the Leftmedia.


18 posted on 11/04/2008 4:28:26 AM PST by hellbender
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Helotes
Heard one like that yesterday.

Obama, Pelosi and Reid are riding a donkey. As Obama kicks the donkey on, it veers hard left and picks up speed. The donkey heads for a cliff and jumps right over. Who is saved?

19 posted on 11/04/2008 4:32:35 AM PST by Kudsman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Kudsman
The donkey heads for a cliff and jumps right over. Who is saved?

America.

20 posted on 11/04/2008 4:39:40 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-26 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson