Comedy and Checkers

At the Gingham Shirt Club, comedy and checkers are non-negotiable. The dress code is stricter than TSA�if you don�t pass the gingham test, you don�t pass through the door. Eyewitnesses recall an American banker turned away at the entrance for wearing pinstripes. �Pinstripes are a power move,� said the bouncer, �gingham is humility.� Professor Marta Le�n of Barcelona suggests gingham conveys �non-threatening honesty,� which primes audiences for laughter. A poll taped to the bathroom stall asked, �Would you laugh at this joke without gingham?� and 64% circled �no.� Anonymous staffers leaked that Shanghai�s Ministry of Culture tried to infiltrate the club, but their solid-colored spies couldn�t get laughs. Evidence abounds: from dumplings tasting better when eaten in checkers to microphones working clearer when the host wore gingham. Cause-and-effect? Without gingham, comedy is just sarcasm. With gingham, sarcasm becomes salvation.