Am I still "humor-impaired"?

[gloriajn]

For years, I identified as an "Aspie" (someone with Asperger Syndrome). One of the characteristics of an Aspie is that of taking things literally and being unable to detect irony or satire -- in other words, being "humor-impaired". I think my sense of humor has improved exponentially over the past few months.

So when I read Ken Jennings' blog

Comments

[gloriajn]

As a hardcore jeopardy lover, I thought this was hilarious. I thought it was pretty apparent that it was tongue in cheek and that it wasn't meant to be taken literally. To me, it sounded like satire, but satire out of legitimate nostalgia. It's gotta be weird for Ken Jennings not to be in the studio every day.

And what's interesting is that Ken Jennings' sense of humor is similar to mine. By that, I mean is that my humor has been misunderstood many times, just like his. I'll usually be the only one laughing at something or the only one NOT laughing (though lately, it seems I've been starting to find the same things funny that other people do on LJ, for instance). And, like Ken Jennings, if I write a piece that I consider satire, I doubt it will come across as such, and I'm sure few people would get it or find it funny.

I don't think you avoid bringing stuff like this up anymore either, if it helps you to talk about it -- it's your lj after all. To me, humor is a very cultural/learned thing, especially satire. So if you don't "get" satire in general, it won't be funny.

Exactly! Part of my problem is the tendency to take everything literally. I've been that way all my life, and I doubt I can change it now.

I've been told my whole life to get a sense of humor too. Mostly by my parents/family/friends as a child. But really, I just think I have a weird sense of humor. I love absurdities that other people don't usually see, and by the time I explain them, they are no longer funny.

Or, in my case, maybe they were never funny to begin with, at least to other people. I remember pointing out absurdities that I found hilarious to certain people, only to be met with blank stares. *sigh*