Researchers hailed Chicagoans for their witty banter and observational humor, specifically citing the local penchant for poking fun.
By Nazarul Islam
I always thought Chicago was a tough city…and yet, funny enough to all visitors who are drawn into this Windy City. I took time off, this time of the year to visit my daughter and grandchildren.
A new study by the University of Colorado at Boulder ranks Chicago as America’s funniest city, beating out laugh riots Boston and Atlanta to claim the top spot. Researchers hailed Chicagoans for their witty banter and observational humor, specifically citing the local penchant for poking fun at the brutal weather and the CTA.
There are jokes that Chicagoans do tend to tell often feature deadpan and quick-witted humor, much of it being directed at the foibles and frustrations of living in Chicago.
A study group has surveyed more than 900 people living in the top 10 cities as determined by the algorithm. Researchers asked residents about the kinds of funny entertainment they enjoyed, whether they considered humor—an important quality in friends and significant others, and subjected them to a personality test.
They also encouraged participants describe their city’s sense of humor and recount their favorite joke. And, despite their funny ranking, it seems Chicagoans are lousy joke tellers. Most like to read Daily Horoscope for the next day.
“For a place that’s the funniest city in the country, Chicago doesn’t seem to boast a lot of jokes,” the study states. “Many Chicago residents surveyed noted that they could not think of any zingers, since they prefer to mine observational humor from the situations in which they find themselves”.
Such remarks seem to fit with the city’s professional comedy scene, since the city is known as a mecca for improve and stand-up.”
“If you are in the city, and you do not like the weather….wait, just five minutes.”
This is one of the most popular jokes about Chicago. We know that if it’s raining, it’ll likely stop within minutes. If it’s hot, a chilling breeze will whip up soon.
It is the season now, when you see normal people walking the icy streets; then suddenly get them into a break dance, before falling on the pave. With winter comes icy streets, and Chicago isn’t too great about cleaning them up. Walk carefully or risk looking like a fool.
Then, there are occasions when the deep freeze arrives, covering street signals and the red light cameras with ice. No one likes those red light cameras that often over-issue tickets. During winter, Chicagoans keep their plates covered to try and outwit the system. Legal? Not really… but it’s pretty hard to prove that you’ve left your car intentionally icy during a blizzard.
Street parking is a skill that no visitor can win from Chicagoans. It’s so easy to spot someone who is not used to Chicago street parking. They’ll be a foot away from the curb or have their nose sticking out, just waiting to be side-swiped.
Neighbors like to pick in their bright. Unusual… eh? Well, Jokes about yuppies never get old. People from the suburbs often consider themselves Chicagoans too, but the truth is, their lives are much different from the urban city dweller.
Parking in Chicago means, you are inviting yourself a hefty ticket. Unless you don’t own a car, you’ve definitely gotten a ticket here. Whether you forgot about street cleaning or misread a sign about permit parking, we’ve all paid that fine.
Particularly during the holiday season and during inclement weather, you could avoid the nasty parking tickets. And, if it’s particularly icy and freezing out in the streets, you can bet that meter maids aren’t checking as diligently as they usually do. This is a sign that the parking gods are on your side. When this happens, buy a lottery ticket. It could be your lucky day.
After all, the city is all fun at first with its beautiful views and trendy restaurants… that you can’t afford to live near. It’s all fun and games when you’re a tourist, but city life can be hard too.
[author title=”Nazarul Islam ” image=”https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nazarul-Islam-2.png”]The Bengal-born writer Nazarul Islam is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America. He is author of a recently published book ‘Chasing Hope’ – a compilation of his 119 articles.[/author]
