4. Social Awkwardness.

The Opposite Of Lonely

“As I tell this story, I’m so red! Me being naked... well, it rarely helps a situation, but it definitely didn’t help in this situation.”

Ah, social awkwardness: Where would comedy be without it? I think it happens when the scripts our social interactions follow get disrupted, and nobody knows what to do next. Rebecca has some theories about it, and also the funniest stories. Michael thinks it has to do with an excess of caring and self-awareness. What separates awkwardness from worse things, like bullying, is that the latter involves deliberate malice on someone’s part. But being bullied can make you more self-conscious, and therefore more awkward.

[This episode includes a discussion of bullying and homophobia.]

Guests.

Michael Collins grew up a weird kid in a small Newfoundland town. He moved to Toronto in 2009 to pursue a Ph.D. in English literature, but eventually the scales fell from his eyes and he left academia. Now he is a personal trainer whose life goal is to be Julia Child, but for lifting weights. He is good at his job but still suffers from an impossible-to-suppress inappropriate laugh. He hosts the Megaphonic podcast This Is Your Mixtape.

Rebecca Norlock grew up in Brantford, Ontario, moved to Toronto to pursue a degree in social work and has now been a social worker in downtown Toronto working in homelessness and mental health for 25 years (so she is obviously very wealthy and has very low blood pressure). She is a single mother to two and a half kids (the half being her daughter’s boyfriend, who has lived with her since he was 17). When not working or parenting, she is making out with her cats Hero and Pepper, hanging around her many weird friends, or reading.

Show Notes.

Selfie Bee on Tumblr.

A handy roundup of all the Selfie Bee strips we talk about in this episode.

Fleshlights [NSFW].

Bunz Trading Zone.

Three’s Company.

Mary Tyler Moore.

Kate & Allie.

Famous Comedians vs. Hecklers.

Zach Galafinakis.

Socially Awkward Penguin.