I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class their own personal knowledge of national regional religious ethnic occupational and family folklore traditions.
I never worry about people not taking my work seriously as a result of the humor. In the end the comic's best trick is the illusion that comedy is effortless. That people imagine what he's doing is easy is an occupational hazard.
Actually I didn't make the claim that Ruby follows the principle of least surprise. Someone felt the design of Ruby follows that philosophy so they started saying that. I didn't bring that up actually.