HUMOR AND AGING
by Don L. F. Nilsen and
Alleen Pace Nilsen
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The Effects of Aging
Peugeot: Before and After
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Do you remember the Johnny Carson Show on Television?
The Great Flydini (Steve Martin on the Johnny Carson Show):
http://rubytooth.com/link/45516
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An Old Tree
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Four More Old Trees
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Old Car and Old Tree
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Music for People Who have Been Around the Block:
Fifties and Sixties Jukebox Hits:
http://www.1959bhsmustangs.com/VideoJukebox.htm#
Lookin’ for my wallet and my car keys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJDNsJEnWqk
Mayo Clinic Music Recital:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_14wbmbM5A&feature=related
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“Senior Moments”
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An Old Person Returning to Work:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qteu4ld_SCE?rel=0
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Old Age and Death Are Serious
Dilemmas
• The search for eternal
life is a popular theme
even in children’s
books, e.g.
• Rick Riordan’s Percy
and the Olympians
• J. K. Rowling’s Harry
Potter books
• Stephenie Meyer’s
Twilight books
• Most religions promise
an afterlife, a
resurrection, or
reincarnation.
• Think of all the stories
about Heaven and Hell
and about ghosts and
the undead.
• Also what euphemisms
do we use in place of
“old”?
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But Most Importantly, We Make
Jokes as a Way of Coping
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Seniors in Life and Death:
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Did you ever have a little red wagon?
http://www.youtube.com/embed/-1w48qPF5hc
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THE YOUNG DON’T ALWAYS WIN
• A young college kid in a sports car whips
into a parking lot and sees an older man
trying to maneuver his car into the only
space available. The college kid deftly slips
his little car around the bulky Cadillac and
into the space. He jumps out of his car and
says,
• “See what you can do it you’re young and
quick?”
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• By now the older gentleman has his car
in position to drive into the space, so he
puts his Cadillac in gear and crunches
forward to the sounds of breaking glass
and metal. He climbs out of his newly
parked car and says,
• “See what you can do if you’re old and
rich!”
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Mary Maxwell’s Deadpan Prayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFCn3itBFE&feature=youtu.be
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General Douglas MacArthur’s response to being fired
by President Truman was
“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
• Old teachers never die; they just lose their principles.
• Old athletes never die; they just lose their supporters.
• Old robbers never die; they just steal away.
• Old editors never quit; they just write away.
• Old blondes never fade; they just dye away.
• Old deans never die; they just lose their faculties.
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Gerontological Paradox
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My Blackberry’s not working:
http://www.flixxy.com/my-blackberry-is-not-working.htm
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In his 1988 Too Funny to Be President, Mo Udall
defended humor as necessary to the health of our
political discourse and our private lives. It…
• Leavens the public
dialogue.
• Invigorates the body
politic.
• Uplifts the spirit.
• Brings a diverse society
closer together.
• Helps individuals roll
with the punches.
• Is an antidote to selfimportance.
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Author Max Shulman’s Rule:
• Max Shulman, the author of The Lives of
Doby Gillis and Barefoot Boy with Cheek,
said that if he told a joke that made listeners
say, “Ah ha, I know someone like that,” he
would get a laugh.
• But if he told a joke that made listeners say,
“Oh no, that’s me!” he would not get a laugh.
• How does this work in relation to our
own telling of “old people” jokes?
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John McCain called Leisure World “Seizure World.”
Steve Benson responded.
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Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oHBG3ABUJU&sns=em
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HUMOR AND THE AGING PROCESS
• Psychologist Lucille Nahemow suggests that
humor is a vital part of the aging process,
because it can change our perspectives.
• For example, there is a proverb that reads,
• “An old maid who gets married becomes a
young wife.”
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ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE:
• The doctor of an 83-year-old woman
says to her, “There are some things not
even modern medicine can cure. You
know, I can’t make you any younger.”
• “Who asked you to make me younger?”
she replied. “I want you to make me
older!”
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STILL ANOTHER
PERSPECTIVE
• A doctor tells an 80-year-old man,
“You’re in excellent health; you’ll live
‘till you’re 80!”
• “I’m already 80,” says the man.
• “See, what did I tell you!” exclaimed the
doctor.
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The Political Advantages of Aging:
Reagan-Mondale Debate: The Age Issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPu1UIBkBc
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Light Switch in a Doctor’s Office
One of the
important features
of humor is sudden
insight.
Does this work for
you?
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So have fun growing old!
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The Generation Gap
in I-Pad Use
http://www.snotr.com/embed/8965
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