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Mike Godwin

@mnemonic.bsky.social

20K followers 1.4K following 2.2K posts

Lawyer, author, EFF's first hire, Godwin's Law creator (he/him). Retweeting!=endorsing. I tell jokes here, mostly. My opinions here don't necessarily represent any employer or any client. You may have known me as @sfmnemonic on Twitter.

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Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

I don't believe your major or minor propositions. I think you're at best monomaniacal--at worst, certifiable. Sadly, I can't cure you by making fun of you. Your cure must come from within. Bye now.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

Well, I support your right to get wedged on dumbass opinions. But as philosopher Karl Popper liked to point out, the growth of knowledge depends on being able to recognize when your cherished theory is falsified. Feel free to share it publicly if you ever get there. Thanks in advance!

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

I mean, Jim Carrey is genuinely funny. Jenna McCarthy, not so much!

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

Oh, yeah, this guy is probably right there. DM me the list info, will you?

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

Who do you think "the architects of the propaganda" are? Have you published their names anywhere?

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

Democracy has its flaws, to be sure. (Plato's famous critique in THE REPUBLIC is not without merit.) But I think you're outvoted here on BlueSky. Maybe there's a anti-vax club room somewhere where your act would be well-received. Me, I'm still stunned you think my joke was about ivermectin.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

Honestly, I don't think Freud's examples of jokes in his JOKES book are terribly funny, but they do capture something of the theory of how jokes work--a functional relationship to the management of discomfort and disequilibrium.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

When it comes to deciding what's funny, I come down on the side of Jim Carrey rather than Jenna McCarthy. But ... seeing McCarthy's name as a co-author gives me a clue as to what bugs are inhabiting the hive up your ... oh, never mind.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

What's "skyhorsepublishing" and who are they when they're at home?

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 20h

What would you say the funniest joke you've ever told is? Can you post it here? Where can I read more of your writings about the nature of humor? I've got some time this weekend to read something if you can point me to any of your published work on jokes.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

When you tell me what's not funny, why should I credit your opinion over the 400+ people (so far) who disagree with you (and that's just on Bluesky!)? Do you have a doctorate in humorology? Where did you publish? What's your take on Freud's JOKES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNCONSCIOUS?

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

P.S. Actual statistics, published, or you're just masturbating in public here. (I'm pro-masturbation generally, but not so much as performance art on social media, contra to your demonstrations, supra.)

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

By the way, the escalation of concern about poor ivermectin (which I had thought was doing rather well in the marketplace right now) to Gaza gives me an idea where you're heading next. Sooner or later, I bet, you'll arrive at an even more inviting comparison!

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

You know, the nature of non sequiturs is that they're hard to follow. You should keep that in mind when you post them.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

You're cracking me up. You really should take your Humor Clinic on a road tour!

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

By the way, I'm dead serious about researching my jokes for social media. The habits I acquired as a reporter decades ago have served me well here.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

I'd like to say that sounds unusually looneytunes, but this is 2025, and we haven't seen a bottom yet.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

This is how you're spending your day, son? Between jobs, then?

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 21h

When you've coached other joke writers, what successes have you had so far? Anyone I know? That would help me assess whether I should pay attention to your criticisms--your track record as a teacher and as a performer. Where did you do your standup? Any YouTube videos of your tight five?

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 22h

It's probably a sign of the lawyer in me, but I actually do research my jokes as I write them.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 22h

Somebody better straighten out the Chewy folks! www.chewy.com/durvet-iverm...

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 22h

No--I just wait for the horses' asses to stomp theirs.

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 22h

I bet you are the funniest person at every party you get invited to!

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 22h

I should hope that the number of people who turn against ivermectin for its known beneficial uses because of my joke remains at or near zero. But this is a social-media platform, so you never know!

Mike Godwin @mnemonic.bsky.social · 22h

Guess I'd better hoof it.