Wisecracks

"Humor enriches our lives, but it can also raise moral trouble. Is humor that relies on deception, maliciousness, or stereotyping always immoral? Does motive matter in determining the moral value of a joke? Why are certain topics out of bounds for humor? In Wisecracks, philosopher David Shoemaker delves into the fascinating relationship between humor and morality in our everyday lives. In this book, Shoemaker sets aside the crafted forms of humor we find in comedy specials, TV skits, and more and focuses on the informal, improvised wit that occurs in interpersonal relationships-such as teasing, mockery, and pranks-known as wisecracks. The key difference between wisecracks and jokes? Jokes are told, whereas wisecracks are made. Sometimes wisecracks involve lying, sometimes they are mean, and sometimes they play on racial or sexual stereotypes. Shoemaker untangles the intricate threads of when and why these immoral qualities are or aren't acceptable in humor. In showing how a well-developed sense of morality is central to a good sense of humor (and how to develop each), Wisecracks makes the case for how humor can heal, even when it takes a hurtful form"--

Although Hollywood did not invent the wisecrack, moviemakers, screenwriters, and actors have crafted pinpoint put-downs and split-second come-ons into an art form. This thematically arranged (and thoroughly indexed) collection of classic, comic one-liners features hundreds of celluloid icons, including Mae West, W. C. Fields, and Groucho Marx. Encompassing all film genres from frothy musicals to hard-boiled noir, run-of-DeMille epics to Looney Tunes cartoons, Wisecracks features the finest of classic film comebacks that are guaranteed to delight every film fan.

Humorous animal photos are captioned with witty one-liners that touch on virtually every aspect of our lives. The threefold purpose of this clever little gift book is to provoke a smile, remind the reader of typical human foibles, and inspire readers to recognize something of themselves in the humorous phrases. For instance, a typical photo shows a family of lazy walruses lounging at the seashore, and the accompanying caption reads: ï¿1/2Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.ï¿1/2 Close-up, black-and-white photos appear on every two-page spread, and each cleverly-captioned picture reminds us that animals and human beings have more in common than we sometimes like to admit.

This book delves into the controversial actions of British prisoners of war during World War II, exploring cases of alleged betrayal, collaboration, and espionage. During the Second World War over 200,000 British prisoners of war were detained by the Third Reich. A large proportion of these PoWs were members of the Royal Air Force, or airmen who served in it. A number of them have been immortalised in the many books and movies that have portrayed their valiant exploits and escapes, none more so than the events surrounding the Great Escape in 1944. The names of camps such as Stalag Luft III, at Sagan, and Colditz Castle are well known to the general public, the prisoners incarcerated there often being held in high regard. But there were a few PoWs whose loyalty to the cause and their fellow prisoners might not have been as strong. The names of Pilot Officer Railton Freeman, Sergeant Jack Alcock and Sergeant Raymond Hughes are among those found in that inglorious group of alleged traitors, for all three men betrayed their colleagues and the nation. The trio assisted the Nazi regime in making radio broadcasts, or even joining the British Frei Korps, a unit of the dreaded SS. One gave information about the Monica radar system to the Luftwaffe, and others got fellow prisoners to divulge information on fake Red Cross forms. Other prisoners such as Flight Lieutenant Julius Zuromski and Squadron Leader Robert George Carpenter also came under suspicion when reports began to arrive at MI9 in London. Enquiries were subsequently undertaken by the RAF Special Investigation Branch and MI5 – investigations that would ultimately lead to the imprisonment of some and the release of others. What these men did and why some were prosecuted, and others were released without charge, is examined by the author. Why one man in particular, an ardent Nazi and traitor, was not sentenced to death, having liaised with the likes of the infamous William Joyce, also known as ‘Lord Haw Haw’, and even Josef Goebbels, is a mystery to this day. Sadly, not all our aviators were heroes. But there has long been debate that some of them might have actually been working for the Security Services. So, were these men traitors who collaborated with Hitler’s Third Reich, or agents working for the British State?

It's everyone's favorite form of insult comedy (as seen on MTV!)—hundreds of crushingly funny one-liners about "yo' mama"—and all yo' other relatives—sure to shut people’s mouths or make them howl with laughter. Yo' mama is so fat, when her beeper goes off, people think she’s backing up. Yo' mama is so old that when she was young, rainbows were black and white. Yo' mama is so fat, she eats Wheat Thicks. Yo' mama is so dumb that when she saw a sign that said, "Airport Left," she turned around and went home. Yo' mama's so short you can see her feet on her driver’s license. So dumb, so fat, so ugly, and so old have never been SO FUNNY, thanks to this exhaustive and inventive assortment of laugh-out-loud one-line jokes sure to cause a sensation. Hundreds of quotable and easy-to-remember quips have been gathered here by a comedy master, and the result is a relentless collection of wholesome, all-in-good-fun nastiness for every occasion. Divided into handy categories (in case you happen to need a boatload of fat jokes, skinny jokes, or whatever) Yo' Mama Is So... is an essential addition to the humor shelf of any self-respecting smart aleck. Hey...what did you call my mama??!!

The New York Times bestseller from the author of Watchmen and V for Vendetta finally appears in a one-volume paperback. Begging comparisons to Tolstoy and Joyce, this “magnificent, sprawling cosmic epic” (Guardian) by Alan Moore—the genre-defying, “groundbreaking, hairy genius of our generation” (NPR)—takes its place among the most notable works of contemporary English literature. In decaying Northampton, eternity loiters between housing projects. Among saints, kings, prostitutes, and derelicts, a timeline unravels: second-century fiends wait in urine-scented stairwells, delinquent specters undermine a century with tunnels, and in upstairs parlors, laborers with golden blood reduce fate to a snooker tournament. Through the labyrinthine streets and pages of Jerusalem tread ghosts singing hymns of wealth and poverty. They celebrate the English language, challenge mortality post-Einstein, and insist upon their slum as Blake’s eternal holy city in “Moore’s apotheosis, a fourth-dimensional symphony” (Entertainment Weekly). This “brilliant . . . monumentally ambitious” tale from the gutter is “a massive literary achievement for our time—and maybe for all times simultaneously” (Washington Post).

Nils Bothmann applies antiessentialist genre theory to study the fusion of the action and the detection genre in the hybrid genre of detAction, focusing on the work of screenwriter and director Shane Black. After providing antiessentialist definitions of all three genres, the author undertakes close readings of Black’s work in order to analyze depictions of race and gender as well as the role of intermediality and genre hybridity in detAction.​