Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-08
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

''wise-cracker" We don't know; we
hope not
The why of the man is interesting.
1t would be pleasant to explain it on
the basis of an inferiority complex, a
term which is more or less familiar to
the average reader
This good phrase, coined by PSYCHE
att lists several years ago, met such a
pressing need that it was seized upon
! Immediately by the writing and reading
! fraternity mostly without a precise
knowledge on either side Of its exact
meaning.
The causes and reasons for being of
this complex" in the human mind are
so diversified that only an expert has
right to talk about them. and more
often than not he fails because he is
unable to put the thing in terms under
standable to any one except himself.
The Funny Man tries to be funny
because he realizes his lack of real wit,
! and through some curious quirk is not
willing to be grave and reserved,
! He is furiously stubborn in his deter
mination to browbeat the world into
accepting him at his own valuation as
a Funny Man.
Wit, however. is not won by per-
| sistence. Perhaps before we go any
! further it would be well to consider the
terms wit, humor, satire. sarcasm, in
vective, irony, cynicism, the sardonic
! The province OF humor Is human ma
| ture, that of wit words and ideas
! Observation is the method of the first
sympathetic persons the proper audi
| ence; surprise is the means of the
second, the intelligent the audience
! Satire appeals to the self-satisfled. Sar-
/ caSm strikes the victim and bystander
l.. irony an inner circle. cynicism the re-
! oh ha
| 4 II 81
| The drolleries of the Funny Man are
an attempt TO set himself up as wit
| BY means of play on words and ideas
! His attack is a surprise one on what
/ happens or what is said, and is aimed
at an appeal to the intelligent. He has
no idea of humor, which deals with the
observation of human nature, and ap-
pealS to the sympathetic in man.
1t will be realized that the public
utilities Funny Man Is q complete fail
ure in his chosen line, since his plays on
words are elephantine and his twists OF
ideas often vulgar and far-fetched.
! He seems to lack ordinary common
sense in his complete failure to grasp
! the age-old proposition that there Is @
| time and place for everything. If one
would violate this old restriction, he
should be sure that what he says is
really funny in the everyday accept
ance of the word
! One thing can be said for the Funny
Mamie is not malicious in his sallies
If he would exercise a bit of Judgment
and permit q few minutes to go by
without its word, he would be an addi-
ton to the bus, an adornment of the
| trip downtown.
I The trouble with the Funny Man Is
that his brain doesn't keep up with his
! tongue. No mans mind can, If he
! talks inceSSantly-for words are things
! in themselves, and rolled together
hodgepodge have an unfortunate habit
of meaning something or other all by
themselves. entirely apart from the in
/ tention Of the ruling intelligence.
! Thus swift speakers, unless possessed
of unusually penetrating intelligence
more often than not fail OF lucidity
achieving only platitudes or worse, be-
cauSe they do not command words but
are commanded by them.
The Funny Man Is like an army with
out communicable means well, but
his forces have got out of hand and
simply overflow the surrounding terrain
The best thing TO do, II one sees him
! first, Is to wait for the next bus.