A friend in Atlanta: “Derb—The worst, or best, example of parody tone

deafness that I’ve encountered are the Dutch. They have absolutely no

concept of irony or sarcasm as humor. They always asked why I said

something if I did not really mean it. To them, humor is very much a ‘Three

Stooges’ type affair. Slip on a banana…hilarious, clever play on

words…huh?

“This trait might also be shared by other Germanic/Scandinavian folks – I

don’t know. I just know the Dutch’s sense of humor is nowhere near as

sophisticated and clever as Anglo humor. No sense of idle chit chat either.

Hell is being in a social environment with gorgeous Dutch girls who speak

perfect English but it is not possible to engage in light, flirtatious

banter…what a waste. After two years of talking past each other, I could

not wait to get out of de Nederland.”

Apropos which, and at the risk of enraged mobs descending on my house: Is

there anyone out there in NRO-land who finds the Three Stooges *funny*?