About Jokes and Frogs

Post 177:

            Can’t say I’m a short story connoisseur, but due to my love for Edgar Allan Poe, sometimes I find myself diving into my American collections. I read one yesterday called The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. You might be asking the perfectly relevant question—why would anybody waste their time reading something with such a ridiculous title?

            Answer: The ridiculous title. And it’s freaking Mark Twain. That dude was firing on all cylinders, except financially—pretty sure he went broke balls.

            The story itself is pretty stupid; Twain sets out at the start telling you that the whole thing is a waste of time, which makes it all the better. You get to the end knowing you wasted your time, and yet, somehow, he’s entertained you.

            It’s how he became the most famous person on the planet. Literally. I saw it on PBS. At his zenith, he was more recognizable worldwide than the president or any other celebrity.

            And the guy wrote meaningless stories about frogs. In a world that is serious and takes itself even more so, he was having a good time. I think that’s what his appeal came down to, in the end. There’s tragedians everywhere. Someone tell me a joke. See you after.