MDBCs 20 Nov 2023

Embrace the absurd and the ridiculous on November 20, National Absurdity Day. This holiday encourages people to acknowledge that absurdity is part of life.

Absurdity, which refers to the illogical, unreasonable or nonsensical has been widely studied and written about. In fiction and humor, the absurd is usually used to make a nuanced point about human behavior. Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland is considered to be one of the most well-known works of absurdist literature.

Absurdist Movement

While absurdity in its many forms has been a subject of study since the time of the ancient Greeks, the absurdist movement in theater and literature came about right after the Second World War. It is thought that many writers and film makers reacted to the threat of a nuclear war by including absurdist themes in their works.

The holiday is also known as Absurdity Day.

How to Celebrate?

This holiday is an excuse for you to be as whacky as you want to be, without having to explain yourself, so go nuts! Dress up absurdly, say absurd and nonsensical things and do silly things.
Send absurd emails and messages to family and friends.
Read absurdist plays and literature. Some examples of absurdist authors include Václav Havel, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett.

Did You Know…

…that the word absurd comes from the Latin word absurdum, which means out of tune or irrational?

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A lady goes to the doctor and complains that her husband is losing interest in sex. The doctor gives her a pill, but warns her that it's still experimental. He tells her to slip it into his mashed potatoes at dinner, so that night, she does just that. About a week later, she’s back at the doctor, where she says, "Doc, the pill worked great! I put it in the potatoes like you said! It wasn't five minutes later that he jumped up, raked all the food and dishes onto the floor, grabbed me, ripped all my clothes off, and ravaged me right there on the table!"

The doctor says, "I’m sorry, we didn’t realize the pill was that strong! The foundation will be glad to pay for any damages."

"Nah," she says, "that's okay. We're never going back to that restaurant anyway."

***

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!"

The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Bob has been missing since Friday.

***

A wife comes home late one night and quietly opens the door to her bedroom. From under the blanket, she sees four legs instead of just her husband's two. She reaches for a baseball bat and starts hitting the blanket as hard as she can. Once she's done, she goes to the kitchen to have a drink. As she enters, she sees her husband there, reading a magazine.

He says, "Hi darling, your parents have come to visit us, so I let them stay in our bedroom. Did you say hello?"

***

No Dumb Questions (Except This One)

Just before the final exam in  my college finance class, a less-than-stellar student approached me. “Can you tell me what grade  I would need to get on the exam  to pass the course?” he asked.

I gave him the bad news. “The exam is worth 100 points. You would need 113 points to earn a D.”