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Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

theatlantic.com

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Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#41

Post by torstenvl »

CPLX wrote: post #37
torstenvl wrote: post #2

There is a reason that it became common practice for an introduction to give a broad overview of the topic. It seriously detracts from the writing when the first paragraph plunges you into deep background, and you don't get a hint as to the supposed topic until halfway through.

This has been how storytelling has been done for centuries, it’s a a mark of thoughtful feature writing. The Atlantic is over 100 years old and extremely prestigious, it’s resonable to assume that at least from a technical writing standpoint they know what they are doing and do it on purpose. It’s not writing intended for a textbook or academic paper. It’s a story. You’re supposed to read it and get introduced to thi…

I believe you're thinking of an attention step, an immersion into a human interest aspect of the story before the formulaic structure of a traditional introduction. I have no problem with an attention step. I'm using one right now in a paper I hope to have published.

What I object to is an article ostensibly on Topic A that spends the first 60% completely ignoring Topic A in favor of Topic B, only to draw the most fleeting and hand-wavy of analogies between the two, and subsequently pretending as if the author had presented some work of scholarship on Topic A.

"Until halfway through" was not an exaggeration in my original comment.

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#42

Post by Swizec »

gumby wrote: post #33
Swizec wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s actually just a mark of bad writing. Lots of books do it too, but it’s less common coz you get a lot of practice before you attempt a book. First rule of good writing: Start the story as late as you can get away with. Preferably right before the punchline. Compare: 1) I woke up that morning, showered, put on my shoes, and went on a hike. It was a beautiful day the sun was shining the bees were buzzing. I walked…

But there's a difference between a story for the purpose of entertainment vs an expository story. The former are quite rare on HN.

Same rules apply. Writing is better when you start with the conclusion then expand on the supporting argument.

Unless you want to bring the reader along for the ride of discovery.

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#43

Post by yason »

CPLX wrote: post #37
torstenvl wrote: post #2

There is a reason that it became common practice for an introduction to give a broad overview of the topic. It seriously detracts from the writing when the first paragraph plunges you into deep background, and you don't get a hint as to the supposed topic until halfway through.

This has been how storytelling has been done for centuries, it’s a a mark of thoughtful feature writing. The Atlantic is over 100 years old and extremely prestigious, it’s resonable to assume that at least from a technical writing standpoint they know what they are doing and do it on purpose. It’s not writing intended for a textbook or academic paper. It’s a story. You’re supposed to read it and get introduced to thi…

It’s not writing intended for a textbook or academic paper. It’s a story. You’re supposed to read it and get introduced to things and discover the themes of the story gradually.

I didn't discover crap.

Lost my attention way before I skimmed over to the near-end where they started making the connection to exaggeration. Not because my attention span is that low but, rather, 99% of newspaper articles and columns are without much substance and I really need some assurance that the long story is worth reading.

But, generally, if I want a story I'll read a novel.

For anything else, give me the point. If the point is really good, you'll probably have me hooked for listening in for more.

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#44

Post by cbhl »

torstenvl wrote: post #2

There is a reason that it became common practice for an introduction to give a broad overview of the topic. It seriously detracts from the writing when the first paragraph plunges you into deep background, and you don't get a hint as to the supposed topic until halfway through.

This article is literally an advertisement for a book.

From the fine article:

"This piece was adapted from James Geary’s new book, Wit’s End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It."

Seen under that light, the article works perfectly. It contains a headline with seemingly simple question, meanders along with some anecdotes, and then at the end -- if you're still reading -- it tells you that you can go buy the book if you want to know the answer.

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#45

Post by jacobolus »

windowsworkstoo wrote: post #39
PavlovsCat wrote: post #24

> The same principle is at work in verbal wit. The English film director Anthony Asquith, for example, once introduced Jean Harlow, the platinum-blond 1930s Hollywood star, to his mother, Lady Margot Asquith, the author and wife of the longtime British prime minister Herbert Henry Asquith. Harlow mispronounced Lady Margot’s first name, sounding the final t, as in forgot. “The t is silent, my dear,” Asquith snipped, “…

Yes, she was implying harlot. It was just a joke, I don’t know how you turned a throw away one liner into a blog post...

You don’t think it’s rude for an elderly lady to respond to a young woman mispronouncing her name by “jokingly” calling her a prostitute?

There is some dispute about whether this famous insult actually happened though, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11193714/Meet-Marg...

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#46

Post by windowsworkstoo »

jacobolus wrote: post #45
windowsworkstoo wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, she was implying harlot. It was just a joke, I don’t know how you turned a throw away one liner into a blog post...

You don’t think it’s rude for an elderly lady to respond to a young woman mispronouncing her name by “jokingly” calling her a prostitute? There is some dispute about whether this famous insult actually happened though, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11193714/Meet-Marg...

It’s savage as fuck...still funny though

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#47

Post by PavlovsCat »

windowsworkstoo wrote: post #39
PavlovsCat wrote: post #24

> The same principle is at work in verbal wit. The English film director Anthony Asquith, for example, once introduced Jean Harlow, the platinum-blond 1930s Hollywood star, to his mother, Lady Margot Asquith, the author and wife of the longtime British prime minister Herbert Henry Asquith. Harlow mispronounced Lady Margot’s first name, sounding the final t, as in forgot. “The t is silent, my dear,” Asquith snipped, “…

Yes, she was implying harlot. It was just a joke, I don’t know how you turned a throw away one liner into a blog post...

> I don’t know how you turned a throw away one liner into a blog post...

To be honest, I'm right with you. But I enjoyed it thoroughly, and actually already started to turn it into a blog post, haha. Also a new thing for me, but also fun.

I just find psychology interesting. And if you look around, it's actually some kind of quotation, instead of the kindly forgotten weak moment which it would be in a world that doesn't need even such silly blog posts. I didn't bring it up, I did my part to put it to rest, and you're welcome :P

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#48

Post by dandellion »

CPLX wrote: post #37
torstenvl wrote: post #2

There is a reason that it became common practice for an introduction to give a broad overview of the topic. It seriously detracts from the writing when the first paragraph plunges you into deep background, and you don't get a hint as to the supposed topic until halfway through.

This has been how storytelling has been done for centuries, it’s a a mark of thoughtful feature writing. The Atlantic is over 100 years old and extremely prestigious, it’s resonable to assume that at least from a technical writing standpoint they know what they are doing and do it on purpose. It’s not writing intended for a textbook or academic paper. It’s a story. You’re supposed to read it and get introduced to thi…

As someone who's first language is not English it comes off more as a mark of pedant writing. Some folks might enjoy the "storytelling", but it's really annoying when the author goes in circles and gets nowhere until you've read more than half of the text. Like that joke that goes on forever and ends without a punchline, that some people tell when they just want to pull your leg. And whether it's done by the centuries-old extremely-prestigious my-dad-is-very-important The Atlantic or some random person's blog it's just as annoying.

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#49

Post by TaupeRanger »

dpark wrote: post #40
TaupeRanger wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All articles that purport to explain how some aspect of the human mind works (in this case, why exaggeration jokes trigger the emotional response they do) inevitably fail miserably. This is simply due to the fact that science has basically nothing meaningful to say about human experience, other than to draw vague correlations between it and fMRI scans or lesion studies. For god's sake, we don't even know why/how Ibup…

> For god's sake, we don't even know why/how Ibuprofen works... I bet physicists also assert that bumblebees cannot possibly fly, right? For God’s sake... “ NSAIDs such as ibuprofen work by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, which convert arachidonic acid to prostaglandin H2 (PGH2). PGH2, in turn, is converted by other enzymes to several other prostaglandins (which are mediators of pain, inflammation, and f…

You just explained my point for me by giving a perfect example. We have no idea why any of these correlations hold or why they would lead to any particular change in pain experiences. For god's sake indeed.

This explanation of "why" ibuprofen works is as good as the article's explanation of "why" exaggeration jokes work. It's so unfortunate that otherwise rational people have been made incurious by modern education, enough to believe that "there is a change in the level of one neurotransmitter" is a good explanation for "why a pain medicine works".

Re: Why Exaggeration Jokes Work

#50

Post by PavlovsCat »

windowsworkstoo wrote: post #46
jacobolus wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don’t think it’s rude for an elderly lady to respond to a young woman mispronouncing her name by “jokingly” calling her a prostitute? There is some dispute about whether this famous insult actually happened though, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11193714/Meet-Marg...

It’s savage as fuck...still funny though

Such savagery is born out of weakness. To respond like that to a honest mistake is like slapping someone in the face for no reason at all. It's like a child saying something wrong to an adult and the adult just throwing it across the room, for no reason. There's no such thing as "no reason" though, and in this case it seems pretty easy to guess at the rough shapes of those reasons, and I find it hilarious that it seems to escape thousands, millions of people. I guess that is just one more pebble pointing to the wider alliance of the obedient with sociopaths that Arno Gruen described.
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