Homefun on Humor and Tall Tales:
Included just below are a few quotes relating to the origin of humor and/or its
definition. Please note that a theory is best approached and judged on whether
it is useful or not in explaining a p
henomena.
You should at least notice that humor is viewed as complex, seems to have a victim,
and its origin and function has been considered by some significant thinkers.
- Aristotle: "Humor is due to the sudden feeling of triumph which comes with
the sudden perception of a superiority in us by the comparison with inferiority
of others or our own former inferiority."
- Twain: "The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow. There is no humor
in heaven."
- Freud: He postulated the existence of humor without a victim but he could
not produce a single example.
- Psycho-Babble: "Humor is the juxtaposition of two incongruous elements that
have a common basis."
(1). In order to better understand the complexity of doing any analysis of
humor, I'd like you to read the following joke from "Jokes and Discourse on
Disaster" by Elliot Oring. Answer the questions that follow the joke.
A businessman was having economic difficulties and was in the position of
having to dismiss some of his employees. He had three secretaries, and he would
have to let two of them go. But he didn't know which two to let go and which
one to keep. He explained his dilemma to a colleague over lunch one day, and
the friend made the following suggestion: "Listen, this may cost you
a little money up front, but it will be well worth it and will pay for itself
in the long run. Next payday, add an extra five hundred dollars to each of their
paychecks and see how they respond. That will give you an idea of whom to keep."
The next payday came around and he took his friend's advice. The
first secretary looked at her check and said to herself, "The boss overpaid
me by five hundred dollars. I'd better get the extra money back to him
right away. I know the business is in trouble and he can't afford such
errors."
The second secretary looked at her paycheck and said to herself,
"He overpaid me by five hundred dollars. He will eventually discover the
error, but in the meantime, I will bank the money. When he asks me to give
it back I'll return it, but I will keep whatever interest accumulates."
The third secretary looked at her check and said to herself, "He
overpaid me by five hundred dollars. He'll eventually discover his mistake
and ask for the money back, but I won't give it back. I'll just quit. The
business is not doing all that well and will probably go under. At least
I'll be five hundred dollars ahead."
Which secretary got to keep her job?
The one with the big tits.
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What do you feel is the implied message or social comment?
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Who, if anyone, is being made fun off? In other words, who is the victim?
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Are Oring's observations equally valid? Why?
(2). Examine the following jokes and write down what, if any, implied or
explicit comment about a group, society or social structure is being made:
-
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but
the light bulb must want to change.
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How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb? Three. One to change
the bulb, one to write about how it feels, and one to complain that a man
should have done it.
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How did Helen Keller burn her hand? Trying to read a waffle iron.
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Why doesn't the Pope let any dogs into the Vatican? Because they pee on
poles.W
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Where can you find a good lawyer? In the cemetery.
(3). As budding folklorists analyzing jokes, please attempt to answer
the following tough quetions:
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Why do you think certain types of jokes become national fads (blonde jokes,
AIDS jokes, and jokes about disasters)?
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Are certain jokes (ethnic jokes, sexist jokes...) an expression of prejudice
and/or a socially approved or neutral outlet for forbidden topics (a cathartic
purpose)?
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Can we infer something about the ideas, values, concerns of a person by
what they think is funny?
