[lit-ideas] Re: Laugh Tracks
- From: Andy <mimi.erva@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:12:00 -0700 (PDT)
Coincidence is not irony but they are not mutually exclusive and even coexist
nicely.
As far as when Kristallnacht became a word, even if Goebbels coined it on the
spot, it's still a consonant with and perhaps even a play on
Crystallizing Public Opinion.
Statistical illiteracy pretty much describes Deal or No Deal. I have a soft
spot for statistical illiterates myself, especially when accompanied by crying
and screaming. That's the only way to be statistically illiterate.
The best thing about There's Nothing Like a Dame is it's in English. That's
what I didn't like about Pavarotti singing Christmas Carols. I couldn't
understand them. Speaking of not understanding something, here's Hvorostovsky
(baritone I think) and Pavarotti singing something about a dame in Italian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgwWQyGioz8
--- On Mon, 8/25/08, Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Laugh Tracks
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 2:47 AM
> Kristallnacht I think means night of the broken glass. Crystal,
> kristall. It's like saying 9/11 has nothing to do with the emergency
> response number 911. Correct, it doesn't, but the irony of the date
is
> I'm sure lost on no one.
Coincidence is not irony. As far as I can tell, 'Kristallnacht' was not
an ordinary German word until after 9-10 November 1938, when Jews were
attacked, synagogues and Jewis-owned businesses destroyed, and tens of
thousands of Jews deported. Several sources say that it was also called
the 'Novemberpogram.' My point here was merely semantic though; the
word
does not refer to 'broken' glass, even though it was the litter of
smashed windows that led to the name. 'Kristallnacht' is a historical
word, somewhat like 'fat man,' and 'little boy,' which before
atom bombs
were dropped on Japan were expressions that had no sinister implications.
> As far as people not being prompted to laugh when they read, mostly they
> don't read. When they do read it's of the Stephen King variety.
No
> need to laugh at that. Comedy movies are increasingly of the Animal
> House, not exactly high brow variety. I rent comedy DVD's with great
> trepidation, always prepared to be really disappointed, but sometimes
> they come through. Those who attend plays might be a cut above the
> sheeple. But, even places like Lincoln Center are dumbing down more and
> more to attract market share. They're not raising standards to
attract
> anyone.
Well, right. Fewer and fewer people (I'm told) read now. But this does
not address my point: people who laugh at things they read need no
apparatus outside the text to point out to them that they should laugh.
I'm not sure what's on at Lincoln Center, except a highly praised
revival of South Pacific. I like South Pacific. Liked it sixty years ago
on the LP. Like it now. 'There is nothing like a dame,' is far superior
to any Mozart aria.
> The bottom line is, if people didn't need to be cued, or if management
> didn't think they needed to be cued, they wouldn't be. Why else
are
> there laugh tracks? I know in game shows they supposedly hold up signs
> for the audience that say laugh, clap, etc. Did you ever watch the
> dumbest of the dumb game show, at least that I've seen, Deal or No
> Deal? Boy is it dumb, pure emotional guesswork. I'm surprised
Jeopardy
> is still on the air. They still attract an audience so maybe things
> aren't completely hopeless.
I love 'Deal or No Deal.' It is a continuing series of lessons in the
psychology of decision making, and statistical illiteracy.
If Chris Bruce or Professor Henninge would like to correct my guesses
about German words, that would be welcome. I'm trying to find the first
reference (or some very early references) to 'Kristallnacht.'
Robert Paul
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