Talk: Humour (1983: Doomsday)

Humor vs. Humour

The British use "humour" and the Americans use "humor". Should we stick with the current title or rename it? Mitro 16:54, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

The way I see it that because the article was created by an English guy we should stick with this the current spelling. If it had been started by an American we would stick with humor Verence71 20:35, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

Well I am going to create a redirect at least so us American spellers don't have to switch to the British style when editing our articles. I think that is a fair compromise, the title of the article will remain the same but anyone can use whatever spelling they want. Mitro 21:07, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

I think it's fair that if we title the article "Humour", we should use "Humor" in the opening paragraph. - Mister Sheen 19:04, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

Virginians

I'd like to politely request that someone write Virginian jokes. Though I ask that you please be gentle.

Yankovic270 20:57, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

Dude that is not cool. Everyone should be ragged on fairly :-) Mitro 21:07, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

Allright fine. Anyway, I never pegged you as the type of guy who uses "Dude" in a sentance, Mitro.

Yankovic270 23:43, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

New Britain

Since it appears that it was mostly the upper-crust of British society who wentto New Britain, I wonder if there would be any jokes that would focus on class? Mitro 21:09, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

Oh yes. Class differences are a popular target of mickey taking in real life, when international rivalries and the whole 'running away' thing are added in there isn't a comedian who would be able to resist.Tessitore 21:18, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

Just had a thought. It's probably not fair for New Britain to be on the recieving end all the time. Anyone got any ideas for jokes that the New Brits could have at the expense of the survivour states?Tessitore 20:05, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Comedians

Will their be a list of well known comedians who would have survived, based on the survivor state that they live in? I will offer to help with that. Tbguy1992 01:57, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Is it possible for Gilbert Gottfried or Jeff Dunham to have survived?

Yankovic270 02:25, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

If I'm right, Dunham was in Waco, Texas studying at Baylor University, and it is unclear what Gottfried was doing between 1981 (when he was on Saturday Night Live) and 1987 (when he was Beverly Hills Cops II). I would say he might either have been in New York or LA, so he was most likely killed, unfortunately. But, I say Dunham's chances of surviving are good. Tbguy1992 03:38, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Possibly Billy Connelly as in 1983 he was still living near Glasgow. Other survivors Peter Kay (a 10 year old in Bolton on DD), Jimmy Tarbuck (living outside Liverpool on DD), Bruce Forsyth (living with his new wife in Surrey on DD), Bill Bailey (16 years old and in Bath, Somerset on DD), Frankie Boyle (in Glasgow aged 11 on DD), Russell Brand (8 years old in Essex on DD), Craig Charles (In Liverpool aged 19 on DD)--Smoggy80 15:53, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure whether or not to mention it in the main article, but now that you've mentioned that Peter Kay would a) have stood a good chance of surviving and b) be a Lancastrian, I've felt the need to decide what he'd be doing in this timeline. After some consideration, I've settled on him currently co-owning a small club in Blackpool with a couple of mates and doing a bit of radio comedy during the off-season.Tessitore 14:39, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

What about American and Canadian comedien(e)s? And Australian for that matter? I'm sure the Brits aren't the only ones that would attempt to lighten the mood after Doomsday (though they were proportionately worse off). SouthWriter 16:18, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

How about Rich Hall, Reginald D Hunter, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie?? Verence71 19:28, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Okay, I'll help out a little:

• Rich Hall - grewup in Mecklenburg county,NC - Charlotte being bombed, but if he were working from there, or visiting home there, on DD, he may have survived. If he was working in NYC or LA (where HBO studios probably existed) he would not be so lucky. Chances are, he got caught unawares and perished.
• Reginald D. Hunter - 14 years old, living at home in Albany, Georgia. Low-yield nuke took out southwest part of town hitting a strategic military facility outside of town. It would depend on where he lived, and even where his family's church was (if they had later services, for instance). I'd say he has a fair chance of surviving.
• Ryan Styles - living and working (PT standup comic) in Vancouver area. Which was nuked. Probably didn't make it.
• Colin Mochrie - worked in Vancouver with Styles. Also very doubtful that he survived.

Well, maybe not too much help, huh? :-( SouthWriter 20:20, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

No worries, they were just the first ones that came to mind cos they regularly appear on comedy shows and panel games over here.

Hang on though, just thought of another one, Australian comedian Paul Hogan Verence71 20:56, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

It would depend on where Hogan was producing the Paul Hogan Show, which ran from 1973 - 1984. If he was living and working in one of the three Australian cities that were nuked, then his chances diminiish. If he lived in the suburbs and wasn't at work that fateful Monday morning, his chances increase a little bit. SouthWriter 16:52, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

What about Will Ferrell? aged 16 in Irvine, California on DD. possibly survived--Smoggy80 17:50, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Steve Carell as university in Granville, Ohio on DD--Smoggy80 17:52, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

There is of course Lee Evans, he definatlely survived as he's High Minster of Essex now--Smoggy80 18:12, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

It's concievable that Simon Pegg from Space and Shaun Of The Dead would still be about as he would have been 13 on Doomsday and living in the Gloucestershire village of Brockworth Verence71 18:46, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

I have some more people well known if our world, at their fates:

• Jeff Foxworthy: working in Atlanta, Georgia. Most likely died.
• Daniel Whitney (aka Larry the Cable Guy): most likely studying in Atlanta, Georgia. Most likely died.
• Tim Allen: stand up comedy in Los Angeles. Most likely died.
• Drew Carey: Not quite sure; doesn't say between 1982 and 1985, when he started his career. Guessing he was in Cleveland, OH, so most likely died.
• Rick Mercer: Canadian, living in St. Johns, Newfoundland. He would have survived, as St. Johns was not nuked, and becomes the capital of the Canada Remainder Provinces
• Howie Mandel: Working on St. Elsewhere in Century City, Los Angeles. He most likely died.
• Colin Mochrie: Working in Vancouver with Ryan Stiles. I'm assuming they both died.
• Stephen Colbert: I'm assuming he was studying in Chicago from what I can find on him. Most likely died.
• Jon Stewart: studying at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, but I can't figure what happened to Williamsburg, so at the moment its a "plausible".

Yeah, I know, most of the people I found would be dead, but, thats what you get in a massive nuclear war. Tbguy1992 18:57, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Looking at the list of Canadian/Quebecker comedians on wikipedia, the only two of the major ones that were not covered already that would be likely to live are Brent Butt, of Corner Gas fame, who would likely have been at home in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, as well Steve Smith from the Red/Green show, who seems to have been somewhere in southern Ontario - likely Hamilton.

I'd call that good news for Kitchener, Niagara Falls, or Norfolk, as well as the Provisional Canadian government on the plains.

=)

Lordganon 22:56, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

I have been doing research into where certain people were for sometime. I can tell you that Eddie Murphy was in LA cohosting the Emmy's and George Carline was in NYC getting ready to do a performance. Thus I would assume both would have died.--Fxgentleman 00:04, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

Back to the British comedians for a bit; I'm not entirely sure but I think there may have been a chance that Eddie Izzard survived. His Wikipedia article doesn't have his exact location but it says that he spent the early eighties working as a street performer in Europe and America after getting kicked out the University of Sheffield (something which in this timeline may have saved his life), so he could've been somewhere that didn't get nuked. If that was the case, then he would've been 21 and if his recent mega marathon is anything to go by he's fairly tough so his chances of making it through the aftermath would've been as good as anyone elses.Tessitore 17:36, September 28, 2010 (UTC)

Paul O'Grady (AKA Lily Savage) survived and has become a politition in Liverpool in the Celtic Alliance.--Smoggy80 18:27, October 1, 2010 (UTC)

• Jim Carrey working at the Comedy store in LA at the time of the attacks - probably died
• Richard Prior recently divorced from wife No 4 was living in upstate California, possibly survived but would've still died of MS by now--Smoggy80 13:13, October 2, 2010 (UTC)

Stephen Colbert lives!

Well, I "did the math" and I believe that one time South Carolinian almost certainly lived! The bad news is -- the college town he was living in was probably occupied by the Virginian Republic. <grin> Here's the pertenent paragraph from Wikipedia (Colbert would have been 19 on DD):

For a while, he was uncertain whether he would attend college, but ultimately he applied and was accepted to Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, where a friend had also enrolled. There he continued to participate in plays while studying mainly philosophy; he found the curriculum rigorous but was more focused than he had been in high school and was able to apply himself to his studies. Despite the lack of a significant theater community at Hampden-Sydney, Colbert's interest in acting escalated during this time. After two years, he transferred to Northwestern University's School of Speech (later named School of Communication) to study performance, emboldened by the realization that he loved performing even when no one was coming to shows.

Born May 13, 1964, he was ten years old when his father died in a plain crash (Sept 11, 1974), prompting his mother to move from down town Charleston to the suburbs. Changing schools in the first term that way may have contributed to his uncertainty about school, but anyway, he most likely did not enter college early. He would have first attended Hampden-Sydney in Virginia (town by that name). That would have begun in the fall of 1982. He would have returned to school by Sept. 25, 1983 (if he had gone home for the summer) and escaped the destruction of Charleston, SC. As caretaker of the SC area in 1983DD, I can't say how well the Charleston suburbs would have fared (it depends on where the military bases are, I guess). But anyway, Steve Colbert lived. I'm not quite sure if the young philosophy student would have become a comedian though. SouthWriter 21:03, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Maybe he would start telling jokes shortly after Doomsday. People need a means to escape the horrors of Doomsday. Maybe in the years following Doomsday, the comedian starts his "Colbert Report" as a parody of pre-Doomsday news programs. In the early years this would be more like a play acted out on stage than a TV show, then when the Virginian Republic comes in (and TV is eventually restored) the Colbert Report is finally televised. Given that Jon Stewart is also in Virginia, it is possible that they would meet and that Jon Stwart might parcipate in Colbert's Colbert Report play/TV show before getting his own TV show. These TV shows become the first television programs not to be government-controlled.

Yankovic270 23:18, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

So, do we make a proposal about Stephen Colbert and John Stewart? Tbguy1992 23:27, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Make it so Number One. But can you give the two guys seperate articles?

Yankovic270 23:37, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

That is what I was planning. But, maybe they become leaders in their respective areas as well, later? Maybe Colbert becomes a politician in Virginia? I will propose the article on the Main page soon. Tbguy1992 23:40, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

Steve Colbert serving under the Thompson regime? Hmm... I was thinking he would probably get in trouble with his satirical humor aimed at the dear General. And Jon Stewart most certainly would have tore into him -- if he weren't working and/or performing in Delmarva (that's where Williamsburg is -- on the coast and almost, but not quite, hit by nukes. With nowhere to go, the students at William & Mary would have probably become part of the "pioneer village" culture of east Virgina as it came to join the other Delmarvans in coping with the disaster. At least in Delmarva the atmosphere would be more condusive to a rise of apocolyptic humor that would be appreciated.

That being said, I'm going to sit back and see what TB does with two of America's finest satirists. SouthWriter 00:24, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

I thought that they would serve the role of the court jesters. In the middle ages the only one in the King's court who could openly mock and insult the King. And that was the court jester. In the Thompson-loving enviroment of Virginia all it takes is the beloved President-General saying that he liked Colbert/Stewart's humour once, and they would be pretty much protected for life. So even if Colbert did get in trouble, the President-General himself would probabbly defuse the situation by saying he enjoyed the play/TV show.

Yankovic270 01:18, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

First, I'll get this out. I'm not anywhere near being a 1983:DD expert. I will most likely contradict half of the stuff, but it's because I can't read every single article about Doomsday without forgetting most of it. I'll do my best to cross reference everything, but if I screw up, please let me know or change it. Thanks.

Next, I was thinking that, most likely that Virginia will allow Colbert to operate, mostly to try to keep morale up. He will take some swipes at the General, but, I have one of two ways he would operate: a) almost everything he does will be "reviewed" before hand; or b) maybe to try to keep up the sense that Virginia was part of the US, would they allow Colbert to exercise his Freedom of Speech? I would like ya's or na's on that please.

For now, I want to get Colbert done first, then I'll look into Stewart. But, please, if you have any ideas, please tell me or add them in! Tbguy1992 02:06, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

Alright, I have the Colbert article in some semblance of finished, so if you guys could check it out, give me pointers or something on how to fix it, that would be great! thanks! Tbguy1992 06:17, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

Fishermen cartoon

The two fishermen seeing the mushroom clouds is "spot on." I have pointed this out to a few American editors that write about limitations on fishing (in the Great Lakes and the Atlantic) to avoid over fishing. There would be no point! In some societies, the more fish the better! And as the native tribes taught the first settlers in America -- fish make excellent fertilzer for the crops! SouthWriter 15:39, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

It's a great one. I wonder if it was pre-1983? When did The Far Side get its start?

The Far Side started in 1980, and ended in 1995 OTL, but I believe Larson was in San Fransisco, so he, unfortunately, most likely died. Tbguy1992 19:02, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

The Chronicle syndicated the Far Side, but Larson lived in Tacoma. No small comfort, though, for that city also suffered greatly on Doomsday. Does anyone know the copywrite date on that cartoon. If it's post-DD, then it technically has to go (unless, of course, we can "save Gary Larson" in the suburbs of Tacoma!) At any rate, the cartoon states a truth of Doomsday often overlooked. SouthWriter 00:49, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

Prussian royalty

Prussia's provided more than its fair share of political entertainment over the last year. We need some King Christian Sigismund jokes! Benkarnell 16:38, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

I second this motion. I wouldn't be suprised if there were a few comedians who were sorry to see him go.Tessitore 19:52, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

King Christian offended by bathroom smell, declares war on Poo.Oerwinde 09:57, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

"This poo is part of Prussia's historic territory." Benkarnell 21:56, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

East Britain

It occurs to me that the fact that East Britain made a farmer their king would be the subject of a few jokes (sorry Bob, but it's true). I mean they'd already get teased for being a bunch of farmers, having one as their king would just provide more material.Tessitore 20:05, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Mutants?

Isn't that a little to 1950s sci fi to be serious? Mitro 20:21, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

I would think that jokes about mutations would count as Black Comedy Verence71 20:51, September 23, 2010 (UTC)

Even if there are no "Ghouls", maybe lots of people believe there are. And that's enough for them to count as real in people's minds. "Big ruckus at the chicken coup last night. I think it was a few of them ghouls. I skeered em away, but damned if my eggs weren't broken every one the next morning." And so on. Benkarnell 16:01, September 24, 2010 (UTC)

I think someon likes Fallout (the games) too much. In Fallout Ghouls are radioactive creatures that look like zombies. Feral Ghouls are Ghouls that actually act like zombies. I shouldn't complain about Fallout refrences. I specifically wrote Slab City in order to make it a real-life version of Megaton, a town in Fallout 3.

Yankovic270 00:14, September 25, 2010 (UTC)

Remember: jokes don't have to be scientifically accurate. Just funny.HAD 21:22, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

But that's just it. They aren't funny either. Let me point out that if mutations actually exist in the Doomsday world, then said jokes are mocking people's suffering. Need I say more? Any comedian who bases his career soley on mutation jokes will find himself unemployed very quickly.

Yankovic270 21:48, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

Ha, tell that to practically any comedian in the world. They thrive on making people uncomfortable. Benkarnell 21:55, September 27, 2010 (UTC)

Celtic alliance

my parents are Irish so i know a few Irish joke so i will add more --Owen1983 16:08, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

Wait a second. You once said English is not your first language, but last time I checked they speaking English in Ireland. If both of your parents are Irish, how the hell is English not your first language? Mitro 17:21, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

Excuse me, but in every country that speaks a language other than English there is usually a sizable chunk of the population that learned the native tongue before he/she learned English. Owen is probably one of the people who learned Irish before he learned English. That would explain his rather poor spelling and grammar. He's probably more confident in Irish than he is in English.

Yankovic270 18:07, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

Even so, the basic bits - capitalising proper nouns and the words at the start of sentences - and just general punctuation, are universal. Fegaxeyl 18:13, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

Ok fair enough Yank, but there are only 40 to 80k native speakers of Irish in a nation of over 4 million, where English is also the official language and spoken by the majority of the populace. Unless Owen grew up in the most backward part of Ireland, I find it hard to believe that he was not able to practice on English just as much as Irish. Also look at his choice of words "my parents are Irish." That tells me he does not identify himself as Irish despite his parents ethnicity. Mitro 18:17, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

Personally, I fail to understand how Owen lacks the ability to spell properly. If he is Irish (then why the obession with Manchester?) he should have received an education that would allow him to properly utilize the English language.HAD 19:23, October 5, 2010 (UTC)

Conan o' brien

Does anybody know if Harvard survived... because i was wandering if Conan coulda survived doomsday since he was going to Harverd during this time. (Althistoryluver99 02:57, October 17, 2010 (UTC))

I'm assuming no, because he likely would have been on campus when Doomsday hit. BrianD 03:25, October 17, 2010 (UTC)