YOU ENJOY THIS ACT YOU SEXY SEX PERSON

April 9, 2007 1:48 AM

I really think this brilliant post by lemuria, although a few days old, deserves some sort of special notice. Maybe put it on the front page or something, just below the plate o' beans quote.
posted by Deathalicious to MetaFilter-Related at 1:48 AM (52 comments total)

It got 90+ favorites. That is special.

Frankly, I think it's only funny if you were raised in a stuffy society of Victorian morals. The humor relies on people's awkward uncomfortability with sex. I didn't find it particularly funny, but then, I'm typing this naked.
posted by Eideteker at 3:24 AM on April 9, 2007

Yay! Sexy sex sex!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:33 AM on April 9, 2007

Not even the best comment in that thread, in my opinion - but the evidence shows that many people liked it.
posted by sic at 4:33 AM on April 9, 2007

If "stuffy society of Victorian morals" is supposed to be a dig at America (or semi-rural America), then I'd like to provide a counter datapoint. Or maybe Deathalicious oversold it.
posted by DU at 4:43 AM on April 9, 2007

Q: You like sexy comment? You are a person who likes the comments we are making?
A: Yes! I am! I like sexy comments!
Q: You like sexy comments! In fact, you are a person who favorites sexy comments as much as a prostitute likes sex!
A: YES I LIKE SEXY COMMENT! I FAVORITE SEXY COMMENTS SO I CAN READ THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN!! SEXY COMMENTS DESERVE SOME SORT OF RECOGNITION!
Q: PUT THIS SEXY COMMENT ON THE SEXY SIDEBAR etc.
posted by grouse at 4:59 AM on April 9, 2007 [6 favorites]

Grouse's comment is better than the original.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:04 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

OK, I feel either very old, out of it, or stupid. Can someone explain in plain English why that is a good or even great post? Seriously, I'd like to know as I feel odd not getting it.

I get where they are going with the comment, but it doesn't seem all that coherent or well said - so I must be missing something if it is even potentially sidebar material.

I trust that I don't get it and the post is good, so please don't think of this as a snarky comment. Just want to know why it is good.
posted by qwip at 5:08 AM on April 9, 2007

Prostitutes like sex? I thought they liked heroin.
posted by The Straightener at 5:09 AM on April 9, 2007 [3 favorites]

What qwip said. wtf?
posted by dobbs at 5:13 AM on April 9, 2007

IF YOU WRITE A COMMENT THAT HAS LOTS OF CAPS IN IT YOU TOO CAN GET 90 FAVORITES!
posted by googly at 5:26 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Hey, look!

phrontist April 4, 2007 6:48 PM
phrontist April 4, 2007 6:48 PM

phrontist favorited it twice! How'd he do that?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:28 AM on April 9, 2007

I really think this brilliant post

Brilliant? Really?
posted by iconomy at 5:33 AM on April 9, 2007

IF YOU WRITE A COMMENT THAT HAS LOTS OF CAPS IN IT YOU TOO CAN GET 90 FAVORITES!

Yeah! And that plus 2 dollars'll get you a subway ride from Coney Island to the Bronx!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:34 AM on April 9, 2007

It was a decent comment in context, but I don't think it really transcends that context, nor do I think it's so definitive that it puts the issue to rest. In other words, I'm not sure why other people should be alerted to its presence.
posted by OmieWise at 5:38 AM on April 9, 2007

Can someone explain in plain English why that is a good or even great post?

It's the dry, robotic tone, which echoes dirty talk while making fun of it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:40 AM on April 9, 2007

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't get why it's been favorited so many times. I've only seen clips of the movie so I may be way off base, but in my head it sounds like a conversation between two Borats.
posted by amro at 6:05 AM on April 9, 2007

It's funny because it's a nice encapsulation of both the actual dynamic of dirty talking for some folks and of the awkward, stilted enthusiasm of dirty talking for some folks, I guess. And the imagery of a literal rendering of that between lovers is absurd and hilarious. Or something like that: it works on multiple levels, etc.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:17 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Count me in among the old and confused. Jessamyn favorited it so maybe she can come in here and eloquently explain what led her to favorite that comment. If there's something clever or referential about, it went right over my head.
posted by vacapinta at 6:21 AM on April 9, 2007

Y'all must not like the sexy sex.
posted by klangklangston at 6:38 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Eideteker writes "The humor relies on people's awkward uncomfortability with sex."

Really? I found it to be the opposite: it's funny because of the contrast between the Victorian effect on society and the readers' non-Victorian comfortability with sex.

But Grouse's comment was better.
posted by Bugbread at 6:43 AM on April 9, 2007

"Bah. bah. bah!" say the sheep, as they favorite that post.
posted by Dave Faris at 6:43 AM on April 9, 2007 [2 favorites]

Rule 127 of the internet: If several people agree with each other, but you disagree with them, calling them "sheep" will result in a bonus point multiplier.
posted by Bugbread at 6:47 AM on April 9, 2007 [7 favorites]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't get why it's been favorited so many times. I've only seen clips of the movie so I may be way off base, but in my head it sounds like a conversation between two Borats

That would be even more funny.
posted by delmoi at 6:58 AM on April 9, 2007

You know who else likes sex? Nazis!
posted by RussHy at 6:59 AM on April 9, 2007

Q: You like sheep? You are a person who likes the sheepish acts that we are currently engaged in?
A: Yes! I am! I like sheep!
Q: You like sheep! In fact, you are a person who likes sheep as much as a herder of sheep likes sheep!
A: YES I LIKE SHEEPISH SHEEP AS IF IT WERE MY PROFESSION!! TELL ME MORE ABOUT IT
Q: YOU ENJOY THIS ACT YOU SHEEPY SHEEP PERSON etc.

bah, bah.
posted by cog_nate at 7:11 AM on April 9, 2007

I believe there is a mention of it and a non-dramatic reading in this week's podcast.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:24 AM on April 9, 2007

Borat references and quasi-plate-'o-beans aside, Craven_morehead pointed out why some people might have found the comment funny -- it apes this not-particularily-obscure web comic that I'm sure at least a handful of MeFites have seen at some point.
posted by thisjax at 7:32 AM on April 9, 2007

If this comment doesn't get side-barred, nothing deserves to get side-barred.
posted by The Confessor at 7:35 AM on April 9, 2007

"Brilliant post"?

Gee, that bar is low. It didn't even register as anything other than normal to me. Other than the fact it happens to be about dirty sex which gets a lot of kindergarten giggles.
posted by dios at 7:38 AM on April 9, 2007

That comment was also mentioned in the podcast the week that it appeared.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:38 AM on April 9, 2007

Speaking of the sidebar, what's with taking the cryptic shtick there. "Re: Humps". Oh I'm sure it's funny or fantastic or whatever the hell superlative is appropriate but it's just insider twaddle the way it's written.

I like cryptic, I really do. But not on this site when it's meant to be an introduction to something (ie. the front pages of each of the 3 major parts of metafilter). I'm not hugely pissed off about it mind, I just think there's a fair chunk of posts that go unread by a silent section of the population because they/we can't be bothered. (same as videos and other random links people throw in threads without context)

And I get the lemuria comment. But I'm on the team that thinks it wasn't 100+ favourites amazingly special.
posted by peacay at 8:12 AM on April 9, 2007

What's the appeal of the beans comment exactly?
posted by cillit bang at 8:23 AM on April 9, 2007

I'm not sure cillit bang. It appears to be making the outrageous suggestion that Metafilter could have, say, a 30+ comment post sucking the life out of a joke.
posted by Abiezer at 8:28 AM on April 9, 2007

I AM MUCH FUNNIER THAN THAT COMMENT AND ALSO THE HILL OF BEANS ONE. I DESERVE MANY FAVORITES FOR MY COMMENTS.
posted by shmegegge at 8:47 AM on April 9, 2007

Here's the thing: A joke is like a funny little monkey with a hat. If you ask your friends to dissect the monkey and show you how it does its little tricks and whatnot, then you don't really have a very funny monkey left. And everybody else is left staring at the monkey guts while you're still shrugging.

The lesson is this: If you don't get it, just leave the poor monkey alone.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 8:49 AM on April 9, 2007 [7 favorites]

But monkey guts with a hat is hilarious.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:58 AM on April 9, 2007 [3 favorites]

I'm not sure cillit bang. It appears to be making the outrageous suggestion that Metafilter could have, say, a 30+ comment post sucking the life out of a joke.

Arf!
posted by cillit bang at 9:51 AM on April 9, 2007

I think it's only funny if you were raised in a stuffy society of Victorian morals.

Stuffy, indeed! Why, only last Thursday I removed my stays and dared to wear Lady Harberton's rational cycling-outfit on the city streets.

I have also taken to visiting the charwomen and dolly-mops of London to give these unfortunates certain edifying religious tracts.
posted by lemuria at 11:10 AM on April 9, 2007 [2 favorites]

nothing about those comments was funnier than the OP's not wanting to call his wife the filthy filthy names because she's actually more like a princess!

Was I the only one who thought that question was posted by the Jack McBrayer character in 30 Rock?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:51 AM on April 9, 2007

The comment is funny mostly because of the delivery. The rhythm of it is just right and it works in synergy with the exclamation points and the increasing emphasis. The underlying joke that the delivery amplifies is that the dialog is a clever abstract schema of sex sexy talk. The non-sexy schematic language collides with both what it is representing and the delivery and creates absurdity. There's good use of alliteration, as well.

Finally, the comment is much more than funny—it achieves its explanatory aim admirably. Put all that together, and that's why so many people favorited it.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:07 PM on April 9, 2007 [4 favorites]

"But monkey guts with a hat is hilarious."

Only with a bowler. Monkey guts and a beret is just plain sad.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:09 PM on April 9, 2007

The delivery really really reminds me of the writing on Finslippy. Lemuria, you're not her by any chance are you?
posted by MsMolly at 12:16 PM on April 9, 2007

Lemuria's comment was really funny, I think, because it took something (dirty talk in bed) that is thought by many to be sexy, naughty, and passionate, and reduced it to absurdity by exposing the somewhat tautological nature of the dirty talk, making the dirty-talkers look a little ridiculous. And the way he reduced it to absurdity was by putting a kind of humorous spin on it that is familiar to us from Borat/Tom Green/Conan O'Brien.

I mean, the business about "I like sexy sex" is hilarious.

That's why it was really funny, IMHO.

It wasn't just run-of-the-mill Metafilter humor; it was really funny humor (kind of like "really sexy sex"!).
posted by jayder at 1:31 PM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Naw, I'm not Finslippy.

I was unaware that I had so many comedic influences. I would also like to extend thanks to the "sex people" episode of Alan Partridge, to Mae West, and to God. Peace.
posted by lemuria at 1:41 PM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

you know what I love to do? I love to favorite good comments. lovey love it.
posted by shmegegge at 1:58 PM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

For a MetaTalk discussion, I think this went rather well.
posted by Deathalicious at 6:21 PM on April 9, 2007

Count me in with all the rest of the sheeple who thought lemuria's remark was hysterical on multiple levels. It acknowledged the silliness of dirty talk while showing that in the right context, degrading names can actually be coming across as complimentary. Plus as craven_morhead and others have noted, it really does read an awful lot like a Dinosaur Comics script, which just adds to the hilarity.

_{Mind you, I've been actively writing sheep-porn elsewhere on MeTa and I participate in a capslock community, so my sense of humour is potentially suspect. Also I have been seen in public dressed like Lillie Langtry's lost weekend -- exposed ankles, for shame! -- so clearly I am a dirty, dirty trollop who is no better than she should be, and doubtlessly spend far too much time thinking sexy thoughts about the sexy sex.}
posted by Smilla's Sense of Snark at 7:56 PM on April 9, 2007

the joke revolves around the dichotomy between staid, explanatory language, and how people would normally be thought to talk during sex: excited and not in control of themselves.

As such, I would say it's closely related to the "uptight white guy" shtick beaten into the ground by black American comedians over the last 40 years. I'm sure its older, but I think it first found its way into the mainstream with Richard Pryor.

And yeah, it's kinda funny.
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:33 PM on April 9, 2007

In my mind, I heard Lemuria's comment in Stewie Griffin's voice.
posted by emelenjr at 10:28 PM on April 9, 2007

What Ethereal Bligh said, but the other way around. The answer was great in context because it was informative, and went to the heart of the question. The OP had posted because he was feeling bad about calling his girlfriend dirty names during sex, on her instigation. Earlier answers were pretty much all "meh, it's just acting, don't worry about it", but this one actually explained that it's more about overcoming prudishness & finding a way to verbalise desire. Translating the dirty talk into its essence, ie "i like sexy sexy sex!" made this point brilliantly.

The absurd humour that arose from the translation was just the icing on the cake.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:51 PM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

This explains why opening an alley called Joey Paluca's Sexy Sexy Sexy Sexy Bowlerama always seemed like a good idea.
posted by dreamsign at 1:29 AM on April 10, 2007

Q: You like beans? You are a person who likes this plate of beans we are currently overthinking?
A: Yes! I am! I like to overthink plates of beans!
Q: You like to overthink plates of beans! In fact, you are a person who likes to overthink plates of beans as much as some people on a message board!
A: YES I LIKE TO OVERTHINK PLATES OF BEANS AS IF IT WERE AN INTERNET-BASED HOBBY! TELL ME MORE ABOUT IT
Q: YOU ENJOY THIS ACT YOU OVERTHINKING BEAN-PLATE PERSON etc.
posted by aberrant at 12:38 PM on April 10, 2007 [2 favorites]