It will be fun, they said.

Thankful that English is my native language for many reasons, but today I am thinking once again, about how fun American English is and about why it is so hard to figure out why it is fun.  Certain expressions gain popularity for some unknown and unpredictable reason and whenever you hear them -- it brings a smile or a pause.  You notice the play on words or maybe get some sense of the "underneath" humor intended.  Can't explain why or how this even comes to be.  Consider...

On Facebook the other day, I watched Fredrik Backman, one of my favorite authors, speaking at some gathering. He was self-deprecating and funny - making everyone laugh when talking about his feelings of standing up in front of them at the suggestion of his agent and others.  He brought the house down with something like - Take this speaking engagement, they said. "It will be fun,  they said".  I thought that was very funny  -  especially in combination with his facial expressions. Why though?  Why did I (and what seemed like everyone there) find that funny? How do these expressions come into being and spread like wildfire?  

In search of an answer, I asked my new friend AI (artificial intelligence -- that  I have come to think of as AL -- short for Alfred -- my personal nickname).  Although the exact origin seems to be a bit of an internet mystery, the phrase is a current popular Internet Meme. Al tells me that, interestingly enough, the concept's origin dates back to WWII with the classic military expression of frustration and complaint -- "See the world, they said".  Later on that phrase or a variation of it appeared in TV's MASH and more currently in video games in the 90's such as Warcraft 2.   Even more recently (in the memes of  2010-2012) it became the "go-to caption for images of people enduring miserable camping trips, DIY disasters, or chaotic family events" (AI Overview). "Build a pool, they said. It will be fun, they said."  Anyone who has ever taken care of a pool gets the humor in that.  Anyway ...

Next on my list to explore is:    Be afraid. Be very afraid.  Is this a threat one should take seriously? Or ... what about the origin of "Sh** eating grin"??? Perhaps I don't really want to know about this last one....

Do such things only appear in American English? Our language is chocked full of odd expressions that make sense perhaps only to us.  Personally  -- I think we Americans are an interesting and fun people. Unfortunately our language is difficult for non Americans. Try to figure out American expressions, they said.  It will be fun, they said.