You might be a Wit Supremacist if... you look down on people because of their inability to tell a joke properly. you talk differently to witty people than you do to people who aren’t funny. you’ve never really thought about the difference in the way funny people and witless people are treated. you use your sense of humor to get off the hook for things that would get other people in trouble. you’ve ever told your friends, “I have one friend who’s not funny at all.” you’ve ever asked a witless person to speak on behalf of all witless people. you feel uncomfortable around people who aren’t funny. you say things like, “I can’t help it if I was born hilarious.” you talk about other people in terms of how funny they are. reading this list has made you uncomfortable. Can you think of any other signs that a person is a Wit Supremacist? Make a comment. #witprivilege #witsupremacist #MakeAmericaLaughAgain
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer featured a great deal of wit. Indeed, wit was one of the key elements in each of the tales. In Othello, William Shakespeare wrote, “They laugh that win.” Wit and winning have always worked hand-in-hand. Ben Franklin, one of the most beloved figures in United States’ history, had a superb sense of humor. He used it to spread his ideology through his bestseller Poor Richard’s Almanac. To this day, people who have never even read the book quote his one-liners from it. For example:
“A stitch in time saves nine.”
“A friend in need is a friend indeed.”
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
Mark Twain, America’s greatest satirist, once wrote, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” A good joke can be used to win arguments and change minds. Witty people have always had an advantage in communicating their ideas. When you can tell jokes and stories in an entertaining way, people listen. Wit is frequently used to market wares and services. The Super Bowl is one of the most watched shows on TV every year. Many watch it solely for the entertainment value in the commercials. There are actually television shows about the commercials. Humor is invariably the key to success in Super Bowl commercials. Wit privilege has been used throughout the history of the United States to win elections, wage war, and exploit the masses.
