Seeking Input....
As many of you know, I wear several hats. Today I struggled a bit with making a posting that was the result of wearing two of those hats at once.
This week the Georgia Legislature is considering making significant changes that have the potential to impact greatly on the lives of all Georgians.
I came across a humorous way in which the very serious way this will impact individual Georgians was addressed. For our part, those of us in I guess what you would call "senior management" went around and around on whether to include this in the blog.
I know that it is not the best use of our time to thrust what some may consider to be our personal views on our customers. By the same token, part of the social role of comedy is to address serious issues in a way that makes it easier for people to thing about things that they may not have considered before.
In this case, the subject of tort reform enflames passion on both sides of the issue. Because this is such a touchy subject, I thought that the humor involved in the "Do It Yourself" Tort Reform release was an interesting way to initiate a conversation.
At this point, I'd like to turn the conversation over to you, our readers. Leave a comment here, and keep it above board if you would or it will be deleted. Should we restrict the blog to between the lines humorous content, and updates on what is going on in the club, or should we also consider seeing how humor is used to draw difficult subjects (for whatever the reason) in to the larger discussion?
This week the Georgia Legislature is considering making significant changes that have the potential to impact greatly on the lives of all Georgians.
I came across a humorous way in which the very serious way this will impact individual Georgians was addressed. For our part, those of us in I guess what you would call "senior management" went around and around on whether to include this in the blog.
I know that it is not the best use of our time to thrust what some may consider to be our personal views on our customers. By the same token, part of the social role of comedy is to address serious issues in a way that makes it easier for people to thing about things that they may not have considered before.
In this case, the subject of tort reform enflames passion on both sides of the issue. Because this is such a touchy subject, I thought that the humor involved in the "Do It Yourself" Tort Reform release was an interesting way to initiate a conversation.
At this point, I'd like to turn the conversation over to you, our readers. Leave a comment here, and keep it above board if you would or it will be deleted. Should we restrict the blog to between the lines humorous content, and updates on what is going on in the club, or should we also consider seeing how humor is used to draw difficult subjects (for whatever the reason) in to the larger discussion?
posted by Jamie at 8:41 PM
2 Comments:
I say keep it to comic wit and "clubspeak". The best entries here, in my opinion, are the ones that give us a witty snapshot into the behind-the-scenes action of The Punchline!
Telemarketer Repellant
If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work, if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.
Say "no" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.
If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends, would you be my friend?"
If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog has the gout..."
If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out goat blood? How about human blood?"
Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her back. When the telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their home numbers say, "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me either!" Hang up.
Ask them to repeat everything they say several times.
Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?"
Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up . . . louder . . . louder . . .
When the salesperson asks, "Is this the homeowner?" say, "Is this the salesperson?" And when they say, "Yes," hang up.
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