The Paper Bag (OT Joke and Maybe Not Totally OT Discussion / Survey)
Dolphinius
doctors "Doctor, I don't feel too good," said the little paper bag.
"Hmm, you look OK to me," said the Doctor, "but I'll do a blood test
and see what that shows, come back and see me in a couple of days."
The little paper bag felt no better when he got back for the results.
"What's wrong with me?" asked the little paper bag.
"I'm afraid you are HIV positive!" said the doctor.
"No, I can't be - I'm just a little paper bag!" said the little paper
bag.
"Have you been having unprotected sex?" asked the doctor.
"NO, I can't do things like that - I'm just a little paper bag!"
"Well have you been sharing needles with other intravenous drug
users?"
asked the doctor.
"NO, I can't do things like that - I'm just a little paper bag!"
"Perhaps you've been abroad recently and required a jab or a blood
transfusion?" queried the doctor.
"NO, I don't have a passport - I'm just a little paper bag!"
"Well", said the doctor, "are you in a homosexual relationship?"
"NO! I told you I can't do things like that, I'm just a little paper
bag!"
"Then there can be only one explanation." said the doctor...
...your mother must have been a carrier".
-------------------
[Dolphinius writes:]
To give credit where it is due, the source of this joke was:
http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp?mid=8543796&sort=postdate
Especially if you are autistic, what did you think of it?
To me this is almost the perfect joke. (I admit it didn't make me
laugh, or even smile - not much does - but it left me with an amused
feeling.)
I think there are three reasons why I think I particularly like this
joke:
- I find it easy to relate to (and have sympathy for) the paper bag
(partly because it is an inanimate object and partly because I
empathise with its limitations in life as expressed in the joke);
- The whole situation is surreal; and
- The punch-line is a well-timed word-play.
I'm interested in finding out what others on the spectrum think
because (despite other discussion here from time to time) I am still
not sure how much of my sense of humour is due to my autism.
Dolphinius
(Male, early thirties, UK, self-diagnosed AS)
Nick Argall
"Dolphinius" <dolph...@fsmail.net> wrote in message
news:47e4572a.04051...@posting.google.com...
I liked it.
> To me this is almost the perfect joke. (I admit it didn't make me
> laugh, or even smile - not much does - but it left me with an amused
> feeling.)
>
> I think there are three reasons why I think I particularly like this
> joke:
>
> - I find it easy to relate to (and have sympathy for) the paper bag
> (partly because it is an inanimate object and partly because I
> empathise with its limitations in life as expressed in the joke);
>
> - The whole situation is surreal; and
>
> - The punch-line is a well-timed word-play.
Nice analysis.
> I'm interested in finding out what others on the spectrum think
> because (despite other discussion here from time to time) I am still
> not sure how much of my sense of humour is due to my autism.
I believe that there's a correlation between enjoying puns and autism. I
suspect that autists are less stessed out by surrealism too, since the whole
world is surreal from and autistic point of view.
Nick
caz
caz(didnt laugh but smiled with amusement)
Terry Jones
2004 20:09:30 +1000 <40a88e20$0$3036$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>I believe that there's a correlation between enjoying puns and autism. I
>suspect that autists are less stessed out by surrealism too, since the whole
>world is surreal from and autistic point of view.
Or maybe more stressed out *because* it is?
Nick Argall
"Terry Jones" <terry...@beeb.net> wrote in message
news:b4fha0dshtlpkgfge...@4ax.com...
Can't parse this. Please clarify if you want a response :)
Terry Jones
2004 18:58:22 +1000 <40b1b7f3$0$3037$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>> >I believe that there's a correlation between enjoying puns and autism. I
>> >suspect that autists are less stessed out by surrealism too, since the
>> >whole world is surreal from and autistic point of view.
>>
>> Or maybe more stressed out *because* it is?
>
>Can't parse this. Please clarify if you want a response :)
>
I'm suggesting the *reverse* of what you appear to be. That the
average autistic may not be less stressed out by surrealism, and may
be *more* stressed out by the (social / people) world exactly because
so much of it appears to be surreal.
After all, in film surreal images seem to be used to convey fear,
uncertainty, instability, even mental illness - not a secure or
comforting perception of the world.
Terry
Hylander
Kind of like that movie "Yellow Submarine". (which had not that much
to do with the Beatles IIRC)
Nick Argall
Hmmmm. It seems our disagreement is subtle.
I agree that the autistic person is more stressed by 'baseline reality'
because it seems surreal.
Given that they have regular encounters with a reality that seems surreal,
it seems to me that the stress increase on encountering a 'surreal reality'
would be not much. Whereas, for an NT who is entirely unaccustomed to such
things, the stress increase could be big.
And I think there's 'benign surrealism' (such as schlock sci-fi) as well as
'scary surrealism' (schlock horror).
Nick
Terry Jones
2004 21:49:16 +1000 <40b5d47f$0$31675$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>Hmmmm. It seems our disagreement is subtle.
>
>I agree that the autistic person is more stressed by 'baseline reality'
>because it seems surreal.
>
>Given that they have regular encounters with a reality that seems surreal,
>it seems to me that the stress increase on encountering a 'surreal reality'
>would be not much. Whereas, for an NT who is entirely unaccustomed to such
>things, the stress increase could be big.
So the baseline level is higher, but the increment / difference is
less? Sound's feasible, though I lack any direct experience of the
non-NT related surreal. (In the real world).
Terry
Rowe Rickenbacker
> Hylander wrote:
>
>> Kind of like that movie "Yellow Submarine" (which had not that
>> much to do with the Beatles IIRC)
>
> no? why not? i did a hanging with a yellow submarine on it :)
Why would you lynch a submarine?
Rowe
--
You can get anything you want on Alice's NNTP.
You can get anything you want on Alice's NNTP.
Telnet over, it's a simple hack.
Port one-nineteen is where it's at.
and you can get anything you want on Alice's NNTP.
Nick Argall
Cool :)
And actually, the study of the occult seems to be dominated by autistics,
epileptics and hallucinators. The number of people I've seen perseverating
over ancient texts and/or tarot decks is quite considerable.
Nick
Terry Jones
2004 14:12:36 +1000 <40b6baf0$0$8990$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>And actually, the study of the occult seems to be dominated by autistics,
>epileptics and hallucinators. The number of people I've seen perseverating
>over ancient texts and/or tarot decks is quite considerable.
Well, for autistics I could see it being something to try because a
lot of the NT methods don't work. And there's some interesting
structures and links.
But for me it's intellectually unsatisfactory because so many of the
symbols / associations are essentially arbitrary - in the sense that
they're symbolic, not functional / derived from observation of cause &
effect. - Plus it doesn't work for me :)
Terry
The autist formerly known as
social customs on there head.
--
şT
L'autisme c'est moi
"Space folds, and folded space bends, and bent folded space contracts and
expands unevenly in every way unconcievable except to someone who does not
believe in the laws of mathematics"
"Terry Jones" <terry...@beeb.net> wrote in message
news:6pi3b0t0h2fm66u3h...@4ax.com...
> "Nick Argall" <nick....@aplaceof.removedotcom.info.com> Mon, 24 May
> 2004 18:58:22 +1000 <40b1b7f3$0$3037$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>
Nick Argall
> "Nick Argall" <nick....@aplaceof.removedotcom.info.com> Fri, 28 May
> 2004 14:12:36 +1000 <40b6baf0$0$8990$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>
> >And actually, the study of the occult seems to be dominated by autistics,
> >epileptics and hallucinators. The number of people I've seen
perseverating
> >over ancient texts and/or tarot decks is quite considerable.
>
> Well, for autistics I could see it being something to try because a
> lot of the NT methods don't work. And there's some interesting
> structures and links.
*nods* And for some, it seems to be an enabling thing - Mircea Eliade
(religious historian) has some interesting observations about people
behaving in a crazy way, being taken in as an apprentice by the local
shaman, and having their illness and social isolation disappear as a result.
> But for me it's intellectually unsatisfactory because so many of the
> symbols / associations are essentially arbitrary - in the sense that
> they're symbolic, not functional / derived from observation of cause &
> effect. - Plus it doesn't work for me :)
That last sentence is the argument I find compelling :)
I think one of the ways that these things work is by scrambling the
intellect-stuff up enough that it becomes able to function in
non-intellectual ways. I aware that doesn't sound very sensible, and I'm
also aware that some people get less healthy from trying to do that sort of
thing. Yet another powerful tool that doesn't work for everybody and can be
abused/misused, I suspect.
Nick
Terry Jones
2004 21:32:38 +1000 <40bc680f$0$3038$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>
>> But for me it's intellectually unsatisfactory because so many of the
>> symbols / associations are essentially arbitrary - in the sense that
>> they're symbolic, not functional / derived from observation of cause &
>> effect. - Plus it doesn't work for me :)
>
>That last sentence is the argument I find compelling :)
Although equally the lack of 'convincingness' of the theory could have
been one of the factors in why it didn't (in those things which you
might reasonably expect it to be able to do, by effecting changes in
your own mind).
>I think one of the ways that these things work is by scrambling the
>intellect-stuff up enough that it becomes able to function in
>non-intellectual ways. I aware that doesn't sound very sensible, and I'm
>also aware that some people get less healthy from trying to do that sort of
>thing. Yet another powerful tool that doesn't work for everybody and can be
>abused/misused, I suspect.
Seems reasonable to me.
Terry