Friday, July 08, 2011

On internet memes

I guess it is kind of hard to read the "based on the Bayeux Tapestry" style text and the fake-Shakespearean English if you're not familiar with it. Essentially, it's a little four panel comic: First panel, the young man is stating that his parents have sent him to chop wood for the fire ("Mine parents doth instructeth I shouldst chop wood for my fire, verilly")

And he scares up a bird that is in the tree ("Hark, do I startle a gentle woodbeast")

And the bird does what birds often do upon being scared ("Poopeth!" and that is what made me laugh second-hardest about this comic).

The young man, upset at having been pooped upon by a bird, utters a curse...but rather than the iconic "FFFUUUUUUUU...." that is so often used, he says "Forsooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth" instead.

I suppose it's one of those things you have to have a certain weird turn of mind to find funny. But I found it very funny indeed.

(And I actually said "Forsoooooooth!" last night in my house - we've been having periodic, very brief, power outages. I don't think it's related to high demand levels so much because they last three seconds or less, but they are enough to muck up all the digital clocks, it changes my on-screen tv guide to "TO BE ANNOUNCED" for everything, and if the air conditioner is at a particular point in its cycle something somewhere in the system gets tripped, and to get it back working right you have to shut the thing down, shut its breaker down, wait, and then power back up. And those outages happened three times last night. And no, it's not just wonky wiring in my house; it happens to my friends and it happens over at school too.

My father said based on my description that he thinks it's that they are switching between modes of generation/substations, but I don't know. To me, it seems like that would be one of those "they can put a man on the moon, why can't they...?" situations, but whatever.

I've just learned to save like crazy if I'm working on the computer.)

Anyway, internet memes: I love them. I know some people think they're stupid, or certain ones are overdone, or whatever. But I think I love them for a very specific reason related to my sense of humor. I am that kind of person who will carry a joke a little too far, who will be laughing over a repetition of it even after other people have found it, well, repetitious. (For example: I still find Rickrolls pretty funny*, though I think the "cool people" probably are going "2007 called; they want their meme back.")

And I'm easily amused. I openly admit that, even though the phrase is more commonly seen in the formulation, "Bless her heart, she's easily amused." meaning "She's not that bright, actually, and so things make her laugh easily." Then again, I'm not sure how being easily amused - laughing at the absurdity, really, of the human condition and such - is a marker of lower intelligence. No less a philosopher than B. Bunny, Esq. said, "Don't take life so serious. You aren't getting out of it alive anyway."

I think also I find incongruities - things that shouldn't go together, but that someone thinks to put together - extremely funny. I think that's why the particular comic I posted yesterday struck me so funny - it requires at the same time a knowledge of the Bayeux Tapestry, the "FFFFUUUUUU" "rageguy" comics, and, I don't know, the idea that poop is funny? (Though I've also been told it's folklore that having a bird poop on you is good luck. Presumably because it's such an uncommon occurrence. Or maybe people just made that up to make themselves feel better about it.)

(*Then again: I think I find Rickrolls and the like funny because they are the rare practical joke that is relatively harmless and not really dignity-damaging. Unlike the typical April Fools' joke (and I've seen a few that either ruined the clothes of the victim or got him/her dirty at a time when going home to clean up was not possible, or sent him or her down a rabbit hole of frustration and time-wasteage), it's the kind of thing where you can sort of laugh ruefully, go "Yeah, you got me, good one" and move on.)

And also, while a "contrarian" is about the furthest thing from what I am in most cases, I admit part of the reason I like stupid things like the Nyancat, is that they annoy the heck out of some other people. (Part of my liking of Hello Kitty items is a similar justification). I don't know, I can't explain it, but to me it's funny to be laughing over Nyan cat while other people are "That's the stupidest thing ever! Why are you amused by that?" (Again, it may relate to my first post of yesterday: I like things that are silly and sometimes get fed up by the intense seriousness of some people.)

5 comments:

CGHill said...

If you hear me saying "forsooth," it's probably in the voice of Snagglepuss.

"Forsooth! Fivesooth, even!"

Lynn said...

There was a bit of wisdom on an episode of the original Star Trek that applies here. I can't remember it word for word (I'm not one of those people who memorize entire episodes word for word)but essentially, The more sophisticated the mind the greater the need for play.

(Star Trek contains the answer for everything. ;-) )

LeeAnn said...

When the Historical Tale Construction Kit was first going 'round, I spent... oh, something like 394 hours messing with it. I even made a big printed-out one for H's work.
Not one single soul had any idea what it meant or the origin and that day we wept and gave up hope for the future.
It was a fun site but now it's gone.
And the weeping continues.

Anonymous said...

Aaaah! Now I understand it (so who is not very bright here, huh?) I got the style, tapestry and general timeframe more or less right (I thought it's was Chaucer not Shakespeare) but the meaning of woodbeast? and forsoo~~~~~th?!

Thanks.

About being easily amused - it's a sign of generally friendly and lighthearted disposition, I think. Which is a good thing and mark of an optimist.

Mel said...

I could've sworn I was getting Rickrolled by satellite radio last month.

Every stinkin time I got in the thing or changed the channel ... never gonna give you up ....

Got pretty comical.