Humor is buried treasure

[Akira X]

I've been doing some thinking about what humor is and what makes something funny. And I've come to the conclusion (a theory) that humor isn't relative. Funny isn't in the eye of the beholder. If something is funny, than its funny. If it isn't than it isn't.

Let me explain it with a fun analogy.

Lets say that Humor, the laugh, is buried treasure. A joke is a treasure map. Given the joke, a person is able to find the humor at the X and laugh. This is not relative.

What is relative is the ability of the person to map out a joke and the other to read the map or get the joke. Some jokes are multi-leveled and hard to read for the common treasure hunter. The other relative is whether or not the buried treasure chest has treasure in it at all. Knock knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Banana laser printer! Not a good joke, not funny.

Why is this so? Because there is a science to what funny is. Things you laughed at in 5th grade certainly aren't funny anymore. Once I talked to this kid who thought that randomness was the single key to hilarity. Not true. Jokes that seem bizarre and random are actually calculated.

And I think that offensive jokes are a good example of this non-relativity. Take racist jokes for instance. If a joke isn't funny, than its just offensive and insulting. But if it is funny, then its tasteless, or tasteless humor. Here's an example of an offensive one: Why are [racial slur]s such [racial slur]? Because they [sexual act] [barnyard animal]! Racist jokes that are funny are the ones that make go "Ohhh, thats horrible!" you probably feel ashamed for finding it funny and laughing. It may be tasteless, but you can still laugh.

Then there factors about the receiving end of the joke, is it going to go over their head, are the going to bother to try and get it? Things like that, jokes between friends and the like. There are things that are irrefutably funny sometimes that people just dont want to entertain, just to be a heel.

I don't know where I'm really going with this, but I think that there should be some kind of Theory of Comedy. Like they could teach a class that teaches you how to be funny. There's a science to it somehow. I'm just dabbling out of pure curiosity.

Anyone who fancies themself funny (no shame in admitting it) who has any other methods or ideas about doing what they do?

[Digital Klown]

Hm... interesting theory...

[Killer_gym_sox]

HONK! HONK!

[DeForgeo]

I smell thesis.

[Chris Piers]

I think it's funny that you spent time typing all that out when no one ever reads message boards and stops to think. I think it's funny how much time we all spend doing this.

But posting is fun and I like you so I give you the seal of Chrisproval.

[The Cancerman]

Originally posted by Akira X
Knock knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Banana laser printer! Not a good joke, not funny.

It made me laugh pretty hard.

But then again I think that's where I think your theory on comedy veers a little from mine. Jeezuz, I can't think of the name of the comedian for the life of me ( He was on space ghost dressed as mork from ork) But I think he explained it best when he said (paraphrasing) "you got to take something they know and turn it upside down, like small children for example...."
I think an element of surprise is involved, at least in some comedy, of distracting the audience so to speak. Making them think one thing is going to happen, and then twist the situation to the opposite extreme. Example:

Two fanboys are standing by a river, trying to think of a way across. There's a canoe on the other side. One fanboy chimes out,"I've got this flashlight. Now I'll turn it on and stand here, and you walk across the beam of light to the other side. then come back for me in the canoe."
the other replies, "Are you Crazy! What do you think I am stupid! I'll get halfway across and you'll turn off the flashlight!"
See what I mean.
Or maybe I'm just stupid.
Can't tell from these seats.

[Popninja]

Originally posted by The Cancerman
Two fanboys are standing by a river, trying to think of a way across. There's a canoe on the other side. One fanboy chimes out,"I've got this flashlight. Now I'll turn it on and stand here, and you walk across the beam of light to the other side. then come back for me in the canoe."
the other replies, "Are you Crazy! What do you think I am stupid! I'll get halfway across and you'll turn off the flashlight!"
See what I mean.
Or maybe I'm just stupid.
Can't tell from these seats.

I can tell from my seat that somebody in here lit one. Phew.

[DeForgeo]

Originally posted by Popninja
I can tell from my seat that somebody in here lit one. Phew.

Actually, the joke he told was from Batman: The Killing Joke.

So it was probably Alan Moore that lit one, not him.

[Baloodoo Bill]

Gotta' disagree with you on this one. Humor is entirely relative. Not only to who's listening but, who's telling the joke. Some people aren't funny no matter what. What's funny to you isn't funny to me and vice versa.

Humor is based on humiliation and pain. If you were to drop an anvil on your foot and then split your pants while grabbing your foot which caused you to fall down the stairs and break your arm, you wouldn't be at all amused. We, however, would be rolling in the aisles.

If humor could be reduced to a formula, like a bread recipe, then everyone would be equally funny and no one would know the names of Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams...

[Popninja]

Originally posted by DeForgeo
Actually, the joke he told was from Batman: The Killing Joke.

So it was probably Alan Moore that lit one, not him.

I had to go check my collection.

Majorly altered version of what was a MUCH BETTER joke in Killing Joke. I suggest you go back and read it the way it was originally written.

And like I said, somebody in here lit one...and it wasn't Alan Moore.