Humor, Autism, and Asperger's

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This is me. A friend of mine (whose brother has Asperger's as well, and I knew her brother in high school...ANYway) asked me how I was able to be so witty, and I said I just keep talking and eventually somebody laughs. If no one does, I pretend it wasn't a joke, or I'll just say "that was funnier in my head/before I said it."



This was my favorite comedian in the 80s. I tried to imitate his jokes/delivery all the time. I still do it on occasion when reminded:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1HYUyhujl4[/youtube]

For the record, when I was 15 and traveling across the country to Florida, I may have purchased several postcards with a satellite picture of the Earth to send to friends, and I may have written "Wish you were here" on the back.



I've found dead pan can work in written form, but it takes a little more work. In written or spoken form, I am sometimes taken as being rude or inappropriately sarcastic when I'm just fascinated by saying the opposite of what I mean and finding it at least mildly funny.



I don't remember when I realized I was getting this kind of response. I know people told me I was funny when I was just saying what was on my mind? I know I really started getting into playing it for humor because of Anya on Buffy:

Anya: I can just hear you in private. "I dislike that Anya. She's newly human, and strangely literal".
Willow: What? I don't say that. No one says that. No one talks that way.

Anya: I don't talk to people much. I mean, I talk to them, but they don't talk to me, except to say that, "your questions are irksome," and, "perhaps you should take your furs and your literal interpretations to the other side of the river".

Buffy influences the way I talk and make jokes rather a lot whenever I watch it, but the strangely literal stuff sticks with me all the time because I am literal.



Oh, I've done this too. I tend to pass it off as "private joke" if people look askance.

Last edited by Verdandi on 28 Jan 2011, 10:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

YESSSS! *giggles madly* That so went through my mind!

It plays out better in written word than speaking for me, lol

I use and appreciate humour only when it's appropriate or relevant. I don't believe reality is to be laughed at in most situations.

Last edited by Technikilor on 28 Jan 2011, 11:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I can't tell jokes to save my life... but I try.

On a related note, I was listening to Jonathan Coulton songs earlier. I'm not sure what kind of humor it would be classified as, but I think it might be related to deadpan. Deadpan... only in song version.

Also... Steven Wright... good stuff, there. I'm forwarding it along to people.

Another comedienne I used to absolutely adore was Rite Rudner. (sp?)

J.C. is great. I saw him live in Toronto. He's very deadpan.

Nice. I'd love to see him in concert sometime.

I have a sense of humor.

Monty Python has me in stitches quite regularly. Mel Brooks is amazing.

I memorized The Holy Grail. I even wrote down the script from the VHS before the internet to solve quote arguments with my father.

I love The Holy Grail, and Spaceballs. They're hilarious.

I have a great sense of humor, actually I usually find a lot of things funny that most other people don't.

My jokes are usually two or three layered (wordplay) to get to the punch line. Most NTs get them a minute or so later.

I always loved Anya's humor. I never stopped to think about it, but what you say does make a lot of sense. I'll have to find some way to try that.

Some humour I understand, but other humour, I don't. Then there is humour that I understand, but don't think is all that funny. (Toilet humour)

I call humour that I don't understand "Murray Humour" because there is this guy named "Murray", who's sense of humour I don't understand but everyone else does.

I haven't paid much attention to the user names and signatures here, but I've definitely noticed humor in many forums posts here. Whoever said that aspies don't have a sense of humor is wrong. We may not have the same kind of humor as mainsteam NTs, but we have our own humor.

I've been told by NTs that I have an unusual sense of humor that takes some getting used to in order to get it, but that once you get it it's hilarious. I think the same may be true for many other aspies.

I have a wild and quirky sense of humor. I have never met anybody who gets it. I have gotten a lot of odd expressions when I make a humorous remark. Every once in a while, something that I say will get a positive response.