I was doing some professional googling when I came across this meme and I thought it was hilarious and appreciated it for an additional reason.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs.quickmeme.com%2Fimg%2Fbd%2Fbd01a2374269766fd7e8792588680bc54c8b7d9a2426f622e9c306c2e70cc644.jpg&hash=61dcc1887ac6ee6ca3eab672b43d46bc0dcaa4fb)
I feel like a lot of people might not get it though. It's kinda a "smartsy" joke, but that is exactly the reason why I love it so much. Like first of all I thought it was funny, but then I started to reflect and was like "you know, I'm pretty proud that I actually 'get it'" because me a few years ago would have been like....huh? It's just the fact that I could understand the language that felt good. Idk why, but it made me smile for that today (I'll explain at the bottom if lost).
-------WARNING, this section breaks the rules of humor by explaining sciencey stuff FEEL FREE TO SKIP------------
One thing I remember reading about in my sociology text book a couple years ago was a chapter on humor about how people tend to find humor in when they are able to make connections to relatable things. The more complex of a thing they can figure out the funnier it could be. That was just one theory though. But kinda makes sense here.
One of my favorite theories about humor though was Peter McGraw's "Benign Violation Theory" which I talked about in a research paper discussing correlations between comedy and depression and if funnier people are more depressed. I digress. But it in summary talks about how in order for something to be funny it has to violate something that we consider normal, but still be benign so we don't feel attacked ourselves. If it only violates, it's insulting and if it's only benign it's boring, but if combined right it's funny. It's very interesting thing to read about, but I won't take up too much time on this side note.
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EXPLANATION:
(if you don't get the joke and want it explained ok, but it won't be as funny after explained)
+An "opportunity cost" is an economic term for the cost of something you don't get if you do something else. So if you go out to the movies, your opportunity cost may have been study time for your test tomorrow.
So by talking to Howard, you lose out on talking to the other more attractive guy in the room instead.
+The "composition fallacy" is a fallacy committed when you assume what is true of the part is also true of the whole. So according to the fallacy (which is wrongful thinking) because that one guy (the part) in the room is hot, all other guys in the room (the whole) are hot, which would include Howard.
It's not really as funny when you have to explain it XD
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Did you "get" this joke without the explanation needed? Let me know if so! I'd like to see who else here knows a little about critical thinking.
I got it...but it took me too long to puzzle the second half out, so the humor was lost on me (shrug). Also: wouldn't the fallacy of composition also imply that all men in the room are as unattractive as Howard, meaning no one in the room is worth talking to at all?
I didn't get it without the explanation. With the explanation, though, I think that it is really funny. Even if I had gotten it without the explanation, I think that I would find it funnier WITH the explanation.
It may be because I enjoy German humour. They like to drive English people crazy by making them explain jokes.
More likely, though, I am just weird.
Quote from: DustKitten on July 22, 2018, 05:50:25 AM
wouldn't the fallacy of composition also imply that all men in the room are as unattractive as Howard, meaning no one in the room is worth talking to at all?
That would be true depending on which side you looked at but I guess since he made the dorky move he wins there :p But that would also be good reasoning as to why this form of arguing is a fallacy that doesn't work
Quote from: MaryT on July 22, 2018, 01:25:04 PM
It may be because I enjoy German humour. They like to drive English people crazy by making them explain jokes.
That is such an amazing sentance to read. Thanks for sharing :D