# New Boss "Does Not Think I'm Funny," or, "Uh-Oh." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552 "2005-04-28T14:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/21 "2005-04-28T17:29:02Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I thought you were considering going to library school, **Eve**? Had to drop out, because I’m working 11-hour days here during issue-closings. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I can understand someone not wanting humorous or unprofessional comments on a document that may be seen by others and thus expose the company to litigation or complaint. Nope, I never write anything on galleys we couldn’t show to the head of the company; and I’d never write _anything_ on the computerized files—this is all jotted down on the circulating print-outs. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/22 "2005-04-28T17:31:01Z")
**Eve** , I 100% agree that you don’t want to name your current workplace. But thinking about this gave me an idea … If I were to win the mega millions lottery and decided that I wanted to invest it all in a new magazine … you see where I’m going with this don’t you? If you were given the opportunity to start a new magazine, what would it be about? What would you call it? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/23 "2005-04-28T18:02:13Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > “Does she _hate_ me?” I asked. “Well, _nooo_ . . . Not as a _person_,” was the reply. “…but as an elk, she absolutely despises you.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/24 "2005-04-28T18:29:02Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > If you were given the opportunity to start a new magazine, what would it be about? What would you call it? Oh, I’ve been wanting to start _Really! The Magazine for Dowagers_ for ages. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/25 "2005-04-28T18:31:54Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Oh, I’ve been wanting to start _Really! The Magazine for Dowagers_ for ages. I was so hoping you’d say that! I remember your original hilarious thread about _Really!_, and I didn’t want it to be forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/26 "2005-04-28T18:34:11Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Maybe I can get that gig as a wise-cracking hash-slinger I’ve always dreamed of . . . Planning on changing you last name to Arden? If you end up slingin’ hash, lemme know; first pack of Juicy Fruit is on me. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/27 "2005-04-28T18:46:49Z")
_Really!_ Would have alot of cat food sponsorship, I can see it now! I hope you win the lottery and don’t make eye contact with that boss. ---
**Author:** ![quietman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/958977/32.png) [@quietman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quietman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/28 "2005-04-28T20:03:07Z")
Eve, I was tweeking a little, but resumes are not a bad idea. And you can probably avoid him/her/It until you have a better position. Don’t sell yourself short, but get the resumes out pronto. You might be pleasantly surprised where the Pop-O-Matic lands you at. _Imagines all those tips from breakfast sandwiches, delivered in costume by Eve swinging on a Web, to windows through-out Manhattan… all up in smoke_ PS- Are you still shouting at people on trains who dare to try to use their cell-phones…? :lol ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/29 "2005-04-28T20:15:51Z")
I’m sorry, **Eve**. I don’t have the money to launch _Really!_, but if it becomes necessary I promise I’ll learn to like hash. It sounds as though your personal contact with the new boss has been minimal. With so many new faces around, is it possible that the N.B. is reacting to _someone else_’s umbrage over your notes? After all, it’s easier to understand a writer to whom the notes are directed taking offense at a lighthearted tone (please note that I’m not saying it’s the correct reaction, I’m just saying I can understand it) than it is for the boss to concern him/herself with it. What’s the boss doing reading unedited copy anyway? It makes more sense to me that s/he’s just taking the shortest path to forestalling further complaints about your style, because s/he doesn’t want to deal with them. Perhaps your M.E. could be slightly more forthcoming about the original source of the trouble. You’ve been there seven years, surviving the constant turnover that publishing is prey to, as well as the recent upheaval. You’re doing your job competently and diligently, the place is understaffed as it is, and you have more treacherous deadlines looming. I can’t see the new boss deciding that now is the time to pick nits, unless it’s to relieve irritation from another source. If I’m wrong, and your problem really is with the new boss, _Umbrage_ would be a good title for your magazine, if _Really!_ is taken. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/30 "2005-04-28T20:20:04Z")
No, she knows _exactly_ who I am, and I think she feels my lighthearted wisecracking indicates I am not showing her sufficient deferrential awe. I’m too old to get another job in publishing—at least, not a fulltime job. I could freelance, but that means no benefits. I am seeing some Very Important People tonight and again for lunch tomorrow, and I am going to schmooze till I bruise. “Why, yes, I _will_ put out for a job, Mr. Hassenpfeffer.” ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/31 "2005-04-28T20:25:29Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > “Does she _hate_ me?” I asked. “Well, _nooo_ . . . Not as a _person_,” was the reply. All that’s missing from that is a “bless your little heart…” ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/32 "2005-04-28T20:32:08Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > …If I’m wrong, and your problem really is with the new boss, _Umbrage_ would be a good title for your magazine, if _Really!_ is taken. Silly **King of Soup** People “take umbrage”\* but they don’t “take really”. So there. 🙂 Sad **Eve** - it’s a REAL pain when you cannot study to escape the job simply because of the demands of the current job. Stupid misguided Newboss, I say. \*often before they depart in high dudgeon. I’ve always felt that dudgeon must be really quite classy vehicles and I wish I had one. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/33 "2005-04-29T15:51:41Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Oh, I’ve been wanting to start _Really! The Magazine for Dowagers_ for ages. Total hijack, but I had a dream last night that you did indeed start this magazine and hired me to work for you. During a brainstorming session I came up with the idea that we start a sister magazine and call it _Well I Never!_ Anyway, hope that flying under the radar is working out for you for the time being, and that your schmoozing pays off. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/34 "2005-04-29T17:02:45Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I am seeing some Very Important People tonight and again for lunch tomorrow, and I am going to schmooze till I bruise. “Why, yes, I _will_ put out for a job, Mr. Hassenpfeffer.” Paging **Bambi**! ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/35 "2005-04-29T17:08:10Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > So the managing editor called me in this morning to warn me … that new boss “doesn’t really get your sense of humor, and finds the wisecracks on the copy very annoying.” . . OK…just playing Devil’s Advocate here, but are you _sure_ it is the new boss who doesn’t get your sense of humor? Maybe this is a sore point from the managing editor and they are using the new boss as an excuse to bring it up. You did say your new boss seems nice and hasn’t said anything to you. Just a thought. And isn’t there an old NY adage, “if they can’t take a joke, fuck’em”? Keep being yourself and let the Tarot cards fall where they will. One of the basic laws of survival is to not worry about something until it actually happens. To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, “sudden changes in plans are dancing lessons from God.” I have always found that when I am forced into a new direction, it is a MUCH better direction. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/36 "2005-04-29T17:44:20Z")
What would be the counterpoint magazine for single men over 40 (who aren’t gay…Is that possible or don’t they automatically become gay?) The Bachelor. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/37 "2005-04-29T17:48:38Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Silly **King of Soup** People “take umbrage”\* but they don’t “take really”. Sure, take all the umbrage. Don’t leave any for anyone else. Snob. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/38 "2005-04-29T18:31:50Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > What would be the counterpoint magazine for single men over 40? Curmudgeon Living, featuring articles like _Whippersnappers: Nuisance or Menace?_ and _5 New Combover Stylings_. ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/39 "2005-04-29T18:37:45Z")
Instead of losing all your seniority, (and built up vacation and 401k maturity), is there another pub you could transfer to within the same corporation? You know … because you’ve “learned all you can here” and “would like some room to grow” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552/40 "2005-04-29T19:21:16Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > And isn’t there an old NY adage, “if they can’t take a joke, fuck’em”? There’s another old NY adage, “watch yer back, the knives are out.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-boss-does-not-think-im-funny-or-uh-oh/301552.md?page=3)