there's a new schoolie at the barn

never explain an 'in joke'

He’s a palomino. I’d like him to be a pal o’ mine.

He’s an odd looking horse. His body is mostly an odd cream colour with darker and lighter marks near his feet.

His mane? Like most of the new horses at the barn, it doesn’t look like it’s been touched or cared for in a while.

He arrived at the barn at night. Getting a horse off a trailer can be a problem. They can react badly to new circumstances. This guy? He merely found some grass and started chewing.

He was led to his new home, his paddock with the other schoolies - Eddie, Tony and Patrick. It was windy. It was rainy, but this guy? He didn’t care. There was hay in the paddock. The other schoolies? They didn’t care either. They merely sat and chewed like there was nothing worth a remark from any of them

He’s such a sleepy young horse, it’s almost as though he’s sleep walking.

Which brings me to his name.

The children upon seeing him named him Daryl.

Yes.

Daryl.

A couple of things: One: I’m proud of them. I admire their creativity and desire to play with a theme - real people names for all the schoolie geldings.

Two? Horses have show names. He needs to be called Other Brother.

Either that or I need to buy two horses and call one of them Daryl, and the other one Larry.

This is an ‘in joke’.

I’ve been told recently that ‘in jokes’ are problematic.

The people who love problematics tend to find them everywhere.

It must be wonderful to have such success in life - to look for something and find it everywhere you go!

My response?

All jokes are problematic.

All jokes create insiders who get the joke and appreciate the joke and people who do not.

If a certain type of person finds problematics everywhere, Remarkable Fools are quite good at finding foolishness and humour everywhere. Many of these pioneers of problematics are hilarious in their desire to Manifest Destiny over our consciousness.

Remarkable Fools find hilarity in the absurd discoveries of the people with problematics (PWP).

Humour is for and about individuals who see themselves as such. Comedy is not for people who see themselves a compilation of identities, power structures, narratives and perceived injustices and for whom these things are central to their lives.

Never explain an in joke.

If people don’t get a joke you make or an illusion that you’ve created, it’s not for them.

Don’t explain it.

Don’t waste your time.

It’s not your job to explain the subtleties of referential humour or the history of 1980’s sitcoms.

Tell them to Do the work

And hand them a copy of Newhart.