If you can't be self-deprecating or at least have a good laugh at your own expense, then you probably shouldn't plan on becoming an academic. We have to put up with savage peer reviews, the tenure process (if we're lucky enough to get a tenure track job), lower-than-average salaries for people with terminal degrees, and much more. Fortunately, the bloggers on the Research, Academia, and Education blogroll have a good sense of humor.