seven characteristics of humor As Illustrated in Arizona’s History

1. seven characteristics of humor As Illustrated in Arizona’s History By Alleen Pace Nilsen And Don L. F. Nilsen

2. 1. Frontier Exaggeration:The Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and our deserts and mountains awe visitors, but our inventiveness and our stories amuse them.

3. THE ACTUAL FACTS WERE STRANGER THAN FICTION. FACT FICTION Cowboy Pecos Bill and Slue-Foot Sue are Southwest folk heroes. Mark Twain described our “Dry Heat” as a constant 120 degrees in the shade except when it varies and goes higher. Kit Carson testified in Congress that parts of Arizona are so dry that even a wolf can’t survive. • Our first “paved road” was made from upside-down beer bottles set in sand. • In 1857-58, a “hump-dinger” idea, brought camels to haul freight across Arizona deserts. • In 1857, stagecoach passengers on what was called “The Jackass Mail” had to get off and ride mules for part of the way.

4. 2. frightening or tragic EVENTS are now viewed nostalgically as humor. • In 1886, one-fifth of the entire U. S. Army was in Arizona Territory rounding up Geronimo and his Apache fighters. Today, Geronimo’s name is recognized around the world as a cry of bravery. • The mayor of Jerome sadly observed that his town was “A City on the Move—But Always Downhill.” • People in Tucson claim their citizens are basically smarter because they chose to come to Tucson, while people in the Phoenix Valley were on their way to California and their cars broke down.

5. 3. Frontier life forced creativity as shown in stories we collected from Arizona teachers in 1985.

6. THEY HAD TO BE CREATIVE • Ann Nolan Clark and “Three Little Sheeps” • Their “school houses” were unusual, e.g. the jail in Yuma and a slanted auditorium in St. Johns • Outdoor movies run by a car generator • Four years for the price of two

7. 4. Group identities: People on their way to California namedBooze Crossing, Hookers Hot Springs, Boneyard, and Del Muerto. Settlers preferred such place names as Paradise Valley, Carefree, Phoenix, and Inspiration.

8. Arizona’s first humor paper (1917) was a freebie given to travelers

9. Dick Wick Hall created the mimeographed paper as an advertising gimmick for his gas station • One girl ran out of money and traded her wig for gas because she would rather be bald in California than have enough hair to stuff a mattress in Salome. • Hall used the line, “Laugh—you don’t have to stay here but we do!” as almost a signature. • Arizona’s rivers are like everybody else’s, except bottom-side-up. The sand is on the top and the water runs underneath, probably to keep from getting sunburned. • This kind of humor increased competitive feelings in relation to the Arizona/California fights over Colorado River water.

10. 5. Minor hostilities are often expressed through barbs, so “barbed wire” is both a real and a joking kind of western protection.

11. AN EXAMPLE OF A CURRENT BARB WITH HISTORICAL ROOTS: • One of our students worked in a tourist shop and when the employees were discussing how they should dress for Halloween, a man jokingly suggested to a Native American woman that she could stick a feather in her hair and come as an Indian. • She retorted: “And you could stick a feather in your ass and come as a turkey!” Such playfulness was acceptable because everyone knew they were friends; it would have been very uncomfortable if people thought the hostility was real.

12. 6. Sharlot Hall showed how an individual can influence political discourse. • In 1907, the Senate was going to admit New Mexico (with Arizona included) as one state. • Sharlot Hall protested. Her eight-stanza poem was published in the Arizona Republic, delivered to every member of Congress, and read into the Congressional Record. Her 64-page article, published in Out West, explained why Arizona deserved to be its own state. • Not everyone approved of such a politically involved woman. A newspaper in Agua Fria referred to her as “Miss Harlot Shawl,” and then blamed it on a “typo.”

13. In honor of her help in the campaign to keep Arizona a separate state, she was asked to be Arizona’s representative at President Cleveland’s inauguration. She was also appointed our first State Historian.

14. Carl Hayden, born in 1877 at Hayden’s Ferry (see the painting) spent 56 consecutive years representing Arizona in Congress. • He was known as the “Silent Senator,” but he had a wry sense of humor. • Before being elected to Congress, Hayden served as Maricopa County Sheriff, and used his gun only once.

15. Hayden Knew When to Keep Still • As Sheriff, he had a run-in with a local Indian Chief who had four wives. • One of Hayden’s favorite stories was about an old Chief who came to see him in Washington, and as he was leaving, warned “Be careful about your immigration policies. We weren’t!” • When campaigning, Hayden never mentioned a competitor’s name. However, in 1912 he used California newspaper headlines complaining about his dirty tricks re. the California/Arizona fight over Colorado River water to make his campaign poster.

16. Barry Goldwater was Arizona’s Senator from 1953-65 and again in 1969-87 Goldwater was never as funny as was his contemporary, Morris Udall, but he had a dignified way of telling stories. • Goldwater and Udall cooperated on a joke saying that “Only in Arizona have mothers stopped telling their sons that they can grow up to be president.” • In 2008, Governor Napolitano extended the joke by saying, “Barry Goldwater ran for president and lost, Morris Udall ran for president and lost, now John McCain is running for president and I hope he keeps this great Arizona tradition going”

17. Prize-Winning Cartoonist Reg Manning was nationally syndicated between 1948-71 Manning worked for the AZ. Republic FROM 1926 until 1986. He treated both local and national political issues. He signed his drawings with a stubby, smiling cactus next to his name. His most famous character was Uno Who, representing each one of us. He helped bring Arizona onto the national stage.

18. In his 1988 Too Funny To be President, Udalldefended humor as necessary to the health of our political discourse and our private lives because it: • Leavens the public dialogue. • Invigorates the body politic. • Uplifts the national spirit. • Works as a bridge in bringing a diverse society closer together. • Helps individuals roll with the punches. • Is an antidote to self-importance.

19. Erma Bombeck (who moved to Arizona in the early 1970s) wrote the preface to Udall’s book Too Funny to Be President.She complained about the night she had to follow Udall and Goldwater when speaking at a banquet. . I told myself that night that politicians had access to all the funny material: failing economy, nuclear waste dumps, vanishing natural resources . . . . My God, if you couldn’t get a laugh out of all that, you weren’t even trying. . . . I even rationalized that the audience was just being respectful to two politicians with handicaps: A congressman with one eye and a senator with one point of view.

20. Such nationally known figures as Morris Udall, Reg Manning, and Erma Bombeck gave the world a positive view of Arizona and its political humor, but then in the 1980s, the mood changed when the world joined Arizonans in ridiculing our newly elected Governor, Evan Mecham.

21. Laurie Robert’s AZ Republic column and her campaign to “De-Kook” the capitol has also contributed to our current image. • And so has “The Worlds’ Toughest Sheriff” with the way he treats prisoners, • Promotes “birther politics,” • And enforces his immigration beliefs.

22. Ridiculousness inspires more ridiculousness as shown in April of 2012, when Arizona State Legislators were discussing tightening birth control laws A women’s knitting group created homemade uteruses and sent one to each GOP lawmaker with a message to the effect that “Here is a uterus for you to play with. Now keep your hands off mine.”

23. Oncea person, or an area, comes to be viewed as laughable the reputation sticks—SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO? • We should stop and have refreshments. • Then come back and listen to Professor John Morreall. • AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, NOT SPILL ANYTHING ON THE NEW CARPET! 