Write about a joke that did not go over well.
I was watching Sarah Silverman in an interview the other day. She said she learned a lot about the boundaries of humor growing up when she told jokes that did not go over well. She said before she was born her parents lost a baby boy…I can’t recall how he died, but he was a baby. Years later Sarah said one of her parents talked about being safe in the car and she busted out a hilarious one liner, “Yeah! We don’t wanna end up like Matthew!!” to which her audience did not respond well.
When I watched her interview I thought about how true that was. Humor really walks a fine line of funny versus offensive and I feel like half my life I’ve grown up with that same “oh crap…that didn’t go over well…”
My mouth gets me into a lot of trouble. And unfortunately I’m not a super quick learner. I found that rather than change the way I deliver a joke, it’s much easier to just surround myself with friends and family who know when I’m being funny. They laugh at just the right moment and then the rest of my audience knows I’m hilarious and not just an ass. It really works for me.
Writing this blog has been the biggest eye opening experience I’ve had with walking that fine line in humor. Sometimes things that I think are funny are not always received the way I think they’ll be received. My oldest sister Bianca isn’t nearly as thrilled about the old school pictures I post of her as I think she will be. My youngest sister cringes when I mention her personal life, and Pat does not think our arguments are nearly as funny as I think they are. So I’m careful not to talk about all the times I’m mad at him.
I’d like to stay married.
The most jaw dropping moment in blog land for me came after I published a picture of Laina on the blog and pointed out a curly haired boy in the back and told my readers not to pay any attention to him, but then mentioned how I chase him around with scissors all day in an attempt to cut his hair.
Funny right?
Only not to his dad…who emailed me (after being notified about The Blog) and wrote furiously about the “unauthorized” photo I used of his son. He was disgusted that I call myself a childcare provider and yet “chase his son around the house with scissors all day”.
Hahaha…ummmm…oops.
I no longer write about chasing children around the house with scissors.
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back and sign Mr. Linky. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1.) Choose a headline from The Today Show website and write up an opinion post based on the story you chose.
2.) Write a poem about the last thing that made you mad.
3.) Write about a joke that did not go over well.
4.) Write a funny story involving socks.
5.) It happened on Facebook…write about a funny or awkward conversation you saw unfold on Facebook.
{ 100 comments… read them below or add one }
LOL! I am about to chase my own son around the house with scissors! And you are right, the written word often times comes out very differently to some. You HOPE that people know you well enough to know your tone in writing.
I think it’s funny! The dad obviously has no send of humor!
I know I just had one of those UhOh moments tonight. Precisely about the blog I did for this prompt. I used fictitious names and one of the parties obviously reads my blog. OOPS. She didn’t think it was funny and has been blasting me on FB for the last couple of hours. I tried to apologize if I hurt her feelings but I’m thinking she’s not gonna ever get over it. What can I say? Maybe I should be WAY more generic? LOL
Uh oh!! I hate that feeling when that happens!!
This is a cool one. I am too tired tonight to think one up but probably tomorrow I will link up. My fat yap gets me in trouble too and I think kid’s dad needs to simmer down..unauthorized photo schmoto! I thought it was funny!
I am usually the only one that laughs at my own jokes. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty funny.
i’m right there with you lady! i walk the fine line all the time and my poor hubs just waits to see which side i’m going to land on! and for the record, i think you’re funny!!
Even if a person does not find you funny, they should still recognize the use of humour! I really hope that dad did not actually picture you running around with a pair of scissors in your hand! Honestly? Why would he even leave his kid with you in the first place if it seemed like you were the kind of person to do such a thing? Your sense of humour might not appeal to all (though I find you funny), but you can’t help if someone doesn’t have any at all.
Oh I was absolutely dumbfounded. I feel like he was looking for grounds to sue me.
He also went off on me about how he brings his child to ME to watch…not my assistant…so this business of leaving the daycare (preschool drop off) was not acceptable. I should be watching his child closely every minute of the day.
Never mind the fact that my assistant was his girlfriend. This dude was just looking to for reasons to hate me.
I literally choked on my milk when I read your reply. Your assistant was his gf? Yikes! He really, REALLY has no sense of humour. But, hey, we like ya ;)
Yes, they met after she started working here…isn’t that precious? She babysat his son for him on more than one occasion…he was just looking for more ways to incriminate me.
I think those of us, with the dry sense of humour, are the funniest! No one gets my humour either. And yet, I attempted poetry……
Well, call me one of your friends because I thought it was funny.
Life and learn, right!?!
And I don’t know if its me but to me, Mr Linky is not working so I am just going to leave me link in the comments here in hopes that when Mr Linky works or if someone else can see it, then they will post it.
http://www.buriedwithchildren.com/public-service-announcement-evil-book/
Jen , I had issues with Mr Linky as well, but refreshed my page and it worked.
Off to read your work now. :)
Thanks for the heads up! I didn’t know Linky was having problems today!…not that I can really do anything about it. I hope it works itself out!
My God … that father is a real wet blanket!
This is hilarious–I’d be afraid of that dad if I were you. No sense of humor there!
I really liked him at first…but yes, he definitely got scary. And refused to speak with me in person. I called my licensor right away to discuss all of his accusations.
Wait, you’re not supposed to chase kids with scissors? Darn. I’m doing it all wrong.
Not sharp ones.
I totally get your “fine line” of humor point. I am still relatively new to blogging so I don’t think I’ve offended anyone yet, but I’m sure that day is coming.
I would have thought that was funny too! My mom teaches pre-school and the stories she would have for a blog are hilarious (or at least I think so)
How could anyone think you were being serious? People are so weird.
I started reading my blog from a literal standpoint and was thinking “how could ANYONE send their children to me!?!?!” I’m like a self admitted crazy lady driven to drugs and alcohol…perfect daycare provider, no?
I’ve had members of my family contact me and tell me on no account to ever mention them in my blog, ever. I wouldn’t mind, but I change the names!
At first I talked about my family ALL the time. Never even thought to ask them if it was okay to post their pictures and names. Now I feel much more apprehensive and talk mostly about people I don’t think will care…but I still manage to get myself in hot water every now and again!
I offend people constantly. Lame ass people, that is.
That dad needs to lighten up. If he doesn’t want his child’s photo shown, that’s one thing and he should ask calmly, but to act like you really meant you chase him around with scissors is ridiculous!
And the photo was literally the back of the child’s head…I’m not even sure you could see his face. I deleted the offensive photo and subsequent posts immediately and he fired back another email about how it’s a good thing he saved the incriminating posts to his computer. Dude is psycho.
Yea, I’ve gotten myself into trouble blogging too. That just means you are an official blogger, right?
Yes. My Mom has been my biggest advocate when I’ve gotten in trouble with the blog. She equates it to famous comedians, like Kathy Griffin, who are constantly offensive but mean no harm. As relatives to that person you need to learn to go with the flow a bit.
In short…we are the Kathy Griffins of our family.
In our family, it’s Mr. Fairway’s mouth that needs a muzzle. Always. But I guess that’s why I wasn’t uncomfortable letting my 10-year-old watch Erin Brokovitch. At all.
I thought it was funny too. Makes a funny story now at least. ;)
I’m cracking up at the thought of someone taking seriously that you chase a child around with scissors. On Tuesday, I wrote some of the hilarious things that my husband said on our date this weekend- but then I got an email asking if I really thought those things were funny or just offensive. Oops.
I read that post Shell! That’s too funny!
Blogging can be tricky at times, especially when you really desperately neeeed to blog about something….but that something might get someone’s panties in a twist? I had to avoid a couple of such prompts from the WW workshop this week because I felt a little too confident that my humor would not be appreciated by my subjects – and I had some FUNNY material!! Why can’t people just have a sense of humor?!? Why by such hard asses and not live a little? Anyway…..RUN WITH SCISSORS!!! LOL
I know the feeling…sometimes I have to call someone for advise on whether or not posting on that controversial topic will get me in trouble.
I thought it was funny too! I’m like everyone else though….no one laughs at my jokes but me. LOL
People with no sense of humor make me uncomfortable. That daddy needs to loosen that top button a li’l bit, I say!
Oops! Like you’d really write about the fact that you are chasing kids around with scissors all day if you were really doing it!! Some people….sheesh!
It’s been a while, but I participated today.
My kids had fun with this prompt thinking of failed jokes all day long. It happens a lot over here…we are all telling jokes and someone in the family doesn’t get it.
I think that it was funny that the dad thought you were serious about the scissors!
There was so much more to it! I definitely was not laughing at the time.
I am a very sarcastic person and people oftentimes have a hard time getting my humor if they aren’t used to me. Although the scissor thing was quite funny!
Oh, that’s the WORST–when you hurt someone or upset them when your only intention was to make people laugh. I have a knot in my stomach just thinking about it.
I also try to be very careful of photos I post on my blog. I’ve learned to ask permission if the photo is of anyone but me. And generally speaking, if I can’t decide whether or not to say/post something, I usually err on the side of caution and don’t. It’s just easier that way. But like you, my mouth still manages to get me into trouble ALL the time!
I don’t know…sometimes the laugh is worth it. :) I thought the Dad was ridiculous with his allegations, but I definitely took them seriously!
I remember the dad and the kid you chased w/scissors incident. Yikes! As if you really had the time to run w/scissors all day long after his shaggy head.
I sympathize with Bianca. I would DIE a million deaths if old horrible pictures of myself were online… (like my bowl haircut when I was 5… or giant bangs from 6th grade… or when leggings were “in”) I shudder!
See I think that stuff is hilarious! Ugly pictures of me from my youth? Bring it on…but she has literally tried to throw away every single old picture of herself she can find. She’s really not interested in re-visiting those days. :)
I might sympathize, but please don’t stop posting the old family pics, LOL. Those are my favorite posts! I’m too vain to post my own, but I love seeing everyone else’s. LOLOL
So chasing kids with scissors- NOT a good idea?? LMAO! Kat your so funny!
This was my first WW post in a long time…great prompts! Looking forward to reading everyone’s posts!
I think I would probably cry if I got an irate email from a parent. I can’t take criticism. :)
Oh no, don’t get me wrong…I definitely cried. His emails were ruthless and hurtful and most of all threatened my livelihood. I didn’t eat for weeks until my licensor and I had straightened everything out. It was a mess!
Wow, that would be hard. I would think the dad would know you were joking, but I guess some people just don’t get it.
I’m always so weird about people in my “real” life reading my blog. In fact, I was at a party for my 5 yr old the other day & one of the moms said she was loving my blog. My stomach literally dropped. I was like..how…what…ugh. Turns out, she had been reading my Bachelorette notes on my regular facebook account. Whew!
Doesn’t it throw you off when someone mentions your blog in real life? I never know how to respond!
I can’t wait to read the funny ones!! I need some humor!! And some caffeine, and chocolate, and tanning oil and a beach…
It is a very very fine line, which is why I use Mr. Jenners (aka Mr. Paranoia) to vet anything I’m unsure about.
Yikes about the dad though.
I just hate it when I REALLY want to post about something and my own Mr. Paranoia thinks it’s not a good idea. I’ll spend 30 minutes convincing him that it IS a good idea, but usually lose.
I think he over reacted just a bit. After all, you didn’t really cut his hair…you were just chasing him. LOL
Geez….can’t people take a joke these days???
That’s very true. I have a pretty sarcastic (shocking…I know) and dry sense of humor so I have to be careful around some people so I don’t offend them.
i am ALWAYS sticking my foot in my mouth. and it hurts because my feet are a size 11.
like on my blog once, i made a joke about that one time i had gonorrhea. and i swear to you, my mother called me that night and whispered over the phone, “i didn’t know you had gonorrhea!”
for the love of all things fluffy.
i published a disclaimer the next day about how if people took my joke about having an std seriously, they were fired permanently as my friends. i fired my own mother.
Some people need a sense of humor. Too many people are way to uptight! Lighten up!
Mr. Linky isn’t working for me, here is my post! http://angelaandpatrick.blogspot.com/2010/07/writers-workshop.html
This week was chock full of really interesting prompts. I’m excited to see other people’s responses.
Hmmmm…. so chasing kids with scissors is not appropriate? Must remember that next time the urge strikes. I’ve often said that I fall prey to the “Ohmygosh, did I just say that out loud” fairy. The one thing I’ve learned ~ it’s always the other person.
No…BLOGGING about chasing kids around with scissors is not okay. As long as the scissor are not too sharp and you don’t actually cut their hair…then it’s okay.
Very true..I tend to keep my humor to my family and friends, they are the only ones who truly get me.
I found this post to be very funny!
haha whoopsie!
My first Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop post! I’m looking forward in reading some of the other posts!
Have a great day everyone!
Awkward… :)
Oy… and I thought I was the only one…
What goes on in my head, doesn’t always translate to other people… I’m 42, and am obviously a slow learner too…
You are sooo not alone…
Thanks for being so candid…
Oh Kat – all those years and all those kids and you never learned not to run with scissors?
Shame.
I need to know if the dad kept his kid there with you or not!??!?!
Oh no! There’s an entire back story I skipped about how he even found out about the blog…it’s long and dramatic and regretful…the dad pulled his child out immediately.
OMG – the thing about the dad reading the blog? See? THAT is exactly why I don’t tell people IRL that I have a blog. I don’t want to lose the blog fodder for the sake of avoiding offending people. Plus, I can’t help it when people are just stupid.
HA HA see i bet I’m offending someone RIGHT NOW.
That’s the dangerous part though! Of course I didn’t willingly tell any of the daycare people OR my assistant about the blog…but I use our real names and all she had to do was google search our names to find it. The rest was history. She shared the offensive material and the rest is history.
Definitely keeping names off the blog is a smart thing to do if you don’t want anyone to find it!
Oh, and about the dad? yes, I agree, psycho.
if it had been MY kid, I would have totally called you and said, “NEXT TIME MAKE SURE YOU GET HER FACE!!! YOU’RE FAMOUS YO!!!! I WANT MY KID TO BE FAMOUS BY ASSOCIATION!!!”
I have a couple parents who read The Blog and are really awesome about it…I’ve even had people email me about my daycare to see if I had openings. :) Some people really do get me!!
Well, I thought the scissors thing was funny, but then again I’m always telling my kids to remember to run when they’re holding scissors (of course I’m being sarcastic for anyone who thinks I’m serious and am a bad mother…). I think most mothers get the humor though. Peace. ;)
Yes, my humor is sometimes lost on people, but I just keep trying! At least I’m having fun, huh?! :) Hope SOMEBODY anybody thinks my story involving socks is funny…
Ohhh…I know exactly what you mean. Although unfortunately I can’t recall a certain circumstance where what I said didn’t turn out so well.
Because I was raised with an older brother, older boy cousin, and one younger boy cousin…most of what I say that doesn’t go over well is something crude that only a boy would say. Lovely.
Megan
http://reddirtandcrazy.blogspot.com/
I haven’t been at this long, but I’ve already learned it’s best to have those that read my blog and accept my humor for what it is and those who don’t even have to know about it because we’re all probably better off (like my neighbors and bosses).
Ricky Gervais once said that a good joke should turn off as many people as it turns on and I believe in that. You can’t pander to everyone or else it’s not funny at all. And it’s not you.
You should know better than to “run with scissors”
I don’t think I ever had a joke that went badly. I mostly just have a joke that people don’t like and whenever I try telling it again, I get a bunch of moans “You’re not going to tell THAT one again are you…”
Humor is hard in general, and even harder in written form. Tone of voice and inflection have so much to do with it. Personally, I’m terrible at jokes in person, and much better with them in print, where I can write and re-write until it sounds good. You just can’t do that kind of planning with speaking, unless you’re standing at a lectern, which tends to kill off humor before it has a chance to get going.
Seriously, though, I can’t believe that guy had a problem with your joke about his kid’s hair. Like he really thought you were chasing him around with scissors?
Seriously, some people get so touchy….
Although, I’ll admit, I do have to re-edit most posts concerning my husband because (1) I too would like to stay married and (2) we’ve moved to a really small town where everyone knows everyone, and he’s running the company that employs a lot of people….so I don’t want him to look too bad.
Soooo….wait…he SERIOUSLY thought you were chasing his son around with scissors?? Unauthorized photo? What a little pansy pants. I think you’re hilarious! I’ll bet he’s a lot of fun in bed…
I linked to a post I did recently about a song my Grandmother absolutely did not want played at her funeral. It is only funny to some-but to me and other rocker chick from the 80′s (90′s?) it is a good laugh.
And no-it wasn’t played.
Thanks so much for doing these…it’s my favorite blogging time of the week!
I picked Prompt #2
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels my humor is taken wrong or lost in the translation :) Great post!
Well I think that story is hilarious about the boy in the backround and I’m AMAZED that the boy’s father got wind of it. Well, it’s just a testament to your success, that’s all!
I always thought my sense of humor was awful but since I started writing it seems to go over in writing. No clue why. I finally got to join you this week after going over to the Ninja Blogger. Great meme.
Well, what did you expect? I’ve often read your blog/ Twitter
and thought thank god she’s not my babysitter. Posting pics of other people’s kids? Ewe.
1.) I expect parents to be okay with me chasing their children around my house with scissors.
2.) I expect to never be referred to as a savvy business owner and never as a “babysitter”. I’m not a tween.
3.) I expect to post a picture of my daughter cooking without someone having a problem seeing the back of their son’s curly head in the photo.
and
4.) Ew.
Kelly,
I have been taking my children to Kathy’s daycare for four years now. You should know that she’s wonderful with them. She sends me pictures of my kids throughout the day, she puts shows on for them while they eat their lunch, and they bring home art projects everyday. I would recommend her to anyone!
I can’t thank you enough for the work you do Kathy! It means so much that my kids love you the way they do! Keep up the great blogging and don’t let the negativity get to you!!
-Kristi
Yea, I think we have the same kind of humor. I get myself into trouble all the time because of some of the things that come out of my mouth. I blame it on my ADD now. Every time I wrote a blog post, I have to think about what I’m writing and whom it might effect. I hate that part of blogging.
I’ve had many people mention to me lately, about “that blog”. Really is a blog really that bad? I think of a blog as a bigger version of Facebook where you can write more and attach pictures and stuff. I laugh because people post the most random crap on Facebook, yet make fun of my blog.
Thanks for inspiring me today, cause my mind is mush. Of course, I wrote about the Facebook prompt, because people are completely freaky on FB.
This was my first writing prompt, I hope that I can continue this, it was really enjoyable, especially for a new blogger as myself!
you really shouldn’t be running with scissors.
It’s reasons like that why I tell few people in my life about my blog. lol I don’t need the extra criticism and I want to blog what I want to blog and not feel guilty about it!
That’s the thing with humor, some people have it and some don’t. Too bad that dad couldn’t see the humor because I’m sure you’re a lot of fun with the kids. Thanks for the laughs. P.S. I LOVE your site! P.S.S. I messed up and linked my writing page in 2 spots… oops. I hope that doesn’t mess anyone up.
I got into the shitloads of trouble after I wrote today’s post and my husband read it.
I get — I DO — that he wants to control how his business is portrayed — but some things are too funny NOT to post.
Or are my priorities all screwed up?
That was rhetorical.
Lord bless you for running a childcare service in your home. I could never do it, with or without a healthy dose of humor. I would, indeed, be chasing the kids with scissors by the end of each day.
I thought your story was funny. But I can see the dad’s point of view as well. And to that I have to say “lighten up” and sure, you decided to joke about something. HE decided to be offended. Choices. Aren’t they interesting. If we could only choose to laugh.
I guess I thought that the parents would know of COURSE I would never hurt their babies. They see first hand the time and effort I put into caring for them…to me it was so clearly a joke…I thought even if he did happen to see it he wouldn’t mind so much. There was way more to the story though…that picture was just the icing on the cake for him to be honest.
I can’t believe you got in trouble for the scissors thing. Some people get so worked up over things!