I once heard that humor is humorous because it is unexpected. If the punch-line to a joke is the logical ending to the story being told, then no one is going to laugh. I feel like this is true. One is not going to laugh if the punch line to a "Your mom is so fat" joke is "she should be concerned about future cardiovascular issues" - unless of course you were expecting an outlandish and offensive ending, in which case this might be found humorous because the listener is caught off guard.
In this day and age of political correctness and bicyclists having their own lane almost as wide as those intended for cars, I feel that people are just too sensitive. That was my reaction upon reading this article. Sure, a lot of the world hates America and is looking for any slip up we might make to shower us with negative press. But does anyone honestly think that a puppet was in cahoots with a terrorist mastermind?
In this convergence culture in which we live, we must pay closer attention to the kinds of communities in which we involve ourselves and the types of people in those communities. This attention to detail must include things such as the topic at hand as well as the other community members' religion, age, gender, sexuality, nationality, political beliefs, and preconceptions. When you log on to the world-wide web, distinguishing these details is not as easy as one might think. Even if you know a person's religion, age, gender, etcetera, that does not mean you necessarily can understand their motivations or beliefs because their frame of mind may be completely different than your own.
The quote from the creators of Sesame Street also concerns me. I understand that Bert is their intellectual property, but for Ignacio to create the humorous images of Bert merely for entertainment, with no financial desires, it seems quite ludicrous for the producers to threaten with legal action.
What types of misunderstandings have some of you experienced online? Did these stem from differences in beliefs or upbringing? How can the framing of something affect its reception by a wider audience?
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