Wednesday, April 25, 2012

1726 Found Humor

Back in the nineties I had a Cable Access TV Show. Yeah I know, standards were not high. One of the things that propelled my show was discovering "found humor." Stuff that existed in real life, like a road sign or a newspaper typo, and I just found it and exploited it for a lame joke. Like I saw this big billboard at a Firestone Service Outlet and it said "Gas Shocks." I stood under the sign and intoned into the camera, "Especially in mixed company."
Another time I stood under a reader-board at a travel agency. Their sign said, "Hawaiian Vacation $2500--Air Included." I said, "Great, it's nice to know when we go on vacation we'll be able to breathe..."
Then there was the time I stood next to a sign in Westport that was obviously trying to tell about the amenities available on that particular public beach. Still, it was confusing. The sign said, "Beach Access, No Water." I verbally visualized sand stretching to infinity...
So my radar perked up the other day when I saw a Pierce County Sheriff car that had something odd. It's exempt license plate was secured by a license plate holder like they all are. But this one wasn't standard issue. It was from In-and-Out Burgers. "Since 1948" it said.
A private company license plate holder on a public law enforcement vehicle? That seemed very, very wrong. Especially since the biggest letters on it very clearly said, "In-and-Out." Runs the risk of confirming some people's beliefs about our justice system in allowing criminals back on the street.
Beyond that, of course, was how I once pointed out In-and-Out on my show. Is this a good name when you're talking about food? Sounds like a burger joint for bulimics.
America ya gotta love it.

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