Smarting off, and being funny

[Eri]

Today I had a 9am class. Instead of listening to my alarm clock at 7:45, I was lazy and overslept a little bit. I had two classes after my 9 one, so I went to school to go to those, only missing my first. At 9:20, since I still had 30 minutes before the next one, I stood in line to get a drink. I hear a voice from behind me say, "Well this is awkward". I turn around and it is my 9am professor. He looks at his watch and says, "Didn't you have a 9-a-clock class?". I sit for a second and then respond (knowing the kind of guy he is), "Shouldn't you be teaching a 9-a-clock class?". He laughs and says, "Touche" and tells me try not to miss too many and I say "you too".

When I told this story to most people, the response I got wasn't the laughter I intended but instead most told me "You shouldn't smart off to a professor...blah blah". Is there not a difference in smarting off and being funny? Or at least a good-natured smarting off that is acceptable to some people? The professor was definitely amused by it and he is that kind of guy, but no one else seems to think that way.

 

[Amnestic]

I would have done the same, and would have laughed if you'd told me the story. Well, perhaps not laughed, I'm not sure how much mirth such a story would generate. A light chuckle, perhaps.

 

[Jedoro]

That's how you know it's an awesome teacher.

 

[Tartarga]

You have a pretty cool professor.

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[GodofDisaster]

1: Forget what other's think, if your professor was amused and, took the joke then that's alright. Although you should avoid being late for class in the future, your professor may not be so kind the next time.

2: Yes there is a big difference between, being funny and smarting off.
Let me futher this with an explaination. Being funny, is an art or technique, designed to make people laugh, this can be a story, joke or even a internet meme told at the exact right moment.

Smarting off, makes you look like a lazy bastard, who has nothing but excuses, that they think is funny, to cover up their wrong doings. In that situation it also gives the impression that they think you can get away with things like this.

So in conclusion, due to the fact that you have an awesome teacher, well I say "go you".

 

[SmartIdiot]

Yep. You did the right thing there. Anyone who doesn't find it funny is a humourless bastard.

 

[Cherry Cola]

You owned that teacher.

It's fun with those kinds of jokes, shows equality between teachers and students.

 

[bcponpcp27]

Kick ass teacher. If he thinks it's funny, then it's funny (I think it's funny at least). Smart mouthing is the route to some good humor.

 

[Chipperz]

Nope, that was funny. It worked in a humerous context.

Besides, the only person that it really matters if they found it funny was your professor, and he did, so it was.

 

[Eri]

Today I had a 9am class. Instead of listening to my alarm clock at 7:45, I was lazy and overslept a little bit. I had two classes after my 9 one, so I went to school to go to those, only missing my first. At 9:20, since I still had 30 minutes before the next one, I stood in line to get a drink. I hear a voice from behind me say, "Well this is awkward". I turn around and it is my 9am professor. He looks at his watch and says, "Didn't you have a 9-a-clock class?". I sit for a second and then respond (knowing the kind of guy he is), "Shouldn't you be teaching a 9-a-clock class?". He laughs and says, "Touche" and tells me try not to miss too many and I say "you too".

When I told this story to most people, the response I got wasn't the laughter I intended but instead most told me "You shouldn't smart off to a professor...blah blah". Is there not a difference in smarting off and being funny? Or at least a good-natured smarting off that is acceptable to some people? The professor was definitely amused by it and he is that kind of guy, but no one else seems to think that way.

college professor, right?

Yes.
Also, thanks for the replies, I knew I couldn't be the only one.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Wasn't all that funny, but certainly a cool professor.

 

[Me55enger]

I wouldve done exactly the same.

Smoothly done

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

If he got it (your professor), and you intended it as a joke, then all is well. I'm guessing that the people who called it "smarting off" wouldn't have to capacity to smart off to someone.

 

[Eric the Orange]

Smarting off? It was always mouthing off where I come from but whatever.

I think that's pretty funny, I don't think I could have come up with such a good line under the same circumstances. You have to wonder why he wasn't teaching his class.

 

[Xcelsior]

I would have done the same, when I read 'it was my 9am professor', I thought shouldn't he be teaching?

 

[Mighty Lighty]

I had a teacher like that, he did the rise of hitler to power by using the different facial hairs of hitler and hindenburg by doing equations with them

(It made sense at the time)

 

[Pingieking]

Cookies for both you and your prof. Just make sure that neither of you miss class too often.
Your friends are way too uptight, especially since the prof took it the way he did.

 

[Seldon2639]

The difference between "being funny" and "smarting off", in my opinion, is generally the proximity of the target of your humor, and whether you have the right to tease the person/thing in question. Your joke, admittedly, wasn't exactly Noel Coward-esque, but I digress. Even if it had been funny, however, it's something fairly disrespectful to say to a person in a position of respect in your life.

If he had joked about it first, it would be different, but you don't tease a person who deserves your respect unless you have reason to believe he or she is okay with it. But, then again, I have a fairly strict sense of propriety

 

[ae86gamer]

That is pretty funny. It seems like you have a pretty cool professor.

[sub]You lucky son of a-[/sub]