WHILE spring cleaning and constantly asking Marie Kondo’s most important question, “Does this spark joy?” I came across the book “Funniest Jokes” which happens to have a joke with the title, “Isn’t That Nice”:
“Two delicate flowers of Southern womanhood were conversing on the porch swing of a large white-pillared mansion. The first woman said, ‘When my first child was born, my husband built this beautiful mansion for me.’
“The second woman commented, ‘Well, isn’t that nice.’
“The first woman continued: ‘When my second child was born, my husband brought me that fine Cadillac automobile you see parked in the drive.’
“Again, the second woman commented, ‘Well, isn’t that nice.’
“The first woman boasted, ‘Then, when my third child was born, my husband bought me this exquisite diamond bracelet.’
“Yet again, the second woman commented, ‘Well, isn’t that nice.’
“The first woman then asked her companion, ‘What did your husband buy for you when you had your first child?’
“The second woman replied, ‘My husband sent me to charm school.’
“‘Charm school!’ the first woman cried, ‘Land sakes, child, what on earth for?’
“The second woman responded, ‘So that instead of saying, Who gives a flying f*ck, I learned to say, ‘Well, isn’t that nice.’”
Published in 2002 when this year’s college freshmen were not even born yet, “Funniest Jokes” is the kind of book I can’t donate to a school library because it’s too, hmmm, green. And when I say “green,” I don’t mean environmentally correct. Too many green jokes that may not shock kids anymore, considering the porn they’re exposed to nowadays, but still, the school librarian will surely react with a vehement “No!” So, I threw it away. “Isn’t That Nice” is one of its few sane jokes, that’s why I noticed it.
As to why I had that book in the first place, let’s see if I can find a valid reason. Oh, here goes. I needed material for a club bulletin that I was editing then. That club had senior citizens who wouldn’t even get the joke, so it was safe to feature the censored ones—the greener, the better. And I used Pearl Jam songs for the community singing—cool, eh? No one else knew those songs, so, I ended up as the only one singing. Talk of community. Haha.
But it’s good to read funny books, watch funny movies and funny TV shows, and spend quality time with funny family members and friends. Conan O’Brien has always been my favorite talk show host, and there’s Graham Norton. Watching them interview their guests is enough to make my day. Jimmy Fallon used to be funny, but he now looks like he’s tired of hosting, as if he’s forced to be funny each day.
And then, there’s Howard Stern. I used to listen to his radio show, which, like everything else, is now on Facebook, so I watch it there if his guest is interesting. His show can be funny if his guest is funny.
Sense of humor is an essential. That’s one thing that keeps the Pinoy afloat during disasters and kept him hopeful at the height of the pandemic lockdowns. Freddie Aguilar even has a song for it: “Tawanan mo ang ‘yong problema.” Now, isn’t that nice?
