Fit to Print Volume 25 Issue 2 June 2016 | Page 12

M e m b e r Pe r s p e c t i v e

by Christine Jelley

A Funny Thing Happened...
...At the Gym.
second joke. The class musters a small
titter (funny word, “titter”) but the
message is clear. You were funny the
first time, but leave the standup
routine at the door. Then the
unthinkable happens – The Comedian,
buoyed by the response, misreads its
dampened-down affect and throws out
another wisecrack. By laughing at the
first genuinely funny comment, the
group has inadvertently created a
monster. Now the hapless teacher has

Original Artwork by Christine Jelley

E

veryone’s been in a class where the
teacher asks, “How are we doing?”
Silence. She repeats, a little louder,
“HOW ARE WE DOING?” One person finally
squeaks out a quiet, “Woot.” Everyone
chuckles. It’s cute. It’s funny. We want to
support the teacher’s efforts and show
our appreciation, but sometimes you feel
loud and boorish so you stay quiet.
Back in the riotous 80s, we all vigorously
clapped at the end of each class.
Somewhere along the line, the tradition
started to fall by the wayside and was
replaced by standard clapping, then two
big claps, polite golf claps and finally to
where it is today - little to nothing or
surprise - actual enthusiastic feedback.
Once in a while, there’s magic and
something extraordinary happens. Mary
K. taught a spin class a while back and
played music that made us all
inexplicably happy. She finished the class
by jumping off her bike and dancing
around the room to “Could It Be I’m
Falling in Love” by The Spinners. We
cheered! Maybe it was the right moment
for the right demographic, but these
moments happen. We didn’t learn,
“When You’re Happy and You Know It Clap
Your Hands” in kindergarten for nothing.
Good work deserves applause.
There is a danger in fun though. When a
fellow gym-goer makes a funny remark,
let’s say in yoga, everyone laughs.
Residual tension dissipates; the world’s a
better place. Unspoken protocol dictates
that we then buckle down and start doing
what we came here to do - breathe,
twist, etc., but The Comedian has
become emboldened. Here comes the

12

Now for a most delicate
topic –
the “accidental” funny.

to firmly chime in with, “Okay, okay
now. Let’s settle down” accompanied
by elevated arms, palms down and an
edgy up and down flapping motion, like
a bird that realizes it’s flown into a
supermarket.
I like a laugh more than I dislike the
abuse of humor, but if you are a
multiple joke offender, this one is for
you. One joke per customer, please.
Now for a most delicate topic – the
“accidental” funny. These are