Stay Authentic!
Humor is very difficult to write. I've said it before. Even things like ChatGPT, Grok, Poe, and other large language model AIs can't pull it off. The comic timing is way off, and there is no rhythm to the writing. Elon Musk thinks Grok in "fun mode" is entertaining, while I find it annoying because it's so predictable, scripted, and not at all punchy. It lacks all comic timing and it feels scrubbed to make sure it’s safe.
It takes me hours, sometimes weeks, to get the right timing on a piece I write for E@RTC, and that whole website took years of continuous comic refinement, and it's in a constant state of editing. Our site makes no apologies, nor do I. You can't believe what I already censor in myself, but I never run it by anyone for approval. Others will lean on the side of caution and that’s often where personality dies. We already double down on our critics and always come back with more humor. Even when I expect hate mail from something I said, I usually get laughter.
Our humor at E@RTC isn’t for everyone, and that too is the secret to making it funny. Don’t make your jokes for all people and don’t over sanitize because then there is no point. That's how to make something not funny. Know who you are and just say it, and be authentic, but make sure you have the timing down. Brevity is everything. I fight off those who try to get us to change our humor on E@RTC, to either tone it down or take it out entirely. I politely tell them to FO. ("FO" doesn’t mean "find Oreos.")
In just over two weeks, I’ve become a super-fan of Buc-ee’s after it opened here. I relate to the brand and the humor. What makes Buc-ee’s stand out is that they unapologetically know who they are and they just say it, or at least try to. Some may even be offended, but I don’t think they need to care as much as they do. For the rest of us, it makes Buc-ee’s relatable and like we want to be a part of something and they are among friends. It’s amazing how many super-fans they have, so let it rip!
I don’t write a lot of humor here, and some have asked me to write on this site like I do at E@RTC, but I don’t think it would work. Sure, I think of the same humor because it’s still me, but when stuff goes through my head I think; no, better not. This is a different audience. The "author" of E@RTC is an extension of me as sort of a pen name without a name for works that are never signed. I actually think about the character writing and who I’m writing to. I think about my friends reading it and laughing, and that’s all that matters. If I hear them laugh in my head, I know I wrote the right thing. They will also get the inside humor of which there are constant shout-outs to them.
What I love about Buc-ee’s is the authenticity of their humor. It’s everywhere and it’s consistent and clever. I can tell that someone is asking them to pull it back a bit, because the choice of words is intended to not offend. If anything, they play it too safe. I can't worry about that when I write if I want the jokes to work. Still, Buc-ee’s knows who they are and everything about a Buc-ee’s is genuine and well done, and they care who they are and I admire that. What I love about the place is that they strive to be better and are by a long shot. They make 7-Eleven look like a back alley dumpster.
I also imagine the marketing team is a lot of fun, but someone is censoring them a bit, and that’s a shame. I saw it in the signs about picking up after your dog. It's perfectly fine to say "poop," and it doesn’t need to be sanitized further. Poop is a funny word, use it. So is meadow muffin, lawn sausage, bow-wow brownies, dog logs, tail trails, bark nuggets, pup patties, K9 kebabs, yard yummies, and toe paste squeezers.
If someone is offended, send them to Kum and Go.