“Quoting TV is not the same as telling a joke”
Last year, I toyed with the idea of writing an article lamenting the death of the Funny Guy among groups of dudes. I hoped to get it published in Boston’s best free paper, Barstool Sports. Although I’ve been remiss in following through on recording this sorely needed observation, Diesel Sweeties did just fine in today’s strip!
I think it started in middle school with Adam Sandler and Jerky Boys tapes. Boys of my generation who might have otherwise grown into adult Funny Guys were granted a free pass through the formative junior high school years by quoting from these two cassettes.
Now the entire norm dude group dynamic has shifted. There is no longer a need for the dorky-yet-funny friend because norm guys can quote from movies themselves. Thus we have an imbalance in the norm social pool. Shoulda-been Funny Guys (now known as Skinny Guys) make fools of themselves by play-acting along with the high school sports stars while the genuine articles have no Funny Guy to keep their testosterone bubbles in check with well-timed quick-witted quips, jabs, and pokes. With no Funny Guy to diffuse confrontation, Faneuil Hall’s early Sunday mornings are littered with blood on blue collars and ripped khaki cargos.
Can the democratized humor of YouTube save the next generation from a similar fate?