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I'm not able to tell: does the author imply the "lost your wheel?" type comedy questions are put-downs? I have trouble seeing it that way. I would call it more

I'm not able to tell: does the author imply the "lost your wheel?" type comedy questions are put-downs? I have trouble seeing it that way. I would call it more of a jest than an insult and more of a basic attempt at humor that notes the uniqueness of the situation. To call noting anything that is odd a put down stretches the limits of credibility.

vdaea 3y ago
Same thing I thought. Really “I suppose it saves on tyres” is a put-down? Maybe it's the author who doesn't have a sense of humour. OTOH he thinks women saying “You should dress up as Santa for the children” is praise and not a put-down.
- pc86 3y ago
  It's a pretty safe guess that a woman saying anything to a man on a unicycle should be taken as a put-down unless there is an astounding level of evidence to the contrary.
  - callalex 3y ago
    That’s not a safe bet at all, I’m glad I don’t live wherever you do.
  - orf 3y ago
    Why?
    - pc86 3y ago
      Because it's a joke.
- triceratops 3y ago
  Of course it's praise. Any woman saying this to a man clearly wants to have his children. /s (Seriously I think it really depends on the tone and context.)
  - rrr_oh_man 3y ago
    The amount of neckbearding in this thread is astonishing
- kmoser 3y ago
  There's a reasonable chance "You should dress up as Santa for the children" is intended as a positive suggestion. There's very little chance "I suppose it saves on tyres" is anything but a snide remark, since nobody in their right mind really thinks unicyclists are trying to save on tires by not riding bikes. Any question which isn't asked with the intention of receiving a response can be considered snark, which while it may not directly be intended as a put-down, is still insulting because it is making light of the author who is not obviously partaking in unicycling to make people laugh.
  - Boogie_Man 3y ago
    Unicycling is fedora-like because you're going out of your way to do something that's less efficient. You know it's going to provoke a reaction because it's unusual. It's different than something like a guy with no legs because he didn't chose to have no legs. If you just love unicycling keep your chin up fight the good fight believe in yourself, but don't imply you're "under attack" because people go "huh that's weird I have to say something let's try gentle humor". The people with pithy comebacks in this comment section are doing it correctly.
    - kmoser 3y ago
      Efficiency has nothing to do with it. One doesn't get a free pass to make fun of, say, pedestrians just because they're less energy efficient than bicyclists. Nobody is suggesting that humorous comments are an "attack". The point of the article was to differentiate between the joking comments made by men and the more benign comments made by women. Making light of someone's activity is still belittling, even if not a direct insult. Even if not said directly, the implication is "you're doing something I find funny." > people go "huh that's weird I have to say something let's try gentle humor" That seems to be the crux of the matter: people who a) believe they need to say something at all, b) decide that it must be something "funny", and then c) actually say it out loud. Have those people ever stopped to consider that their opinion isn't wanted?
      - Chris2048 3y ago
bogwog 3y ago
If they sent him that comment as a text message, then maybe it's not a put down. Obviously, there's body language and tone of voice that can't be represented in the paper.
- Boogie_Man 3y ago
  Unless they're flexing their 24 inch pythons and asking me what I'm gonna do brother when Hulkamania takes my other wheel it'd be hard to take it as aggression.
  - themikesanto 3y ago
    That's called body language, dude. It's a different kind of communication, brother! /hulkhogan
HanClinto 3y ago
I rode a unicycle to class in college for several years, and in my experience, it was generally done in a mild but jeering tone. "Hey buddy, lost your wheel! hahaha" -- while it may occasionally have been delivered in a sympathetic tone, it usually felt analogous to when people would yell at passing joggers "run Forrest, run!"
- Boogie_Man 3y ago
  It seems like this is an either-or. Either sympathetic or jerring. I think that cracking jokes can be neutral.
  - HanClinto 3y ago
    Yeah, that's a tough one. If I make a joke about your behavior or appearance, even if it feels neutral or innocuous to me, you might not see it that way. And if you push back, then I defend myself by saying: "Whaaat? It was a jooooke!" Especially when it's done frequently / regularly, the line between "consistent neutral-ish jokes" and "mild harassment" can become a bit blurred. Not saying that such things should be outlawed or policed or whatever -- I just shrugged it off and didn't let it bug me. But if I'm trying to quantify it as positive or negative, it usually felt like a joking comment made at my expense.
    - Boogie_Man 3y ago
      I hear what you're saying and you're right in that there is nuance. I normally will give a light glib comment about something and then wait to see if I get any back. If I do it's good fun and I'll do more but if I never do I know the person isn't ready or willing to engage on that level. I find that people usually use the "It's just a joke" line after saying straight up rude things rather than light remarks. Additionally: what motivations does one have to ride a unicycle instead of a bicycle? I can only think of reduced storage space being a practical benefit.
      - kmoser 3y ago
        > what motivations does one have to ride a unicycle instead of a bicycle? I can only think of reduced storage space being a practical benefit. You're assuming a practical benefit but maybe people do it for fun, the challenge, or simply because of the novelty.

vdaea 3y ago

Same thing I thought. Really “I suppose it saves on tyres” is a put-down? Maybe it's the author who doesn't have a sense of humour. OTOH he thinks women saying “You should dress up as Santa for the children” is praise and not a put-down.

pc86 3y ago
It's a pretty safe guess that a woman saying anything to a man on a unicycle should be taken as a put-down unless there is an astounding level of evidence to the contrary.
- callalex 3y ago
  That’s not a safe bet at all, I’m glad I don’t live wherever you do.
- orf 3y ago
  Why?
  - pc86 3y ago
    Because it's a joke.
triceratops 3y ago
Of course it's praise. Any woman saying this to a man clearly wants to have his children. /s (Seriously I think it really depends on the tone and context.)
- rrr_oh_man 3y ago
  The amount of neckbearding in this thread is astonishing
kmoser 3y ago
There's a reasonable chance "You should dress up as Santa for the children" is intended as a positive suggestion. There's very little chance "I suppose it saves on tyres" is anything but a snide remark, since nobody in their right mind really thinks unicyclists are trying to save on tires by not riding bikes. Any question which isn't asked with the intention of receiving a response can be considered snark, which while it may not directly be intended as a put-down, is still insulting because it is making light of the author who is not obviously partaking in unicycling to make people laugh.
- Boogie_Man 3y ago
  Unicycling is fedora-like because you're going out of your way to do something that's less efficient. You know it's going to provoke a reaction because it's unusual. It's different than something like a guy with no legs because he didn't chose to have no legs. If you just love unicycling keep your chin up fight the good fight believe in yourself, but don't imply you're "under attack" because people go "huh that's weird I have to say something let's try gentle humor". The people with pithy comebacks in this comment section are doing it correctly.
  - kmoser 3y ago
    Efficiency has nothing to do with it. One doesn't get a free pass to make fun of, say, pedestrians just because they're less energy efficient than bicyclists. Nobody is suggesting that humorous comments are an "attack". The point of the article was to differentiate between the joking comments made by men and the more benign comments made by women. Making light of someone's activity is still belittling, even if not a direct insult. Even if not said directly, the implication is "you're doing something I find funny." > people go "huh that's weird I have to say something let's try gentle humor" That seems to be the crux of the matter: people who a) believe they need to say something at all, b) decide that it must be something "funny", and then c) actually say it out loud. Have those people ever stopped to consider that their opinion isn't wanted?
    - Chris2048 3y ago

bogwog 3y ago

If they sent him that comment as a text message, then maybe it's not a put down. Obviously, there's body language and tone of voice that can't be represented in the paper.

Boogie_Man 3y ago
Unless they're flexing their 24 inch pythons and asking me what I'm gonna do brother when Hulkamania takes my other wheel it'd be hard to take it as aggression.
- themikesanto 3y ago
  That's called body language, dude. It's a different kind of communication, brother! /hulkhogan

HanClinto 3y ago

I rode a unicycle to class in college for several years, and in my experience, it was generally done in a mild but jeering tone. "Hey buddy, lost your wheel! hahaha" -- while it may occasionally have been delivered in a sympathetic tone, it usually felt analogous to when people would yell at passing joggers "run Forrest, run!"

Boogie_Man 3y ago
It seems like this is an either-or. Either sympathetic or jerring. I think that cracking jokes can be neutral.
- HanClinto 3y ago
  Yeah, that's a tough one. If I make a joke about your behavior or appearance, even if it feels neutral or innocuous to me, you might not see it that way. And if you push back, then I defend myself by saying: "Whaaat? It was a jooooke!" Especially when it's done frequently / regularly, the line between "consistent neutral-ish jokes" and "mild harassment" can become a bit blurred. Not saying that such things should be outlawed or policed or whatever -- I just shrugged it off and didn't let it bug me. But if I'm trying to quantify it as positive or negative, it usually felt like a joking comment made at my expense.
  - Boogie_Man 3y ago
    I hear what you're saying and you're right in that there is nuance. I normally will give a light glib comment about something and then wait to see if I get any back. If I do it's good fun and I'll do more but if I never do I know the person isn't ready or willing to engage on that level. I find that people usually use the "It's just a joke" line after saying straight up rude things rather than light remarks. Additionally: what motivations does one have to ride a unicycle instead of a bicycle? I can only think of reduced storage space being a practical benefit.
    - kmoser 3y ago
      > what motivations does one have to ride a unicycle instead of a bicycle? I can only think of reduced storage space being a practical benefit. You're assuming a practical benefit but maybe people do it for fun, the challenge, or simply because of the novelty.