Download - Gerontology Humor
Fritz Coleman: Pasadena Conference on Aging:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/LR2qZ0A8vic?rel=0
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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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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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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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Geriatric Traffic Jam:
http://biggeekdad.com/2013/08/geriatric-traffic-jam/
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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!”
Mary Maxwell’s Deadpan Prayer:https://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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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 self-
importance.
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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?
Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oHBG3ABUJU&sns=em
Pam Peterson’s “Memories” Parody:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/HzSaoN2LdfU
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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.
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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