Dr. Vaughn Joy

As Santa Claus said, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

But analyzing comedy is super easy when it follows genre conventions. My brain works like this:

My brother calls me every year to say this very deadpan

Thank you, Emily!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!!

Thank you!

Thank you!

The film was Bad Shabbos and it was hilarious, highly recommend
www.menemshafilms.com/bad-shabbos

The world is pretty shit, but it's my birthday and I'm seeing a film in a little cinema and going to a Van Gogh exhibition that I've wanted to see for a while, and that's all pretty nice.

I hope you find reasons to keep going today ❤️

Remember in 2002 when the GW Bush government began referring to the US as the "homeland", which sounded so weird at the time? And then we got the Department of Homeland Security, which just perpetuated that terminology.

Yeah, language / metaphors matter.

Ferris Bueller Didn't Kill OJ Simpson, but Frank Drebin Did Save the Queen A Formalist Approach to The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Comedy is best when it's not comedy at all, which is why The Naked Gun's approach of layering comedic gems on top of a straightforward drama lands so perfectly. Ferris Bueller didn't kill OJ Simpson, but Frank Drebin did save the Queen of England.
vaughnjoy.substack.com/p/ferris-bue...

Superman (2025) makes a similar argument

Lex was jealous of Superman's abilities, but even with all the tech and money in the world, even stealing his DNA to make a copy of the hero couldn't make Lex an equal. You can't steal ability, intelligence, or creativity, and it's embarrassing & sad to try.

I love writing Fellowship applications and dreaming up new projects and playing around with research design, but man, do I wish there were more Fellowships available so I could see some of these through.

Hivemind:

I need to do some quick research on US railroad history—mainly on the actual building of it and, as a corollary, the racial dynamics of that building (in terms of construction actors and geography, specifically.)

Good books or articles you know of?

Thanks!

#AcademicSky

Superman (2025) makes a similar argument

Lex was jealous of Superman's abilities, but even with all the tech and money in the world, even stealing his DNA to make a copy of the hero couldn't make Lex an equal. You can't steal ability, intelligence, or creativity, and it's embarrassing & sad to try.

[quoting a tweet by fractalcounty that reads, “today I learned that there are actual people irl who get genuinely upset if they catch you using chatgpt. like they view it as a serious moral failing in certain circles”]

If you're using AI to write essays, eulogies, a text to your wife, I do think less of you as a person. Ceding your mental and creative abilities to a machine is an embarrassing thing and people should be ashamed to admit doing it in public.

Ugghhhh a little while back someone posted 4 questions they ask students to answer on the first day of classes. One question was something along the lines of “what would help you succeed in this class” and I cannot find the post. So if that was you, please tell me.

How the mystery of Winston Churchill's dead platypus was finally solved The platypus was a top secret gift from Australia, found dead in his enclosure as war raged in the seas around him.

This article has everything: cute pictures of platypuses, multiple mysteries, a Nazi framing, scandal, intrigue, platypus lovers, a fake pregnancy that gripped the nation, and fascinating insinuations of the power of platypus diplomacy.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

#ScholarSunday Thread 236 Published on August 3, 2025

August is here, and with it my 236th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ +

americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...

I appreciate this so much. I was very apprehensive about this one, but you're making me feel better about it.

Another excellent analysis!

This inspired me to dive back into learning more about screenwriting to improve my storytelling.

Thank you so much! I'm so glad it was helpful!

A perfect choice!

Ferris Bueller Didn't Kill OJ Simpson, but Frank Drebin Did Save the Queen A Formalist Approach to The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Comedy is best when it's not comedy at all, which is why The Naked Gun's approach of layering comedic gems on top of a straightforward drama lands so perfectly. Ferris Bueller didn't kill OJ Simpson, but Frank Drebin did save the Queen of England.
vaughnjoy.substack.com/p/ferris-bue...

i think the correct way to think about the lonely boy question is not "how do we reach out to incels?" but "how do we make sure that a teenage boy looking for romantic advice isn't flooded with right-wing propaganda?"

The Original Scared Straight A Contemporary History Approach to A Christmas Carol (1984), Scrooged (1988), and The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Merry Christmas in July, cherubs!

Yes, the worst people imagineable are in power and people feel helpless to stop it, but we the people have the power to haunt their asses with their Past, condemn their Present, and change our collective Future.

vaughnjoy.substack.com/p/the-origin...

Counterpoint: the way to solve poverty is to get rid of obscenely wealthy people.