Within this frame, participants construct membership through reference to academic issues and topics. At the same time, the self-deprecation frame is also projected into the blended space through reference by the speaker of his homework as handwritten and even worse, to his handwriting as chicken scratch, possibly the worst form of handwriting. Neither of these frames are humorous in and of themselves. Futhermore, chicken scratch is at the bottom end of the spectrum. Crucially, humor is generated by exploiting the contrast in value status between the two types of script.
Chicken scratch is elevated by being placed within the organizing frame of word processing fonts.
It is the inversion of social value that creates a humorous effect. In addition, the frames are projected into the blended space so that it is appropriate for the audience to laugh with the speaker. The speaker is blending the self-deprecation with the academic frame. By using the academic frame as the organizing frame, the speaker is ultimately aligning with the other participants and emphasizing membership in the academic community. Thus, the others feel comfortable laughing with the speaker.