A Letter From The Editor
Take The Pledge : “ Stop Texting and Mourning ”
Does having a great sense of humor impact how successful you are in life ?
Uncle Roy owned a successful barbershop on West 7th Street in downtown Fort Worth with a clientele list that read like the membership roster of the Fort Worth Club . He worked until he died at the age of 81 . He tried to retire but couldn ’ t because some of his more famous clients would not let anyone cut their hair except my uncle .
I always assumed that Uncle Roy was the world ’ s greatest barber .
Recently , I was talking to a longtime family friend and the subject turned to my Uncle Roy . I mentioned what a great barber he was and how many well-known North Texas clients he had .
She said , “ Your Uncle Roy was a terrible barber .”
I was shocked . I mentioned the famous businessmen who were regular , loyal clients of Uncle Roy ’ s .
She nodded . “ All those famous businessmen went to your uncle because he had a great personality and he was hilarious . He told the best jokes in town . And he was a great banterer . No one ever could figure out where he got those jokes , but he was funny . He gapped everybody ’ s hair but nobody cared . He made them all laugh .”
That makes great sense because he made me laugh .
I often lament to my friends that Americans don ’ t tell jokes any more and they seldom exchange witty banter . What ’ s happened to conversation ? It ’ s an art . It ’ s quickly becoming a lost art .
When I was a child , I made sure
I had a nice collection of jokes , most borrowed from my parents , members of my family , friends of my parents , late-night television and comedy records .
Late-night television isn ’ t very funny these days ; it ’ s more annoying than amusing .
A favorite joke of mine when I was a child was , “ Why did the chicken cross the road ? To show the armadillo it could be done .”
My father loved Parade Magazine . It came in the newspaper every Sunday . He loved it mostly because of a column called , “ My Favorite Jokes .”
He ’ d read the jokes to us over breakfast and we would howl . A few days later , we ’ d hear him tell one or two of his favorites customized , of course .
Recently , one of our PCT staff members joined the Noon Lions Club and , apparently , the local Lions tell jokes , then they roar . Before Tristan heads to Lions Club on Wednesday , I ’ m expected to dig up a joke or two from my dad ’ s repertoire or one of Uncle Roy ’ s . I love that this service organization still has a sense of humor . It ’ s wonderful to see that humor is alive and well in our little corner of the world .
I fear that the reason why people shy away from telling jokes is simply that our society is , for the most part , losing its sense of humor , a result of a fanatical political correctness .
Humor is the biggest enemy of fanaticism . It must have been hard to “ Heil Hitler ” while spouting your favorite “ Knock Knock ” joke .
It ’ s interesting to me how , historically , homicidal dictators have had almost no sense of humor . Anyone else notice that ?
I read a news story last week about how the pudgy little freak that heads up North Korea recently had one of his officers beheaded because the man made a joke about him . He literally killed a man for making a joke . Talk about a tough crowd !
I believe you can blame the decline of humor , and , really , of interesting social interaction , on two things . The first is the rise of a fanatical political correctness and growing masses of what one of my dear friends refers to as , “ The Bitterly Intolerant Tolerant ,” which threatens to suck all the fun out of our Western culture , like a stray dog would suck an egg .
The second factor I blame is electronic gadgets . Yes , I know , I have as many as the next person . But , I really believe that “ staying connected ” is the best way to make sure you ’ re disconnected from society , from real life . We ’ ve become a society of watchers .
On your deathbed , what would you rather see when you reflect on your life ? Would you rather see a life filled with adventures , experiences and good times with close friends and family members ? Or , would you rather look back and see a series of screens and memes ?
Once in a while , why not put your cellphone on silent , take off your iWatch and go outside and smell the roses , hike in the wilderness , rescue a dog . Find a list of old jokes and then volunteer for Meals On Wheels . Deliver food to some older people and serve them lunch with a side of laughter . Don ’ t be one of those surly , overly sensitive , politically correct snowflakes . Come on , people — laugh ! Laugh at yourself , laugh at the absurd circus that we call life . You ’ ll be more successful , happier , popular and , who knows , you might even circumvent a holocaust .
Thanks for reading , Marsha Brown , Editor-in-Chief and Publisher , Parker County Today Magazine