What's Humor? What's Funny?

[rich]

No dissecting frogs here. We'll try to understand the rhthyms, logic, wit. and tragedy of humor. Leave the croakers in the ponds, unless they come up with a good one-liner, a play, an essay, a novel, a short story, a poem, etc.

[ZaZ]

I'll tell ya what's funny: Farts (http://www.farts.com/waves/10002/fart10011.wav).

[TwoKeys]

Obviously "funny" is a very personal matter. What's funny to you might be lackluster to me. (Case in point, farts. Not at all funny to ME.)

That said, I've always been fond of observational humor...the stuff that we all do, but don't really pay much attention to. (If you've been in the car with me when I farted, which you've not, you'd know that my farts hardly go unmentioned.)

I also like so-called "smart" humor. Things that take a little more thought to "get".

Just my taste, though.

[batyler65]

I suspect, Rich, that you are looking not for the topics that we find funny, but a more nuts and bolts approach. What makes humor tick, right? Because regardless of what you find funny, not everyone has the same taste when it comes to humor. While the topics may change, the tools stay pretty much the same. Things like timing, juxtaposition, and exaggeration are at the heart of humor.

But the real key to being funny, IMO is finding humor that others relate to. Here are a couple of examples I found that work really well because lots of people can relate to them, not because they have had the exact same experience, but because most people have had SIMILAR experiences. It makes them funny.

Example 1: (http://www.jenniferlayton.com/aol.htm) Aol Hostage

Example 2: (http://www.justlaugh.com/online/vol3issue9/doucette_sixflags.php) A letter to Six Flags

[rich]

I always hear that humor is a personal matter. It's not. There are folks that don't like Groucho, but enough do. Letterman, Carson, Leno, may not be your style, but enough do. Thurber, Woody, Martin, may not click for some, but enough do. On the other end, there are folks who don't like Tolstoy, Hemmingway, Faulkner, but enough do.

So, let's not pontificate here--it's demeaning to the enough-do's. Let's just discuss humor.

[maestrowork]

Humor touches a raw nerve. Someone may call it "the funny bone." It should be highly relateable for a lot of people. The more universal it is the better. By universal I don't mean it has to be about a "normal every day" person. Something can be funny about a weird, out-of-this-world person in an unbelievable situation... BUT, it should be about something that is universal, something that a normal person can relate to...

Take George Carlin for example. Take away all his crudeness and swearing and all that. His materials are funny because we can relate to them. It's self-deprecated. I laugh until I drop because I thought "oh Gawd, how awful and embarrassing -- but it happened to me!"

[aka eraser]

Humour is essential to health. I need it like I need air, food, and water.

[maestrowork]

Sex.

And toilet paper.

[ZaZ]

Ooh, look at me, I'm just too sophisticated to laugh at methane releases from the human anal cavity. I want to wrap my noodle brain around something classier, like political discourse with tight lipped chuckles.

Sarcasm, now that's funny, almost as humorous as passing gas.

[Medievalist]

"It's funny because it's true" Homer Simpson, who likely stole it.

Some names are funny; I once started collecting names of people and places that were funny in various languages, thinking that there might be a phonetic commonality for each language that made the names funny in that language.

My prof, to whom I proposed the topic, said, "You're joking, right? This is a joke."

It wasn't, but I never found the time to go back to it.

There are jokes that one sex find funny that the other doesn't.

[Vipersniper]

:LilLove: Don't you just love critics that have never written a thing, never published a thing, that tell you that you have no talent for writing. They are like *******s and farts everyone has got one. As for correcting misspelled words yes do that but to send someone a email that says. Yo yore riting ain't ****. I ought to come up their an smack you down yo *****. Right and go ahead an make my day if you can. Haven't shot anyone in a while so show up this is one lady that will put your business in the wind. Some say they want to pray for you and all the while they are flat out rude and still have nothing significant to show for themselves other than to just pick at everything they read. I used to review work but stopped because if I did not put down a lot of useless words that did not amount to a hill of beans it was sent back to me. Plus the site was a ripoff anyway. I have found some people's work so good that giving them a five star was really distressing because I would have given them a much higher review. If I got bored with the work I generally did not review it. But the critics that use foul language or abused me did irritate me and I had to send the email to the server and block their emails. But some of them can be pretty funny and smelled just like a fart. But people are basically funny and in order to survive what I did you must have a sense of humor.

[J.S. Blue]

Funny: Man-boobs.

Not funny: Bob

Funny (to 12 year olds) Farts.

Not funny: Bob

Funny: That fact that I don't get some jokes....Uh, no, that's not funny, is it?

[Penelope]

Sex.

And toilet paper.
Taken out of context, this is funny (to me). Do we need these things at the same time, maestro? Never mind, I don't want to know.


I have a funny name. And I often do 'funny' things to people in public.

Like a few weeks ago, I went in a store and bought a package of maxi pads and an Almond Joy candy bar. As I tossed the items on the counter, I told the male cashier, "Because I'm going through a difficult period and I feel like a nut." It was just something funny that popped into my head right at that moment. The lady behind me laughed, but the male cashier's face turned red...which I thought was funny.

Okay, I'll stop now. :gone:

[Penelope]

Sorry, Rich, I just realized I didn't answer your question. I agree with what Barb said about people being able to relate to it.

[rich]

Yeah, since I'm the one who started this topic I wonder the same thing. I was looking to avoid dissecting the frog, but I'm not sure how. I thought of laser surgery but that's still dissecting the frog. You may be in the right direction poppyhullings, Miss B. Things anecdotal keep the frog alive and well, croaking in the better sense of the word. We should try explaining humor more homeopathically.

[Penelope]

*croak*

http://www.poppy.celaine.com/images/michfrog.GIF

[Vipersniper]

:tongue Well Poppy I thought what you wrote was funny. Dissecting a frog with a partner can be funny but it isn't to the frog. Me I was nervous as get out the brain in the frog and wanted to find out what my career had in store. Since I failed at being a brain surgeon and having found none in politicians I started to write.
What is really funny is watching my dog Ringo get all hyper over being sprayed for fleas and he hisses and cusses in dog at my husband.
Man that little dog can get mad about that. Or my dog that grins when he thinks he is in trouble because he puts his lip back and shows his silly side.
Watching baby goats playing.

[madaboutrabbits]

i've always been told that humour in one word is

conflict.

Conflict between individuals, conflict within an individual. I personally have doubts about it. But it's a good place to start. Most witty dialogue is usually between people who don't particularly get on and are scoring points off each other in company.

Me personally, it has to be dialogue. Woody Allen, Frasier, and for you anglophiles BlackAdder and Red Dwarf are great dialogue coming from character conflict.

But then i love Laurel and Hardy too - very limited dialogue, littered with cliche, and yet the conflict (and love) between them is so evident in the physicality of the humour.

Look at the old banana skin gag.
A man falling over a banana skin is - in itself - not funny. It's a man losing his balance, that's all.

A man falling over a banana skin starts to become funny because you have internal conflict. A feeling of hoping he's not hurt, but relief it wasn't you looking like a donkey, and guilt because of the feeling of relief.

Now, make the man falling over, a character on-screen who isn't likeable. That way you remove the guilt when he falls. That' really important. People won't laugh if they feel guilty,or pity to the victim. Set him up before the gag, by making him do something to reinforce audience dislike (Ollie Hardy's sense of betterment and pomposity is ideal), cause tension because of the way he's just treated a likeable character, and people will laugh at one of the oldest cinema gags around.

Juxtaposition, timing and the actual words used are crucial, but as mentioned above, the audience have to relate to the feelings in one of the active characters (screen or book or standup). They have to be given a guilt-free let-out-clause to laugh openly at someone else's misfortune

IMHO
ant

[Penelope]

I just submitted my little story about the maxi pads and Almond Joy to Reader's Digest for their Life in these United States section. I'll let you all know if they think it's funny (funny enough to pay for it and publish it, that is).

[Torin]

I find Dave Barry's essays hilarious, and of course, they have a lot of truth in them. I feel like that guy in "Good Morning, Vietnam" who says he can recognize humour (he can't). I love humourous writing; I wish I could do it. I'll have to practise and try really, really hard and hope I don't gag on the results. *sigh*

Torin

[Vipersniper]

:Guitar: I submitted a story last month about a bus trip and did it as a humor piece. I heard today that it was accepted and another story is being published. I will let you know how it goes. Anytime you put a group of people together on a bus it has a lot of potential for humor. I am also doing a biography of my family and I am still writing it. One story that got a lot of reviews was my POV of the things that you see in ER and not the heavy duty trauma stuff but like the guy that was well known and came into the ER with a potatoe up his rectum. That one had them talking for months. It was hard to look that guy in the face when we went into his store without busting out laughing. Or the lady that got glued to the toilet seat and the comments made by the doctor.

[Torin]

the guy that was well known and came into the ER with a potatoe up his rectum.

What was Dan Quayle doing with a potato up his butt? :D

[Penelope]

:Guitar: I submitted a story last month about a bus trip and did it as a humor piece. I heard today that it was accepted and another story is being published.
Really? That's great. Where will these pieces be appearing?


the guy that was well known and came into the ER with a potatoe up his rectum.
Or the lady that got glued to the toilet seat and the comments made by the doctor.

:Jaw:

[Vipersniper]

:) In June and no it was not Dan Quale but a jewelry store owner. I guess they weren't mining for gems. The woman asked the doctor if he had ever seen anything like her condition. The doctor said without batting an eyelash. "Yes but never one framed." You know I am so glad that they have those masks things. You know something that I would like to see a reality television show and this is not meaning any harm folks because I believe in peaceful habitation. But do a Survivor Series and take 30 odd peace activists lock them up in a building where they can't get out and have to share everything. Take bets on which one of them swings first. If they could manage it then take them up to Washington and let them run things for awhile.

[ritinrider]

Good job Poppy and Judy for submitting your funnies, be sure to let us know what pub. Judy, and Poppy let us know when they'll run yours (it's too funny for them not to buy!)

I enjoy people's reactions, for example I'm a rather large woman thus I buy my clothes in the Plus size departments. Now, there's a store here in town (ok, nearby town) that carries a nice assortment of large size clothing, most of the clerks, however, are min-sized. Since I hate clothes shopping I have to do something to make it more enjoyable, I always ask "where's the fat lady section?" The look on the girl's face is priceless as she stammers, "uh, uh, you mean the plus-size? It's right over there", and she points. Guess she's afraid to accompany me, I might be crazy or something.

Yeah, or something alright.
Nita

[BradyH1861]

I cant say what is funny, but my wife constantly tells me that I am NOT funny.



Brady H.

[rich]

I'll bet she thought you were funny before you got married.

[batyler65]

hmm... my kids have crowned me "Queen of No Fun"

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

[Penelope]

Everybody I meet thinks I'm funny. They always point at me and laugh.

*groan*

[mommie4a]

Rich - I know you posted that humor isn't subjective, or at least you wanted to stay away from that for a while. And you agreed with Barb and another post re: it's anecdotal, people can relate to it. I agree with the post about humor starting with conflict. I know that's worked in my published pieces (at least, people told me they thought it was funny).

I struggle with humor because I know I have a tendency to be serious and cynical and yet a lot of people find humor in those things. I tend to write about the ironies and paradoxes that occur in everyone's life and spin them so that we can laugh and learn at the same time.

But my best story about what humor is has to do with my younger brother who has always been labeled as "the funny one" in our family. And he does make people laugh. But the funny thing about this is that he has never thought that I was funny, or humorous.

EXAMPLE: At my wedding, he did the videotaping. He was interviewing a group of my college friends, who had met my brother through me a few times. As he interviewed one friend, he asked, "What do you like the most about Jill?" The friend stood, looked up at the ceiling, down at the floor and then said, "She's funny." My brother drops his jaw, stares with olympic pool-sized eyes into the camera and shrieks, "JILL?? You think my sister is funny?" And we're all laughing and the friend says, laughing, "Yes, yes she is. She has a great sense of humor." This is all caught on tape. Probably my favorite part of the whole event.

So my brother challenges this friend to describe a time when I was funny. And we're all laughing still and the friend says he can't think of a particular time, but he just feels that way about me.

So - you know, I'm back to that it's subjective thing. Yes, there are mechanics. I've googled "how to write humor" a few times myself in attempts to figure out the formula. But in the end, you need to know your audience and your subject matter, set up the situation and twist it until everyone knows exactly what you're talking about but could never put it into words.

GOOD LUCK and thanks for starting this thread.

[rich]

If any friend or foe were to describe me I doubt any would say, "He's funny." (Hmmm, now that I mentioned it, there might be a few.) I'm probably more satirical that funny. I try to use wit more than funniness, even if it comes out half-wittedly. I don't believe humor is that subjective. I would say that comic and tragic pieces would have their passionate followers and dispassionate ignorers.

[BradyH1861]

I'll bet she thought you were funny before you got married.

She did. But apparently I grow on people, you know, like a cancer.

Brady H.

[Penelope]

You've grown on me like spots on a speckled pup. (Don't worry, that's a good thing.)

[paprikapink]

There ya go, perfect example. "Spots on a speckled pup." Part of what makes this sweetly amusing is the way the words dance along. SP in spots is nicely echoed in Speckled and Pup.

Is this a saying, or did you make it up, Poppy? And can I or some clever wordsmith follow this "formula" and find success in Vegas?

I'm too sleepy to try now. Sleepy as a slobbery lab after a day ... um ... slobbering.

-pkpk

[Penelope]

It's an old expression that I altered slightly to suit my needs. The original, as I've always heard it anyway, is cuter than spots on a speckled pup. :)

[BradyH1861]

Spots on a speckled pup reminds me of my dalmatian, which reminds me of things that grow on you like a cancer.

Just kidding. He's a good dog. I'd be miserable without him.


Brady H.

[Penelope]

I was thinking of a dalmatian when I said that. Didn't even know you had one...at least I don't remember you mentioning it before. I guess I was associating the dalmatian with "firemen." :)

Often, when people are funny, others will tell them "you're killing me" or "you kill me" so maybe having a sense of humor that grows on folks like cancer isn't a bad thing. You'll "kill" them for sure.

*Disclaimer: I'm not making light of cancer. Three of my grandparents have died from it, it certainly isn't funny, but having a sense of humor about it helps me cope. No offense intended.

[paprikapink]

Another adage that might go well here is "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."
No, wait, it's like that, but...oh yeah, "If you have to explain it, it's not funny."

-pkpk

[BradyH1861]

I hate telling a joke and having silence in return.

Then you have to repeat the punchline and say "Get it?"

Happens to me quite a bit actually.

But as my daddy always said "A corny joke will leave you with an eerie feeling."


Brady H.

[Penelope]

Wow, Brady, you're on fire!

(Sorry, more fireman references.)

(See, I have a cheesy sense of humor that usually results in eyerolls and groans.) :rolleyes:

[batyler65]

*Spraying Brady with extinguisher*

Poppy, stop setting Brady on fire.

Sheesh, leave you guys alone for ten seconds...

[Jakalyn]

Wow, Brady, you're on fire!

(Sorry, more fireman references.)

(See, I have a cheesy sense of humor that usually results in eyerolls and groans.) :rolleyes:

LOL me too!!!

my daughters were sitting in the floor lining up all their shoes one time, and I looked down, and told my husband, "Look honey, they're making a shoe-shoe train."
He definitely groaned and rolled his eyes, but I thought it was hilarious!

[~Faery~]

my fav is the kind of stuff that real ppl would actually say. but i do go for spoof stuff too. english is probably the best even though that's not really a catagory but...yeah... i'll be on my way now.

[~Faery~]

LOL me too!!!

my daughters were sitting in the floor lining up all their shoes one time, and I looked down, and told my husband, "Look honey, they're making a shoe-shoe train."
He definitely groaned and rolled his eyes, but I thought it was hilarious!
i guess i like cheesy stuff 2, i laughed*blushes*:D

[Humourwriter]

In Jack Forster's "How to get ideas", he talks about humour and how it follows much the same principles as creativity. Here's a snippet:
As Arthur Koestler points out, the basis of humor is also the basis of creativity--the unexpected joining dissimilar elements to form a new whole that actually makes sense; the sudden left turn when you were expecting the road to go straight; a "bisociation" (as Koestler puts it), two frames of reference slamming together.

Just listen to how it works in humor:

"Nancy Reagan fell over and broke her hair," said Johnny Carson.

"How can I believe in God," asked Woody Allen, "when just last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of an electric typewriter?"

"The race may not be to the swift nor victory to the strong," said Damon Runyon, "but that's the way to bet."

"Shut up, he explained," wrote Ring Lardner.

In every case your mind is going one way when suddenly you are forced to change directions and--wonder of wonders--this new, unanticipated direction is perfectly logical. Something new is created, something that after the fact often seems obvious.
For me, humour is all about contrast. Getting two dissimilar ideas, throwing them together and seeing what comes out.

Bill.

[paprikapink]

Bill, that's just what I was gonna say. Just hadn't quite had time to get to it yet. Heh, heh. Yeah, that's it.

-pkpk

[mommie4a]

In every case your mind is going one way when suddenly you are forced to change directions and--wonder of wonders--this new, unanticipated direction is perfectly logical. Something new is created, something that after the fact often seems obvious.

For me, humour is all about contrast. Getting two dissimilar ideas, throwing them together and seeing what comes out.

Bill.

I couldn't agree more with you. Juxtaposition has always been a watchword for me (just check out the front page of my more than year old website that I've yet to overhaul! www.jillmillerzimon.com (http://www.jillmillerzimon.com)). I love doing it, using it and setting it up in humourous and not so humourous contexts.

Nice site by the way, Bill.

Jill

[Vipersniper]

:poke: The last one reminds me of a thing that happened in Walmart back during the nineties. A cross dresser came into the store to buy clothes. A few of us knew that it was a man dressed as a woman but the sales clerk didn't. So when the man picked out clothes to try on the clerk looked at his legs and asked him. "Which dressing room do you want the men or the ladies?" Another time in the store a man stole women's clothes and had it tucked into his pants pocket. The cop a old timer walked in after they had caught him red handed. He went on and on about how the color of the dress did not match his eyes and he really should have picked a prettier blouse to compliment his figure. That guy wanted to kill him before they got out of the store.

[daveaguy]

I find the word "poot" to be extremely funny.



dave

[madaboutrabbits]

Rich says humour isn't that subjective. Sorry but heavily disagree. Some people think Mel Brooks is funny - i think he is a drivelling idiot. Some people hate Woody Allen to bits, i think he is utterly brilliant. I have walked out of Comedy Clubs because the act was so bad while other people have still been laughing.

Now that is subjective. It's the same act, the same joke, but one person laughs, another thinks it lame. If anyone truly believes humour / comedy is not that subjective then why do they prefer one style of comedy to another? Sorry to disagree but comedy / humour is extremely subjective. Else you could reduce humour to a mathematical formula such as: The size of the laugh is proportional to amount of alcohol consumed. Mind you that is one formula that works.

[madaboutrabbits]

I find the word "toop" to be funny. Is Daveaguy my diametric opposite of a twin?

[madaboutrabbits]

I don't believe a word can be funny - by the way. A word is a verbalised expression of a internalised concept. It's the arrangement of a group of words that contains the humour.

[rich]

Ah, but a word can make or break a group of words.

[daveaguy]

I happen to agree with Rich. An appropriate, or even inappropriate word can make or break a "punch line."

[Brainerd T.]

Humore is an attitude. It is a way of looking at life.Robin Williams was not a comic, but one day he decidedd he would be one. I don't understand h9ow he did that. He was a grown man, but I still think it was becasue he changed his attitude.

"Just throw your mind in neutral and just idle on" is one of my favorite quotes. Everybody looks over me. They have to. I'm too short not to.

What I do like is slapstick. I don't like "forced slapstick".A pie in the face is almost always funny, but a face in the toilet bowl is not. (shudders).

The "Golden Age of Radio" and television were truly funny. The things that passes for humor today is either shocking or gross, but not funny. You can be funny in everyday things. You don't have to be disrespectful.

Someone once gave me a book on how to write comedy skits for television. Every example it quoted on "how to do it" was from real T.V. shows. Those sitcoms are the reason I quit watching sitcoms. I felt as if I could do a better job of writing scripts without the help of that book.

I find Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck moderately funny. Mary Roach is not. Reader's Digest wastes good money paying her. Most columnists do a poor job of humor.

Letterman and Leno........ well, they're okay sometimes. But neither one is a Johnny Carson. Then again, Johnny Carson was not a Bob Hope. Conan and the other guys of late night - forget it.

I doo me best to secure a little humor. I'm not very a stoot.

[rich]

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gif http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gif http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gifhttp://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/avatars/Bulldog.gif

My vet, for religious reasons, would not dispense "The Pill" to my neighbor's dog, Princess, but had no problem giving my dog, Hamlet, all the Viagra he wanted.

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[rich]

http://image09.webshots.com/9/4/85/40/114248540FaJSsp_ph.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/110256641/114248540FaJSsp#)

Ah, Princess, a photo taken just before my vet got religion, showing off her trim figure, happily moon-walking to the rhythms of Three Dog Night.

[rich]

Picture took up too many bytes...what?

[Humourwriter]

I happen to agree with Rich. An appropriate, or even inappropriate word can make or break a "punch line."

If you've read the Dave Barry interview in Writer's Digest, he talks about how he'll go over his work again and again, making very subtle word choices to make his writing funnier.

Humour isn't just about the words, but also about the rhythm of those words. So yes, a word really can make all the difference.

Bill.

[rich]

True, true, true. It's a process in which you sweat your a s s off to make show up easy.

[batyler65]

I generally find that by the time I'm done tweaking my work, it isn't remotely funny to me anymore. But my editors still laugh, so I guess I'm doing something right.

[Brainerd T.]

Some editors need their noses tweaked. They turn them up too much. Maybe it's that they were tweaked too often when they should have paid attention. If one doesn't pay their attention bill, they're not allowed to put their two cents in the collection plate when it comes by.

A good joke is like fishing. The right bait, the right line, the right hook, and the right timing. One little thing to remember: You don't need a harpoon to catch a minnow. Conversely, you don't need a fish net to catch a whale.

I've been telling jokes a long time. Some are subtle as in the paragraph above. Some are dry. Some are all wet. Some are visual. Some are shalow. Some are deep. Some are long, some are running. Some are just plain dumb.

Speaking of dumb and long......... This post is already full of loquaciosity.

[IWrite]

I think humor is very subjective - because so much of humor comes from a particular frame of reference - if you don't share that frame of reference - you will not appreciate the joke. That's one of the reasons that comedy doesn't always transfer well from culture to culture and doesn't always age well either.

What we find funny changes as our frame of reference changes - what we found funny at four - may not amuse us as we get older. Or something that we once found funny may no longer be funny once a life experience forces us to look at certain things in a different light. That can go the other way as well - you see no humor in something until you have the experience that allows you to appreciate the humor in the reference.

I also don't think humor can be taught. You're either funny or your not. Most people believe that they have a sense of humor - and they do in the sense that they can appreciate what is funny. But far fewer have the ability to create humor.

[Vipersniper]

:thankyou: I suppose that some people are really funny without really trying and I find some situations so funny that it does not need to be tweaked. But with the spell check and some advantages I can do a little better with a funny scene that was really played out for real. With me spontanity is what is best but there is a lot that you can do with telling a tale. Now my family gave me lots of laughs for sure even if what they did was infuriating at the time. For example I had an Uncle that would not say die as for his driving even after he lost his license for being drunk. He made the judge mad at the poker game but he hitched up his mule and drove a tobacco sled into town and one day totally ruined a motorcross race that involved motorcyles. The funny thing is he won that race which was hilarious at the time. Although we all thought we were going to be killed by the Hell's Angels or something. I am so glad they understood that our uncle Luther was like that. Then the big dude that could kill a bear with his bare hands laughed because he said he would never have thought some old drunk fart driving a tobacco sled led by a mule would beat his Harley. Sheesh I am glad they finally got the humor of that situation. Yes I like Reader's Digest too. This is one that I am working on in my new book Family Tree. My favorite author in this category other than Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck was Fannie Flagg.

[madaboutrabbits]

I was replying to the idea that a single word can be funny in itself. It can't. As people who replied have rightly pointed out it is the 'arrangement' of words that is funny, that carries the humourous concept. Each word in a joke can be everyday words, unfunny by themselves yet the joke can be hilarious. But a line of words like "bum, fart, barf, splat" just isn't funny. The 'funny' words carry no meaning in context with each other.

Yes, its true that one word can make a difference (re: writers digest and honing a sentence) but - and big BUT (no pun) - that word isn't the thing that held the humour. The arrangement and timing carry it. Perhaps the confusion comes in words that sound exotic. I remember a BlackAdder episode where he uses the word 'wibble'. it seemed funny then but watching it on dvd is painful. it comes across as feeble now that i know its coming.

[batyler65]

And there you have nailed the key element in humor, Mad. Surprise is a big part (maybe as much as 90%, IMO). We poor humans are so easily jaded. Give us something funny AND unexpected. There's nothing I like better than to be surprised into a laugh.

[elf_friend39]

I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, and I can be quite witty at times. But I have never been able to make a person outside of family and friends laugh. My sense of humor is for the circle of people that I know, and wouldn't make sense to anyone else...does that mean that I am not funny? Everyone is different, and just like madaboutrabbits was saying in post #50 (wow, that's a lot of posts), some people laugh at Mel Brooks, other think he's a blubbering fool.

I don't know if what I just said was at all worth the while to say, but I do apologize if that is the case.

[Chumplet]

And there you have nailed the key element in humor, Mad. Surprise is a big part (maybe as much as 90%, IMO). We poor humans are so easily jaded. Give us something funny AND unexpected. There's nothing I like better than to be surprised into a laugh.

I agree. Funny is effective when it hits you from the sidelines. If you get slapped repeatedly with the same joke over and over again, it loses its effectiveness.

However, I can't help giggling every time my husband says, "What, the curtains?" Terry Jones style.

[Jaycinth]

I’ve been looking at the title to this thread, ‘What is Humor/what is Funny’ and spending a great deal of time trying to work it out in my head.

The other day, I walked into a conversation on the same topic. Person 1, a nice lady with a bubbly personality had just told a joke. I don’t remember it, but it was inoffensive and the punch line involved inadvertent nudity, and it elicited polite chuckles. Person 2, for some reason took offense. When it was suggested that P2 ‘lighten up’, P2 just got belligerent and proceeded to lecture on the topic ‘All humor is based on sex, defecation and someone else’s misfortune, and that makes it offensive, because no matter how you tell a joke, the ‘funny’ always results from injury or embarrassment to the other person.

P1 came back and explained that laughter is what makes us human, and our ability to make light of a situation by laughing at it is a necessary survival trait. Without it we’d have wiped each other from the planet centuries ago. P1 also pointed out that not all jokes are about people being hurt and laughed at. She then went on Belief Net and got a religious joke, which got P2 up in arms because he said the humor resulted from the Pastor (in the joke) being embarrassed by a parishioner.

Well, I stepped out then, but it has been weighing on my mind. A lot of what I think is funny…pie in the face…the officious bank clerk having paint poured over his head….guy stumbling into a bar with a yak…. is funny just because someone is discomfited.

But I don’t think this calls for a ban on ‘Bugs Bunny’ or Abbot and Costello. Although we do need to make sure humor that pokes at people remains light and un-vicious.

As I've said before...a man making his way through a mine field is not funny.

A man making his way through a MIME field is.

[Rich]

No, Jaycinth. Humor is a vehicle. I want the Catch-22s and the Animal Farms--we'd be lost without them.

[Jaycinth]

Naked Manatees are funny too.

[Rich]

But think of how much you can poke fun at the power boat pilots that cut them up in the Florida inlets?

[Jaycinth]

Pilots? Wow and I thought those hairy piles manning the controls was just Spanish Moss that fell from the trees.

Awesome. And I can make fun of them also?

Tres cool. Tres cool.

[JeanneTGC]

Some people are humor-impaired, no matter what the situation.

Some people should stop trying to ruin life for the rest of us.

Therefore, the humor-impaired should shut up and leave the rest of us alone.

I took Logic in college...

[MajorDrums]

All types of things make me laugh. :Shrug: Sometimes, it could be something so random, I'll even surprise myself (weird). I think what makes someone humorous is if the audience knows where that person is coming from; they want to know exactly what they are laughing at, and that it's okay for them to laugh at whatever it is. Context is so important in writing, humor especially, IMO.

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

Someone once separated "comic" from "comedian," & for the life of me I cannot remember which is which. Anyway, it went something like, "One says funny stuff, the other says stuff funny."

There are many jokes that depend entirely upon delivery, & are pointless when delivered flat (& almost as bad when read in print).

Conversely, I like Steven Wright, whose deadpan delivery suits his material perfectly, which would probably not have worked for Sam Kinnison.

The problem with humor is that so many people who decide to "write something funny" can't tell a joke, just like many who set out to "write something scary" can't tell great horror fiction from "then their heads exploded" juvenile dreck.

I stopped going to comedy clubs because of all the nights where, yeah, if a guy went up & made fart noises with his armpits, he could probably keep the place in stitches for at least an hour, yet a comic who dropped a stunning slow-burner would get booed off the stage before half the crowd had parsed the setup.

Anyway, back to my opening distinction. On a site like this, we gotta differentiate live presentation & gagwriting from written humor & plays & such. (I make that split because Shakspeare is often rollicking but not exactly a modern laugh-getter. Ditto for Shaw, Wilde, etc., even Twain.)

Mel Brooks said, "Tragedy is when I get a paper-cut. Comedy is when you fall in an open manhole & die." That'll appear superficial to you at first, but give it some thought & you'll see the essential truth.

And when you laugh about your own foibles & errors & mishaps, people will get cranky because "you're talking about yourself all the time." I have no idea why this is so. They often prefer if you attack someone who's not there.

I like a good gag, but I tend to find more delight in the absurdity of daily life.

[Jaycinth]

Absurd is me walking all over the store for 30 min looking for my driving glasses which were on top of my head......

[Rich]

It's good that you'sre feeling around, Anthony.

[JeanneTGC]

Absurd is me walking all over the store for 30 min looking for my driving glasses which were on top of my head......
No, hon. We call that "old".

[Riddler]

We will all likely have different opinions on this, but here's mine:

I think humor is the art of connecting with the reader or audience on some relational level, then violating it slightly with a touch of wit or absurdity. Because different people connect with different styles, and appreciate different levels of humor, and often appreciate one medium over another, there is strong subjective element to the art. Nothing is universally funny.

[Chumplet]

Shit that makes you laugh.

[MajorDrums]

...unless it's at your enemy's expense. I'm using the term "enemy" fairly liberally here; it can be anybody who gets under your skin; their presence is an irritant or variable degree of annoyance. I've already posted in this thread, but this idea is something I've been thinking about a lot lately as I get into the meat of my WIP, and do more than just lurk in this forum. And it is the absolute truth that comedy is way more difficult than a serious/dramatic piece!:D

The Oscars were on the other night (I didn't watch) and I remember in Oscars' past when I would hear chatter from critics of the Academy that comedies are rarely recognized or respected, even though they agreed that comedy as a whole is a lot harder to do well compared to drama. It could just be what other posts have said, that humor is about subjectivity; drama may just be easier to objectify (universify?). Some have also said it's about conflict. I'm beginning to believe it has a lot more to do with likeability than anything else. That can become problematic when you're trying not to take rejection in the business of humor writing personally, because likeability cannot be faked; people either like you or they don't, and that can determine whether those people will laugh with you or at you (which is why I believe humor can be faked. YMMV).

What's humor: something funny. We show what we think something is funny with laughter. However, laughter is not always brought about by something funny. Laughter is induced to show agreement, even alignment, with the laugh-ee, the person showcasing the humor. Laughter is also a show of acceptance, a level of connectedness, which is why we're always funnier with the ones closest to us, our friends and family. Of course, one laughs at a joke said by someone whom one may find attractive, and the actual joke itself may hold little substance. Laughter can be exhibited as a show of intelligence; I'm laughing because I "get" that joke, and you're not laughing because you're unable to decipher the meaning the way I or we can; lines can be drawn because of something that simple (elementary may be a better word). Laughter can be had to spite another person; I'm not going to laugh at your jokes, but I'll laugh, even over-laugh, at this person's joke(s)- this is sometimes done irrespective of whether the other person's joke(s) were really funnier than yours. Again, more lines are drawn, and the links that create those lines can be cultural, amongst the sexes, economic...the links can even be imagined as long as they're believed.

If a person who you either do not care for or absolutely cannot stand tells a joke, you won't laugh. It's not a simple refusal to laugh; you are actually unable to, because nobody laughs begrudgingly or out of concession. You can, however, conjure up a laugh if you're feeling pity for the person or are laughing at the person (the laugh-er is not sharing the same joke as the laugh-ee) instead of with the person (the laugh-er and laugh-ee are knowingly sharing the same joke's context and are in agreement). It may be easier to accept something as solemn fact from someone who gets under your skin, whether you decide to verbally acknowledge that fact or not, but you're not going to hear a joke said from an enemy and laugh about it later if the joke is still being attributed to a person whom you would consider to be an enemy.

Delivery and timing, context, these are important to master, but they don't mean anything if people don't like you as a person. I think that's where the conflict in comedy lies, because as writers, we learn that it is our product that is being judged, not us as people. I can seek advice that is of importance from someone who I think is an a**hole, and derive the relevance needed of said advice. But with humor, your personality plays a bigger part of the product than any other genre, I think. With humor, it's about like; with other genres, it's more about trust. Like and trust can overlap, intertwine, but they're two separate things.

What's fascinating to me about the likeability factor in humor is how many of the stand-up comic greats (Andy Kaufmann, Chris Rock, Richard Pryor, Gilda Ratner, etc., etc.) were the biggest outsiders, the outcasts of their life's beginnings who became recognized for their talents in comedy. There's a lot of trial-and-error in comedy; the best in humor are able to finds ways to connect to people's vulnerabilities well enough to eventually find acceptance that is superficial, because they have to stay one-dimensional. These were not your friends, but you liked them, anyway. There is little room in versatility with humor, because people can quickly lose sight of where someone is coming from if styles are changed too much. But then again, how deep can acceptance go with someone you don't know personally, so I don't want my use of the term "superficial" to imply something essentially negative or bad.

Boy...Did Freud or someone research this already?:D I'm too tired to look, this was the longest post I've ever done.:D

[MajorDrums]

Did Freud or someone research this already?:D

Found this:http://nyfreudian.org/abstracts_12_08.html

[JeanneTGC]

I think much of what you said relates more to stand-up comedians than people who write humor.

How did someone "know" Dave Barry or David Sedaris when they were new? Through their writing, 9 times out of 10. So it was what they WROTE and how they wrote it that did or didn't make you laugh -- comedic writing.

But you only "knew" Chris Rock or Steve Martin, when they were new, via their stand-up. So HOW they presented the material was at least as important if not more important than what they said -- comedic timing and presentation.

However, I disagree that a person cannot laugh when someone they don't like tells a good joke. I know that there are comedians and people I can't stand, but if they make a joke or tell an anecdote humorously enough, then I'll still laugh. It might make me dislike them a little less or like the a little more, as well. Also, just because I like someone it doesn't mean I'll laugh if they tell a lame joke. Or my laugh might not be real.

There is a huge difference between real laughter and fake laughter -- and most of us can tell when the laughs are faked. And, the more people who are laughing, the more likely you are to laugh (which is why most sitcoms on TV have a laugh track, to ensure that you, the audience at home, both get the joke and laugh at it).

[msQTpi]

Funny: Man-boobs.

Not funny: Bob

Funny (to 12 year olds) Farts.

Not funny: Bob

Funny: That fact that I don't get some jokes....Uh, no, that's not funny, is it?


Actually, Bob can be quite funny, if you get it.

BOB = Battery Operated Boyfriend

[msQTpi]

I've recently become aware of the similarities between humor and poetry. Please bear with me here. If it's never occurred to you before, I know that will sound really stupid. I'll try to explain.

In poetry, the writer chooses very specific words and phrases to pull very specific emotions from the reader.

In humor, the writer does the same.

In poetry, the words chosen frequently have more than one meaning, and are used to express both meanings at the same time. It's understood by the writer that not everyone reading his work will understand the "layering," so each meaning should stand alone.

In humor, we find the same thing.

In poetry, there is a flow and rhythm that accompanies the emotion inspiring words and phrases. If that flow is interrupted or the rhythm is off the whole piece can be ruined.

In humor, we find the same thing.

With poetry, there are people who will simply not "get it" no matter how hard they try.

With humor, we find the same thing.

The poet is not like most writers. No matter what genre they write in, the poetry will come through. To be very good, there must be a spark of natural talent there. It is not easily learned, though it can be taught.

The humorist also stands apart from other writers. No matter what genre they write in, the humor fights to leak through. To be very good, there must be a spark of natural talent there. It is not easily learned, though it can be taught.



Just my thoughts.

[JeanneTGC]

I think you're right, but I also think that's true for ALL forms of good writing.

[Jaycinth]

I was ..well...not working, and I found this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17083395/site/newsweek


Interesting essay on what 'boomers' think is funny.

TTFN!

[Rich]

msQTpi, superb observation.

[Haggis]

msQTpi, superb observation.

Indeed. She's hot, too.

[Rich]

Ah, now I remember her from my first trip here--The Trailer Park Queen. I write a lot of humor and poetry. Even my serious poems are on the light side. And what she said was very true.

A hot trailer park queen though. Hmmm.

[Rich]

I started this thread two years ago. It kind of dies then glows again.

[Jaycinth]

It is a very interesting thread, Rich. Rather philosophical, and it makes one think. Not a place to shoot off too many snappy retorts.:)

[aka eraser]

It is a very interesting thread, Rich. Rather philosophical, and it makes one think. Not a place to shoot off too many snappy retorts.:)

Oh yeah!?...Why, I oughtta....



:gone:

[MidnightMuse]

One must take great care in shooting off snappy retorts. The wrong release point, and you're taking one in the face.

Humor is so subjective, and rooted in so many odd factors that vary with each individual - like race, religion, gender and generation. Not only that, but mood. I'll find a joke one day pisses me off, but the next day it will make me laugh. And while I loath most of that "summer movie humor", I find myself occasionally chuckling at a preview that I had, moments ago, decided wasn't worth a laugh.

Heck, half the time I think I'M funny, the other half, not so much. :Shrug:

[Riddler]

But you only "knew" Chris Rock or Steve Martin, when they were new, via their stand-up. So HOW they presented the material was at least as important if not more important than what they said -- comedic timing and presentation.

Not to drag us off topic or anything, but Steve Martin's writing is also actually very funny. You should read his book Cruel Shoes.

[SherryTex]

I think a distinction needs to be made between humor and comedy.

Comedy refers to a genre of literature including plays, poetry and prose that ultimately is about revealing something of human nature by breaking the rules of human nature as known --social constraints (manners and morals), tolerance for pain (slap stick, satire, ironic pieces), capacity to cope with an outrageous string of events (theatre of the absurd, most often found in Shakespeare), and ultimately has a redemptive or resolving element.

This is why Comedy is broader than Satire, which is rooted usually to an event or to a time and requires a much more specific frame of common reference and is not necessarily merciful. Comedy is usally about things that actually do not change over time --that relationships with other people --neighbors, spouses, inlaws, strangers and with organizations --the army, government, religion, schools, work place, are at their core flawed, crazy and sometimes simply absurd.

humor refers specifically to that make us laugh, whether aloud or no.

[JeanneTGC]

Not to drag us off topic or anything, but Steve Martin's writing is also actually very funny. You should read his book Cruel Shoes.
Oh honey, I owned it before you were born. (I'm sad to say, this is probably not an idle boast.) BUT, he did the book after he was successful as a stand-up. Not to take anything away from Steve Martin, who I adore.

But, if you don't like it, then, well... EXCUUUUUUUSE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

(I still cannot even think of that without giggling like an idiot.)