that's the general rule, but i'm going to play along this time, because -1 does seem a bit harsh for what you wrote.
humor is risky. it's not that news.yc readers don't like it, it's just that our standards are very high. the ^H^H joke is a threadbare cliche at this point and should be avoided.
sometimes you get downmodded for no real reason by a karma troll. if that happens, you really shouldn't complain about it, because within an hour or two somebody will vote you back up in sympathy.
You resent the understated attempt at humour, or perhaps the deliberate Strunk and White non-compliance?
I have read several of Vs books, each of them sublime, along with Stephen Kings 'On Writing'.. and I think my comments were on topic.
ok, I'll pay 17c via paypal to the first two persons who upvote this post, thus obliterating the downmod.