| What's so Funny about Adult Education? The same | | | | situation? |
| things that are funny about comedy. Both are | | | | Or consider Steven Wright's "Why don't you ever |
| andragogic, focusing on the needs of adult learners. | | | | see commercials for string? 'This string is so good-it's |
| Comedy, like learning in general, requires a level of | | | | almost ROPE.'?" Is it merely a mundane observation, |
| maturity in order to fully understand a situation or | | | | or is it a questioning of the status quo...maybe even |
| concept. Just as Friere challenged us to examine how | | | | critical thinking? The Henny Youngman classic, "Take |
| our social contexts have shaped us, so too does | | | | my wife....PLEASE!"-is it a gender-based insult? Or, is it |
| humor offer us this challenge. Humor makes us think: | | | | a challenge to our habitual way of using and |
| Whose interests are we trying to protect by not | | | | responding to our native language? |
| making fun of certain people, situations, or policies? | | | | When we watch comedy performances, we are |
| After all, who do you think does a better job of | | | | prepared to have our views challenged and/or |
| highlighting the plight of the politically oppressed? | | | | changed. We have a readiness to learn! As we hear |
| Researchers Cervero and Wilson? Or perhaps Cheech | | | | the comments about the mundane activities of |
| & Chong? And is Joan Rivers insecure as she | | | | everyday life, our needs for immediacy of learning |
| pokes fun at herself? Or has she reached Maslov's | | | | are met. When our strongly defended views are |
| self-actualization stage, where her ego is no longer | | | | questioned and ridiculed, we're prodded toward critical |
| important? | | | | reflection in a way that news programs or |
| Consider the following joke from comedian Chris | | | | documentaries do not challenge us to do. And as we |
| Ciardi: "We all grew up in two story houses. One | | | | witness the absurd joke, the exaggerated character, |
| story was what really happened, and one story is | | | | and the bizarre comment, we're introduced to ways |
| what we tell the neighbors." Is this a show of | | | | we can increase and express our own creativity. |
| insensitivity to a traumatic childhood wound? Or-is it | | | | Through the experience, we learn how to look at the |
| an example of being able to put your history into | | | | world differently. |
| proper perspective, and to be able to laugh at your | | | | |