Humor (Humour)

Sigh...


Once again, I haven't written in all too long. But I've actually been busy; I just don't intend to explain why here. It feels quite good to be back writing though; I can feel my motivation growing stronger!



So as you might have noticed, the topic for this post is humor. What is humor? Screw it, you already know that...

But humor is actually quite interesting, I'd say. Have you ever seen a bird laugh at a joke? I haven't. What I'm trying to say is that a sense of humor is almost unique to humans. There should be a few animal species that can appreciate very simple humor, but other than that (excluding possible aliens), humans are alone with their sense of humor.


Almost every single person has his or her own humor, no two people are alike in that. Still, many people enjoy the same things. This is probably one of the reasons as to why comedies tend to get worse scores on sites like IMDb than let's say, drama or action movies. People have very differing tastes when it comes to what is fun and what is not. A movie that someone thinks is hilarious might be extremely boring to another person.


Still, humor is a very social thing, actually, almost as social as something can be. I mean, how often do you laugh alone compared to when in company? And even when you actually laugh alone, it often has to do with social stuff in one way or another still. You might even think about sharing something funny you read or saw with a friend.


Friends... Every group of friends has a few, or sometimes many inside jokes. Jokes, unique to that group of people. Among people that you see often, the humor of the involved seems to become more similar to the others. Humor is something that you can learn.


Having fun is in general quite healthy. Often, laughing is used to cope with something negative in the past. It's a way of turning something bad into something good and amusing. I don't really see myself as racist, but I'll give you an example of what I mean. This joke mightn't be as funny if you read it alone, but if someone told it to you, especially in a large group of people, you might even laugh at how wrong it is. Ever heard of shock value?

"What is the similarity between niggers and apples?"

"Both look the most beautiful when they hang from trees..."


Shock value... And what's good about that joke in particular is that the word nigger can be replaced with any race, gender, sexual orientation or whatever you can come up with. You now know how to offend everyone!!!
That joke of course, makes light of past slavery.



Also, sometimes things are just so absurd, or otherwise so mentally insane that they become funny. I don't know if this is your type of fun, but here's an example: Hellbenders.
If you like that kind of humor, Newgrounds is a good site for finding more of it.


A text version of something so wrong (something I saw on 9gag long ago) that it to some people becomes funny:

"How do you know that your sister is on her period?"

"Your fathers cock tastes like blood..."


Again, shock value... Some people get offended beyond reasonability when hearing a joke like that, other people can't stop laughing. Incest and similar things are kinda taboo (which will probably be my next entry's topic), thus: perfect for comedy. A bit like sex related humor. Humor is a great way of getting controversial thoughts across.

Yeah, sex and shit. Many people's favorite jokes have to do with it, and I don't blame them. Sexual jokes can be funny as hell! Almost everything can be misinterpreted to something sexual, a bit like "mannen som tolkar allting sexuellt", from the marvelous fun of radio pleppo, unfortunately only fun if you know Swedish, and a little bit of Finnish.

Of course, sometimes things are funny only for the people that are not part of the joke itself. I for one, think it's good to be able to laugh at yourself, but some people don't seem to like being made fun of. It can even turn in to a type of bullying.


I've made a weird observation not that long ago. You know how people often refer to the class-clown? How they play the joker to make others like them more? I've seen something interesting concerning that. I've often been given the image through different media that entertaining others can be done to get more accepted; I've read stories about how people have tried overcoming loneliness by making other people laugh. There's actually a joke about his phenomenon. It goes like this.

| A man goes to the doctor. He says he's depressed. He says life seems harsh and cruel. He says he feels all alone in a threatening world, where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain.
The doctor says the treatment is simple. The great clown Terrifini is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.
The man bursts into tears: "But doctor . . . I am Terrifini." |

Ironic, isn't it?

I could go on to speak about irony, but I almost forgot to make my point...

I said that I've made an interesting observation, and here it is. To me it seems like the class-clowns are among the most popular people around. People don't always laugh at them, but they often laugh with them. They are even often looked up on, for good reason! I almost wouldn't call them clowns, but more like comedians. People with much social understanding and good humor are often the cool kids in school, so to say. And it's not at all surprising, comedians make you feel better, thus: you like them! I've seen this pattern quite many times now, and it keeps on happening. It seems to work a little bit differently for women, but I might be wrong. Anyway, things work similarly for them, I'd guess. I think it's for the better though, not the worse. Having fun is pretty much my main objective in life, aside from being productive.


When  I was younger and more naive, I often got a bit mad when people made fun of me, but nowadays I even make fun of myself from time to time. I noticed that I completely by mistake have been going more towards the role of the comedian myself lately, and I think that's a good thing as well. It's easier to go into different groups of people and still be appreciated, and most importantly: it's great fun! If you do it right, you get at least as much enjoyment from being the entertainer!

And at least for me, the flow comes naturally. I never have to really try to be funny, if the right opportunity comes up, I take it and roll on, I'm sure that many of you can relate.
I'm not saying that I'm the funniest person around; I'm not. But nowadays I do make people laugh every now and then, as are probably many of you doing; humor is a social thing.

Speaking of comedians... Comedians have it as their profession to make people laugh (and often, to think!), so more often than not, they are really good at it. Hence, they know a lot of simple tricks, to more easily entertain people. These are people that have analyzed humor, and how it works, and bended it to fit their style. Some of these comedians are so unique, that they have their own type of humor; no one can adapt it, it only works for them, which I think is amazing. I've noticed that comedians tend to be good at mimicking too. Not really that surprising but, entertaining.

A trick that comedians often use, is silence. There's a certain tension that builds up until the joke reaches its climax. Comedians are in general masters of making that bubble grow, until it's so big that it's just waiting to blow, and then they throw in the punch line to burst the bubble with full power, getting a much more visible reaction than if they would have told the punch line immediately. Sometimes, the comedians play around with the rules though. I'm guessing it's a profession that lives off of creativity.

Again, these are only in Swedish, but if you haven't heard of them, I suggest you check these two comedians out!


André Wickström

Johan Glans


On youtube, you can find several of their other performances.

If you speak swedish, notice how in that Johan Glans video, the comedian makes a combination of many of his previous jokes at the end. Familiarity is an excellent tool for comedy; familiarity is the biggest ingredient needed for inside jokes to be born. Hence, only some of you readers will understand this reference... "Njaaaaaaaaaaaah....." ;)




Yeah... Speaking of sexual, absurd and humorous stuff, here's a picture that I drew...

Yeah... This is what happens when I ask you what I should draw, and you answer "I don't know, draw anything you want".

It's not a nicely drawn picture in itself (god those "eyes" are high on the face), but I thought it might be suiting considering the topic at hand.





Yes... That will be my take on humor. I haven't said everything that there is to say, nor did I intend to. Feel free to add any thoughts in the comments!







Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Music.


I actually have two songs recorded, ready to be posted here, but I'll begin today (tonight... soon to become an inside joke) by posting the worse of the two.


This one is just something that I made randomly. There isn't much creative about it. The melody is new, and some of the chord patterns, but otherwise it feels like something I've already done before, back with a little different shape. You might still like the song; it's not really bad. It could've been recorded a lot better though :D


Nothing New (yourlisten.com)





The song that I'll post next time is a lot more creative ;)!

Speaking of creativity, I recommend you go check this blog out!
The blog is written by my sister, and I must say I'm envious of her English! Not only that. Her posts mightn't be all too frequent in their schedule, but they are worth waiting for. I especially recommend her latest entry: Bittersweet Creativity.




Yup. Once again I somehow wrote over 1700 words... And to think that when it comes to school assignments, I don't even feel like writing 500 (with some exceptions)...




Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed reading this!


Have a humorous continuation!