What do M.A.S.H. jokes and Y2K jokes have in common?

Answer: Dark humor. I really became a GI when I fully appreciated the humor of the Amazon.com Y2K book How to s--t in the woods. Makes me think Im back in the tv newsrooms where the jokes were very cruel. Why? My theory: We saw so much bad stuff every day (ever held an umbrella over a corpse in a car so a police officer could shoot a photo? I did. Prayed for the poor soul. Ever smelled a body when its been in a river for six months? Not good. War veterans know what I mean. You gotta laugh now and then to keep from crying.)

Having said that, as Ive now perused enough Congressional testimony to really get it,and most people I know still dont. Im losing more than a bit of sleep over this,especially knowing that we wont really know until its time to know. Im praying for in-depth investigative reporting and a call for responsible public action to respond the way my parents generation did during WWII. Victory gardens, you name it. Call it anything,just get us moving without trampling over each other.

So heres a station break: Maybe we could return to this thread when were feeling really awful? Ground rule: ya gotta feel bad to come here, so you can feel better for a minute.

Think itll work? If so, lets try to avoid picking on people. Make fun of the situation,not the people who caused it, and certainly not those who are trying to help.

Sorry if I misspell anything. Four computer crashes last year. Spell check doesnt work. Too lazy yet to get the dictionary. (Ill do that by firelight next year!)

One potential warped category for expressing the absurd potential ironies:

1. Post Y2k television commercials:

Examples:

Nix. Its always been there for you when youve needed it and we promise to bring it back soon. Mayonnaise doesnt really work. Boiling water, maybe. Mayonnaise, no.

Tide. Still the best on lice. Please use boiling water, though, if you have it. Or washer-women with vats.

Gone with the Wind, a timeless classic for America. See it again. If you can. Take notes. By candlelight.

Oh, we are indeed an interesting species. Capable of such beautiful dreams and such horrific nightmares. Anybody channeling Carl Sagan these days?

Later!

-- MB (onthelakes@aol.com), January 26, 1999

Answers

I think the operative term here is "gallows humor"

-- Joe O (jowczar@comp.uark.edu), January 26, 1999.

My favorite snippet from psychology 101:

-Insane behavior in a sane environment is insanity. (Jack the ripper)

-Sane behaviour in an insane environment is insanity. ( Frank Burns)

-Insane behavior in an insane environment is sanity. (Hawkeye, Trapper,B.J., Klinger?)) And an old saw, that still tickles me: "We're gonna party like it's 1899" Irony? Hmmm How about: In the early '90's I would to travel to NYC quite often on jobs, usually staying at a large fancy international hotel overlooking Times Square. I once commented to a bartender about making reservations for New Years Eve 1999. He told me not to bother; they had booked every room for that night two years before they finished construction! Thanks for starting this thread.

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), January 26, 1999.

But do you string him along on this thread or string him up with his thread?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 26, 1999.

For some reason I'm reminded of my old dad. When he was a nipper the closest thing to television was the brass band at the village bandstand. He and his friends used to stand there and suck on lemons until the musicians dried up. . . Could this be a post-Y2K substitute for the remote's mute button?

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), January 26, 1999.

> TECHNOLOGY FOR COUNTRY (read y2k) FOLK: > > LOG ON: Making a wood stove hot. > LOG OFF: Don't add no more wood. > MONITOR: Keeping an eye on the woodstove. > DOWNLOAD: Gittin the farwood off the truck. > MEGAHERTZ: When you're not keerfull gittin the farwood. > FLOPPY DISC: Whatcha git from trying to tote too much farwood. > RAM: That thar thing whut splits the farwood. > HARD DRIVE: Gitting home in the winter time. > WINDOWS: Whut to shut when it's cold outside. > SCREEN: Whut to shut when it's blak fly season. > BYTE: Whut dem dang flys do. > CHIP: Munchies. > MICRO CHIP: Whut's in the bottom of the munchie bag. > MODEM: Whatcha do to the hay fields. > DOT MATRIX: Old Dan Matrix's wife. > LAP TOP: Whar the kitty sleeps. > KEYBOARD: Whar you hang the dang truck keys. > SOFTWARE: Them dang plastic forks and knifes. > > > Hutch >

-- Charon (Thatplace@downbelow.com), January 26, 1999.

Laughing out loud! LOL! LOL! LOL!

Thanks! I needed that! More more!

But...I think I read something about the NYC hotel rooms being booked with "death march" coders. Rumor. Rumor.

More LOL. Please! (And somebody please keep an eye out for the late night guys. Then we'll know who's lurking. Personally, I don't stay up that late. I go to sleep early. When I can sleep. Lately. :)

NOTE: Y2K humor is copyrighted! Infringers will be punished with debuggin jobs!

-- MB (onthelakes@aol.com), January 26, 1999.

MB-

Chicago hotels are reserved as well. My b-in-law is will to be hanging out in one. He is part of their disaster recovery team. Accdg to what they told my dad, Nothern Trust Bank has rooms for 400 booked in advance for the rollover. Same reason.

-- Ha (Ha@ha.com), January 26, 1999.