WHEN WE DON'T GET THE JOKE
I feel an acute sense of shame whenever I don’t get a joke. It happens less regularly these days, but the panic as the punchline approaches has never gone away.
I’m not alone. Many of us are prone to letting funny moments sail right past us. Like that time The Onion headline screamed: “SEAN PENN DEMANDS TO KNOW WHAT ASSHOLE TOOK SEANPENN@GMAIL.COM.”
The accompanying article went on to say that Penn had written a 1,900-word open letter to The Washington Post to find out who had registered the email address before he could. Well, Denmark television station, TV2, took it seriously and printed its own article on the subject, complete with a poll asking whether Penn was right to be angry.
Then came The Onion headline, CONSPIRACY THEORIST CONVINCES NEIL ARMSTRONG MOON LANDING WAS FAKED. The article reported: "Apollo 11 mission commander and famed astronaut Neil Armstrong shocked reporters at a press conference on Monday, announcing he had been convinced that his historic first step on the moon was part of an elaborate hoax orchestrated by the United States government.”
Well, two Bangladeshi newspapers, Daily Manab Zamin and New Nation quickly pounced on the story and repeated its “findings”.
Alright, those news organisations were all outside the US, so I’m happy to give them a pass.
But it’s hard to give former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, a pass when he reacted furiously to The Onion publishing a satirical piece by “Mr Trump” titled “WHEN YOU’RE FEELING LOW, JUST REMEMBER I’LL BE DEAD IN ABOUT 15 OR 20 YEARS.” In the column, the fake “Mr Trump” comforted those who had found themselves depressed about the state of the world with a hopeful reminder that he would soon die.
Not long after publication, The Onion received an email from the real Mr Trump’s then lawyer, Michael Cohen.
“Let me begin by stating the obvious,” wrote Cohen. “The commentary was not written by Mr Trump. Secondly, the article is an absolutely disgusting piece that lacks any place in journalism, even in your Onion.”
The email contained more thunderous blah, blah blah before ending with Cohen saying that the “commentary goes way beyond defamation and, if not immediately removed, I will take all actions necessary to ensure your actions do not go without consequence. Guide yourself accordingly.”
I wonder if Michael Cohen thought about that response as he wiled away the hours in prison.
Missing a joke is funny and embarrassing and here are 10 that slipped through our defences.