# What do Cajun Man and the space shuttle have in common? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 11, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605 "2005-08-11T16:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/1 "2005-08-11T16:48:42Z")
Hey **Cajun Man** , did you read all the way through the [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=329676) before closing it? Of the 38 responses to the OP, 26 of them were almost completely strictly on topic and only seven of them were nothing but a space shuttle joke. That seems like a pretty high signal to noise ratio for a MPSIMS thread. Hardly the “nothing but _horrible_ jokes” you used as your excuse for closing it. If your delicate sensibilities are so offended by space shuttle jokes, then post a note in the thread to knock them off and let the discussion of the topic continue. There’s no reason to close the thread and there’s definitely no reason to misrepresent the content of the thread to try to justify closing 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:** [August 11, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/2 "2005-08-11T17:05:34Z")
Yeah, that’s a pretty lame closing. It was an interesting discussion, with only a few off-color (and not all that bad) jokes about a tragedy that happened over a decade ago. Way over sensitive. The thread really should be re-opened. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/3 "2005-08-11T17:06:54Z")
Sorry, **Otto** , but there was plenty of reason to close it. **Cajun Man** and I both agreed that the thread didn’t need to live any longer. Yes, as he said, the underlying question was a fairly decent one, but the tasteless jokes distracted from it. It could have been moved over to **GQ** , but again, the jokes were disrespectful and inappropriate. Now, that said, if **HubZilla** or someone else would like to start a new thread in **GD** asking the same question (with maybe one joke to help illustrate his point), he’s welcome to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/4 "2005-08-11T17:23:53Z")
I vote with the “the jokes were disrespectful and inappropriate and the thread closing was appropriate” It didn’t bother me enough to report the thread and complain about it- but I was kind of relieved to see that it had been closed. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/5 "2005-08-11T17:29:42Z")
“almost completely strictly” What the heck does that mean? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/6 "2005-08-11T17:40:06Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > “almost completely strictly” > > What the heck does that mean? That’s like being a little bit pregnant. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/7 "2005-08-11T17:44:42Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > “almost completely strictly” > > What the heck does that mean? That almost all of the posts were completely dedicated to a strict discussion of the topic? In other words, “almost” described the ratio of good/bad posts, “completely” described the ratio of on-topic/off-topic content in the good posts, and “strictly” described how serious the on-topic content on the good posts was. That’s how I read it. But sometimes I read too much into things. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/8 "2005-08-11T17:52:28Z")
Well then. That makes strictly almost complete sense. In a fragmented partially amorphous manner. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/9 "2005-08-11T17:55:14Z")
It’s similar to “really nearly always.” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/10 "2005-08-11T18:01:19Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > “almost completely strictly” > > What the heck does that mean? Describing the many posts of several paragraphs containing either no jokes or a single joke sentence. For example, [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6462161&postcount=19). The bulk of the posts fall into this category and only a few were nothing but jokes. And really, if tasteless humor was enough to get threads closed then about half the threads on this board should be shuttered. > [@Eureka](#): > > It didn’t bother me enough to report the thread and complain about it- but I was kind of relieved to see that it had been closed. And here we have a classic example of “if it bothers you, don’t open the thread.” It was apparent from the OP that there might be humor you might find tasteless. For fuck’s sake, the OP included several examples of said humor. So if your delicate little sensibilities are going to be so easily offended, don’t open the fucking thread. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/11 "2005-08-11T18:04:41Z")
> [@](#): > > And really, if tasteless humor was enough to get threads closed then about half the threads on this board should be shuttered. Including this one. Now that several of us have polluted it. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/12 "2005-08-11T18:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > What do Cajun Man and the space shuttle have in common? They both explode from minor irritations? ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/13 "2005-08-11T18:31:12Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > Now, that said, if **HubZilla** or someone else would like to start a new thread in **GD** asking the same question (with maybe one joke to help illustrate his point), he’s welcome to do so. So he was three examples over the limit for it to remain open? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/14 "2005-08-11T18:39:01Z")
The anatomy of most humor, high or low brow, is other people getting hurt. It could be low (pie in face, slipping on a banana peel or getting caught _in flagrante delicto_) or high (biting verbal satire or parody). Another aspect is that humor often, but not always, consist of a person actually getting hurt in the way we imagined. If you don’t think this is the case, look at most movies during the past few years which are labeled comedy. **American Pie** and **There’s Something about Mary** features protagonists who get hurt or do really stupid things so others get hurt. Many sitcoms on tv feature this in a milder manner. Humor (supposedly) ensued when rich bitch spoiled suburban girl Rachel Green frantically tried to get her love life working in the big city, Frank Burns and Hot Lips were often the receivers of really cruel pranks pulled by Hawk Eye and Trapper John. And looking at cartoons, well… Wile E. Coyote and Elmer Fudd get hurt frequently - and we laugh. Now, some people find some things funny, other people think it’s bad taste or are simply left feeling that it was neither funny, nor disgusting. Jokes about Challenger is clearly something that upsets some people, whereas Elmer Fudd getting shot in the ass won’t make many people write the FCC and complaint. No matter - a lot of humor is about people getting hurt. We laugh, because it’s a safety valve. And I think that if something is worth being serious about, then it’s worth joking about. Without the safety valve of humor, we get perspective and needed detachment to be able to cope with things we feel are horrible. I don’t remember any Challenger jokes, probably because it was too far away to make jokes a necessity. We were joking about other things happening here at the time - just because we needed to. You can probably guess were I stand on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/15 "2005-08-11T18:42:50Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > It’s similar to “really nearly always.” Also like “definately maybe”. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/16 "2005-08-11T18:52:41Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > So he was three examples over the limit for it to remain open? No, I was giving a description of what an allowable GQ question might be. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/17 "2005-08-11T20:02:26Z")
Question: Maybe I’ve missed it, but I always thought that MPSIMS was the place for joke threads. Where is the rule that says “no joke threads”? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/18 "2005-08-11T20:09:50Z")
> [@](#): > > What do Cajun Man and the space shuttle have in common? > > > [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > > > They both explode from minor irritations? They’re both too thin-skinned? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/19 "2005-08-11T20:10:57Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Question: > Maybe I’ve missed it, but I always thought that MPSIMS was the place for joke threads. Where is the rule that says “no joke threads”? Are you seeing someone say, “no joke threads”? ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605/20 "2005-08-11T20:39:35Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > The anatomy of most humor, high or low brow, is other people getting hurt. It could be low (pie in face, slipping on a banana peel or getting caught _in flagrante delicto_) or high (biting verbal satire or parody). > > Another aspect is that humor often, but not always, consist of a person actually getting hurt in the way we imagined. If you don’t think this is the case, look at most movies during the past few years which are labeled comedy. **American Pie** and **There’s Something about Mary** features protagonists who get hurt or do really stupid things so others get hurt. Many sitcoms on tv feature this in a milder manner. Humor (supposedly) ensued when rich bitch spoiled suburban girl Rachel Green frantically tried to get her love life working in the big city, Frank Burns and Hot Lips were often the receivers of really cruel pranks pulled by Hawk Eye and Trapper John. And looking at cartoons, well… Wile E. Coyote and Elmer Fudd get hurt frequently - and we laugh. > > Now, some people find some things funny, other people think it’s bad taste or are simply left feeling that it was neither funny, nor disgusting. Jokes about Challenger is clearly something that upsets some people, whereas Elmer Fudd getting shot in the ass won’t make many people write the FCC and complaint. > > No matter - a lot of humor is about people getting hurt. We laugh, because it’s a safety valve. And I think that if something is worth being serious about, then it’s worth joking about. Without the safety valve of humor, we get perspective and needed detachment to be able to cope with things we feel are horrible. > > I don’t remember any Challenger jokes, probably because it was too far away to make jokes a necessity. We were joking about other things happening here at the time - just because we needed to. > > You can probably guess were I stand on this issue. Sure, a lot of humor is about people getting hurt, but there’s a pretty big difference between Wiley Coyote falling off a cliff and then being fine in the next scene, and seven _real human beings_ dying tragically. I suppose that’s obvious, but my point is they’re not even funny for the same reasons. Most of the examples you name (Wiley Coyote, Frank Burns, Rachel Greene) are humor based on someone being perpetually frustrated. It’s the same reason why Charlie Brown losing every baseball game and never kicking Lucy’s football is funny – the poor guy just can’t catch a break. (Although there’s a slight difference in that with some of those other characters you’re meant to feel they _deserve_ it.) The Challenger jokes are something totally different. They’re a single horrific incident, not an unending series of lesser aggravations. And it’s not humor as a defense mechanism, either. I suppose it might have been originally, but you can’t seriously suggest that the people who posted in that thread are _still_ having so much difficulty coming to grips with the Challenger disaster that they need to use humor as an outlet for their emotions. I suspect the jokes in that thread were much more the “it’s funny because of how audaciously tasteless it is” form of humor. In otherwords, the _point_ of the comments is to be offensive and tasteless, and if they illicit laughs (they didn’t from me) it’s because of the “I can’t believe he said that” shock factor. I wasn’t going to complain about the thread, although I found the comments unpleasant. I just wasn’t going to read any more of it. But the death of a thread where something like 12 out of 38 posts included at least one _deliberately_ tasteless joke doesn’t strike me as that big of a loss. If anyone really wants to keep discussing it, they could always start a new thread and include a request in the OP that no one post examples of Challenger jokes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-cajun-man-and-the-space-shuttle-have-in-common/316605.md?page=2)