Midlife Meditation

Judge Whapners (or Judges Whapner, depending on how judgy a grammarian you are). One of the many gimmicks that makes ComedySportz a delightful place to work is the way we award points in our competitive improv shows. For $3, any "loyal fan" (audience member) can purchase a pair of colored fly swatters called Judge Whapners. Once both blue and red teams have played a round of games, the judges in the audience (at $3, the cheapest judgeship one can buy) vote for the team that gave them the most enjoyment, and points are awarded accordingly. The gimmick is based in a pun that is almost as old as the show--Joseph Wapner retired from The People's Court  in 1993, before many members of our audience were even born--but the conceit is so funny that we've held onto it. Much funnier than the pun is the idea of judging between two improv performances using fly swatters. Taste in comedy is a decidedly subjective thing. From my position at the keyboard in the sound boot...

 I know what you're thinking: "Why on earth is he beginning an essay on the joys of casual dress with a shot of himself in a tuxedo?" I could be wrong about what you're thinking; it might, in fact, be "My, what a handsome fellow." Or perhaps it's a combination of the two. Maybe you don't find me even remotely attractive. Maybe my shorty-cropped beard and earring are, in your mind, clashing with the tux. Maybe I should just give up trying to read your mind. In fact, the picture proves a point I shall be making throughout this essay: there is a time and place for formal dress. In fact, there are times and places for every degree of sartorial sophistication, from to-the-nines to birthday suit. But I get ahead of myself. This post was occasioned by a piece on Slate by film critic Dana Stevens, later expanded upon in the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast. Ms. Stevens, who goes to great extremes in her day job to present as fair and balanced an approa...