Clown reporting for duty... yep. My dad was a funny guy, his whole family was funny except his eldest brother who only has darkness. He wasn't as abusive as his dad; we never got the shit kicked out of us, but I grew up dealing with some dad-derived-darkness. I was always class clown, I continually crack jokes, people keep complaining that HN doesn't do humor but jeez, folks, 90% of my karma here comes from pithy observational humor. (truth: HN hates low-hanging fruit of all varieties, and comedians who complain about their audience suck*)
This is something I've been thinking about recently in job-hunting. NASA [1] has looked at clowns to evaluate their utility in teambuilding -- and no surprise to me, a joker** finds their place in high-stress environments. Makes sense to me, because I've lived this dynamic and my release valve being stuck open has been an incredible social lubricant in my life.
Most people don't know how to let go a little bit: they tend to hold it all in until the dam bursts. I don't think I'd have survived my childhood with that approach. Jokers like me enter a stressful situation, and knock the edge off a little, because this is our natural defense to pre-trauma. In a professional environment, members of our audience are often unaware of the process underway -- jokers hold an umbrella against an unseen rain.
But people think they hate comedy! Jokers are seen as unserious, unreliable; add to that this stupid stereotype that women can't be funny -- I can't put this on my resume, despite it being literally my most useful social skill. Yeah, I can knuckle down and write code and fix bugs like anybody else, but what I can do for social cohesion doesn't get measured. I've even defrayed situations between my manager and my skip with a light comment. I'm reluctant to crack jokes in an interview because of humor's negative perception, but in truth that means I only let the good ones slip out.
But what happens after an interview where I have not found a single opportunity for levity? Do I want to work for a manager who I don't feel comfortable making a joke around?
** I do prefer the term joker to clown. I've had friends go to clown school, I've had friends go to comedian school... "joker" doesn't imply any kind of pedigree.
This is something I've been thinking about recently in job-hunting. NASA [1] has looked at clowns to evaluate their utility in teambuilding -- and no surprise to me, a joker** finds their place in high-stress environments. Makes sense to me, because I've lived this dynamic and my release valve being stuck open has been an incredible social lubricant in my life.
Most people don't know how to let go a little bit: they tend to hold it all in until the dam bursts. I don't think I'd have survived my childhood with that approach. Jokers like me enter a stressful situation, and knock the edge off a little, because this is our natural defense to pre-trauma. In a professional environment, members of our audience are often unaware of the process underway -- jokers hold an umbrella against an unseen rain.
But people think they hate comedy! Jokers are seen as unserious, unreliable; add to that this stupid stereotype that women can't be funny -- I can't put this on my resume, despite it being literally my most useful social skill. Yeah, I can knuckle down and write code and fix bugs like anybody else, but what I can do for social cohesion doesn't get measured. I've even defrayed situations between my manager and my skip with a light comment. I'm reluctant to crack jokes in an interview because of humor's negative perception, but in truth that means I only let the good ones slip out.
But what happens after an interview where I have not found a single opportunity for levity? Do I want to work for a manager who I don't feel comfortable making a joke around?
[1] https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/roundup/1154
* and yes I do mean latter-day Seinfeld
** I do prefer the term joker to clown. I've had friends go to clown school, I've had friends go to comedian school... "joker" doesn't imply any kind of pedigree.