From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Mon Nov 08 2004 - 21:34:11 MST
Keith Henson wrote:
>
> One universal or near universal characteristic of cults is a serious
> lack of humor. The scientologists are a particularly sorry example
> of humorlessness. Those who have been in the fight a long time speak
> (in jest of course) of the cult member's sense of humor being
> surgically removed.
I am reminded of a saying of the great Gordon Worley: "That was a joke?
I thought jokes were supposed to be funny."
No, really, jokes are supposed to be funny. There's no use in an
ostentatious display of your ability to poke fun at the Great Leader to
prove your non-cultishness, if the jokes aren't actually making people
giggle. That's what jokes are for, making people giggle. The part
where I get nervous about this being a cult is when people say angrily
that this is not a cult, or try to show off their humor to prove that
this isn't a cult, without being actually *funny*.
For example, if Geddes had said "Fleebnork! Zark bonk piffle! Lady
Picklepumper, buckle my shoelaces!" that would have been funny.
> Perhaps SIAI should reorganize as a splinter from the cult of JR
> "Bob" Dobbs.
Sure, we'll take everyone who doesn't qualify for membership in the
Church of the SubGenius.
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