A parapraxis is a tool of karma. It’s what happens when what you are thinking, subconsciously or consciously, slips from your mouth at the worst possible moment. There is a long list of people who have been humbled by a Freudian Slip. Most of the time, these people just laugh off the embarrassment. A question for blog writers is how they can use the power of the prophylactic to increase the amount of humor in their content.
Visually speaking, and gauging from your reaction to the last sentence, this sort of thing can be powerful. How many times are we asked to make the content lift off the page? Humor is an excellent elevator of content. Nobody has ever had high altitude sickness from reading lofty content. Still, humor is as dangerous as it is funny. It boils down to the personal point of view of the reader. Content, after all, is much flatter than verbal delivery. At least, when someone is speaking, you can take into consideration their reaction and tone. When you are reading something that is meant to be funny, it can come off as insulting or rude.
Rudeness Is Not an Art Nor a Way of Life
Content should be informative, not degrading. Back in the day, there were tools that writers used to add humor to their text. Metaphors, limericks, parody, and jokes (like a non-sequitur) were all used to liven up content. Yet, even with these tools, people were offended. Humor is such a powerful tool, but some people use it much better than others. An excellent resource is Humor Writing – Activities for the English Classroom by Bruce A. Goebel.
Personally, I am a horrible humor writer. I blame the fact that I grew up in a family of loggers, fishermen, pirates, and, occasionally, a reformed missionary. It has taken the better part of three decades for my social filter to develop and I believe that it is clogged already. At this point, it may have to be surgically amputated and disposed of under the guidelines for toxic waste. However, there are plenty of quality blog writers out there who come up with some amazingly humorous content. If you find one, hold on tight — and maybe study up on their posts. You never know what you’ll learn.
David S is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
