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Dick Margulis picked up on a few things I said and dug deeper:
<<On the other hand, I see a tendency toward saying that humor should only
be used in comedy clubs, books shelved in the humor section at Barnes &
Noble, and plays and movies labeled as comedies in their advertising; that
otherwise humor is too risky, too out-of-place.>>
A good counterexample would be the "for dummies" and "for complete idiots"
series of books. But here, the people who choose these books are consciously
seeking something different from standard manuals, and if they have
experience with the series, know that they should expect humor and an
irreverent tone. If these books have been _chosen for_ the reader,
presumably the person doing the choosing knows the gift recipient well
enough to be confident this is a good choice. Audience analysis!
<<Humor is part of the human condition and it can be appropriate in strange
places--just as art can. I've seen people use humor during funeral services
to great effect.>>
Again, it's a question of audience. If you, as the speaker, are well known
to the audience, and know the audience well enough to be confident that
they'll benefit from humor in a difficult situation, it can indeed be
effective. I can't imagine the funeral for a popular comedian being
extremely dry and humorous. Plus, once you've established respect for the
person, you can also appeal to the listener's fond memories of humorous
times. But as a general rule? Humor probably doesn't fit here.
<<I'd hate to see us all become so timid that we do nothing all day long but
stand around murmuring, "Don't make waves.">>
True enough. Just, as I noted in concluding, be aware of what you're doing
and take appropriate precautions. Practice safe humor! <g>
--Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
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