I am partial to kid humor. I love it. I was a ballet teacher
for little kids for a couple of years and I love when they do things like this
for several reasons. It makes me laugh when they do things that aren’t a big
deal and adults can teach them a lesson through it. It’s an innocent way to
learn, and it gives the adults a laugh. The sprinkle situation was the cutest.
He had them all over his face and still assumed he could get away with it. I
loved the mom and Ellen’s reactions to it. The sprinkle bar with hilarious.
Like I said, this kind of situation is a great way to teach a lesson, and this
boy can learn a few here. Through this he can be taught about lying, and how telling
white lies can be hurtful and his mother seems to intend to teach him that.
Ellen asking him questions was funny, as he just didn’t seem to know what to
say. He was obviously excited and nervous to be on the show so his reactions to
everything were heightened and so adorable. I really enjoyed watching him. Also, Ellen really has a talent for bringing people in and making them comfortable and making good television. I really enjoy watching her show, as she is always entertaining.
Kid humor is so innocent that it doesn’t have negative
implications. As long as no one gets hurt, watching kids fumble around through
their childhood is one of my favorite things to do. They make mistakes and have
zero critical thinking skills and it’s honestly a hilarious thing to observe.
Sometimes I wish I could remember when I was 3 years old so I could think back
on how life worked back then.
I think Family Feud is one of my favorite game shows that play on television. I am not a huge fan of this genre of TV just because it is so repetitive and after watching a few episodes I get the point and I'm over it. That being said, I definitely watch Family Feud more than any of the other TV game shows. I think this is because of the aspects of the show that Connor points out, like how the contestants have to make things up on the spot and how the host makes funny comments back to them. I also enjoy trying to come up with my own answers and seeing how well I can play the game, most game shows struggle being able to give the viewers at home time to answer the questions for themselves before revealing the answer because it makes the show drag too long. I really enjoy how Family Feud makes it so I can play along. Also, the incongruity theory in this specific video is highly present. He has no idea what to say by the end of the time so he goes with something so random and hilarious. Like the host hinted, it was probably the worst answer to give to that question.
Physical humor is always an easy laugh as watching people fall is something people find inherently funny. When you watch someone fall, you go through a range of emotions. First, shock. You are surprised that the situation is taking place, even if you're expecting someone to fall, the actual moment when it happens is always a shocker. Next, you laugh. It's funny to watch someone hurt themselves. It is relieving that it isn't you, and you can relate, as we have all fallen on our faces once in our lives. Lastly, guilt. If you have a working conscience, you will feel guilty for laughing at someone else's misfortune until you know for certain that they weren't seriously injured, and even still. I think the TV show Wipe Out monopolizes on this process, and uses it to entertain audiences with something that actually isn't that entertaining. I think they know that they are doing this as they add ridiculous commentary and replays throughout. The subject matter just isn't very dense, and it feels even more shallow to me as the commentators are just narrating the falls. While I can't say I wasn't entertained, and I watched the entire video with ease, I couldn't help but think about how there was such little substance in the subject matter. It also baffles me that people actual sign up for this. It looks super painful :( All in all, I understand physical humor, and I can't say that it isn't funny, but I prefer something a little more substantial rather than just the basic "people fall and we laugh" thing.
I think animal humor is one of my favorite kinds of modern comedy because it is so innocent. No one gets hurt watching animals doing their thing. I really enjoyed the two videos Cawood posted. My favorite part in the long video was the groundhog that was saying "Alan!" because it was so repetitive. I loved how he kept popping up between other scenes. I think the idea for this video is so clever. BBC realized that they had a lot of boring footage of animals just hanging out and living their lives and decided to make something funny out of it. I have always wondered what companies that make animal/nature films do during their off time while animals aren't doing anything, and I think this would lend itself to a good downtime activity. Giving personalities to things that can't tell us how they are feeling always makes me laugh and I'm sure that would fill the empty time editing through a bunch of empty animal footage. On that note, I feel like filming animals like this is similar to filming the Kardashians. They have to sort through a bunch of empty footage. I think it would be hilarious to do something like a Bad Lip Reading to the Kardashians. It would be similar to a video like this.
Unexpected humor like this is really why this was successful. When you click on the video you aren't sure what you're going to get unless you already know about it, and in that case you know it's going to be funny. As Cawood pointed out, this is a perfect example of incongruity theory.
I thought the video Sarah put on her blog was super interesting. I always associate this kind of thing with being at the nail salon. I have always said that it would be so cool to know what they are saying, and if they are talking about how gross my feet are while they are doing my nails. I like this topic because its something I don't really understand. It would be so beneficial to know two languages, and am always impressed when people do because learning a language isn't an easy task, I can barely form comprehensive sentences in English half the time.
The jokes they made in the video made me laugh. I liked how the guy was talking about how attracted he was to the girl and she knew what he was saying. The events in the video would definitely relate to people who know several languages. That's an awesome concept to me because they captured so many different situations in one short clip. It can also relate to people who aren't bilingual. I always hate when someone says something that I can't understand and then they refuse to repeat themselves. It is frustrating because everyone around me knows what they said so I feel left out of the conversation.
The clip was well made and it seemed like they put a lot of time into it and I appreciate that. I agree with Sarah when she says that America is super racially diverse, and while there are a lot of people here that speak different languages it is expected that people speak English therefore it is not as linguistically diverse. This is significant because it is important that people respect the different cultures that are represented in America because that is such an important part of our country's foundation.
The Whole Foods fad is something people like me are known for buying into. I've always been opinionated about the different health trends out there. When I see a new trend, like a new superfood or a new brand of granola bar I can't help but want to try it out and see if I like it. In some ways, I think this whole health food fad is ridiculous. I am so strongly against juice cleanses and fad diets because of the mental implications associated with them. I have seen so many friends attempt a juice cleanse after a Whole Foods run and not be able to function because of it. On the other hand, I am open to the concept of improving yourself through healthy lifestyle choices. I see the humor in people making crazy decisions based on what one article says is the cure all for unhealthy skin and nails, but I also see the benefits of trying new things. While I'm not ignorant to the fact that most of these "healthy" options are insignificant, I still say why not go ahead and try it if you are interested. It couldn't hurt.
I always say, "sometimes your mental health is more important than your physical health," and I mean that. Whole Foods, and the culture surrounding it is a breeding ground for mental illness and disease. I have a passion in my life for bettering the lives of young girls. I see so many of them struggle with this kind of phenomenon. Why are Whole Foods type lifestyles such an important part of our culture? It really is about the expense and cultural acceptance. We see things that are more expensive as better options, in general. Especially when it comes to food. This contributes to Whole Foods price jumps. You could buy similar products in a Publix, but because it is specialized and has a few less ingredients the Whole Food option is the better choice. This is false, but I see that struggle in our society. Also the cultural acceptance, like we talk about in class all the time, people want to relate to other people (especially celebrities) Doing so makes people feel more in the loop. Celebrities and "healthy" people are seen all over media doing these fad diet type things.
Whole Foods, while it has it's benefits, is generally a waste of time. I get it, but I try not to buy into it.
"You're like really pretty.."
"Thank you"
"So you agree, you think you're really pretty?"
Mean Girls is a classic high school comedy that I hope everyone in our class has seen, or at least heard about. I think the following clip from Mean Girls highlights the most memorable parts of the film:
There is significance in Mean Girls that goes beyond crude, smart humor and brings an important point to light. This film teaches the negative effects of high school mean girls (something I think everyone deals with at some point or another) effectively solely because it is comedic. No one wants to listen to a basic, boring lecture on why we should all get along and what can happen when we don't. Mean Girls presents these scenarios in an exaggerated and comical way making people want to listen without getting defensive. People so easily can find some kind of negative thing they did in high school in this film, and see how the other person felt.
The reason I wanted to blog about Mean Girls, aside from thinking it's hilarious and being able to quote almost the entire movie, is that I think it is an inventive and important form of comedy. The actual jokes and situations presented are pretty basic. The boys are crude, the girls are dumb, and everyone is stumbling through high school, like in every other high school movie. The difference here is how they use this comedy to make people think about friendships and how they are treating people. Comedy is so important when you are trying to teach someone a lesson like that because the lesson doesn't soak in until they can find an emotional connection to it. The easiest, and most enjoyable emotional connection is laughter. When you're making someone laugh at a certain folly they have, they can recognize their faults without being defensive about their mistakes. For example, if your feet always smell bad, to the point where I can't help but say something, I might make a joke about stinky feet and hint at you instead of bluntly saying, "Hey you smell like a gym sock." This is what Mean Girls does. It's target audience is exactly who are portrayed in the film, and hopefully it gets these viewers talking about actual issues in a meaningful way. I think this is significant because it opens the floor to make a change happen. Maybe a "mean girl" watches this movie, relates, and decides not to bully that "weird" girl in her math class anymore. I might be taking this kind of far, but that's an awesome end goal for a comedy to have.
Mean Girls has aspects relating to all three of the theories we discuss in class. Relief theory is the important, because while you watch the film you get to have the feeling of hitting the bully with a bus. You don't have to actually do it, but you can feel the release near the end of the movie when all the tension has built up and everything finally breaks down. Lots of movies employ this technique, and its super effective. Superiority theory is an obvious one with Mean Girls. You get the see their insecurities from the inside, and therefore we, as viewers, feel superior to the most popular girls in school. Pretty great feeling, huh? Lastly, we have incongruity throughout. This film is always surprising you with a new and odd situation that is totally laughable.
If you haven't, I suggest you add Mean Girls to your Netflix queue. You'll laugh lots, and maybe learn a little about yourself in the process.
I thought this video was so cute! I've seen videos that these guys have made before and I think it's such a clever idea. I failed the challenge, mostly because the videos were funny, but also because the reactions the people had made me laugh. I disagree with Kirsten that this video in itself isn't funny, as i think watching other people and feeling that sense of community makes things funnier. People have a nature to want to feel justified and know that what they are laughing at is funny to someone else fulfills that, and I think that is why this type of entertainment works. There is also definitely an inherent nature for us to laugh when we know we can't as Kirsten points out in her post.
I thought the different reactions to the baby and the mail slot clip were worth pointing out. Lloyd's reaction of saying "stupid kid" contrasted Jeordy's reaction of laughing as the baby fell. I was with Jeordy during this clip, and I giggled. Even the other older lady said she almost lost it on that one. It's important to look at how different people react to certain things. Is Lloyd just trying to keep himself from laughing, or is he cynical about this kid looking for his father for some reason?
I really enjoyed this clip and the subsequent one!
SNL is a show that I am very partial to. I like the sketch comedy on SNL, and (as much as I shouldn't) I buy into seeing the celebrity guests on the show. I also like parody, it's a clever take on comedy and has always been a genre that interested me. Music is also a good way to connect with audiences and I think it is done well on SNL every time they use it as a medium. This sketch is a simple poking through exaggeration, like Whit said. The difference is seriousness versus silliness in the skit is perfect. I really enjoyed the progression of the skit and how they incorporated Bruno Mars. Overall, I agree with Whit, and I think this sketch accomplished everything it set out to.
As an Aziz Ansari in Parks and Recreation fan, I totally relate to enjoying his type of humor and him in general as a person. This clip was not my favorite of his though! I do agree that it is an interesting outlook on marriage and I like the points he makes, but this does not scream funny to me. Stand-up is a genre of comedy that is either a hit or miss with me. When I'm in the right mood, around the right people, and in the right environment stand-up is something I really enjoy, otherwise it just doesn't hit my funny bone, if you will. I think Charlotte makes good points about Ansari's approach in this clip, but I just didn't find this one funny as much as it was a creative way to look at an old idea.
As I watched the clip from Nick's blog post, (I watched the thing in it's entirety) I realized that John Oliver's entire point was to rile people up and piss people off. He even mentioned how someone might be infuriated about a clip he put in the show. I don't enjoy this kind of entertainment, but I understand why it works. I think if I was more invested in the NCAA I definitely would have found myself getting angry about the content, just like Oliver wants. He makes a good argument throughout with his use of statistics and first hand accounts. Personally, I try to avoid watching inherently angry clips like this; it makes me anxious. Most of Oliver's jokes worked and I did enjoy the beginning of the clip and a few of the jokes throughout, but like I said, this clip had few purposes other than inciting anger in the viewer. John Oliver himself spoke with anger. I'm not trying to say this is necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely isn't for me.
This clip from The Office made me laugh out loud in the library, y'all.
I think Parker has good insight into why people think tv shows like The Office (and as he mentioned, Friends) are popular today. While I totally agree with his statement that it adds to the effect of a certain clip when the viewer has connection to the characters, the clip he picked didn't need that. I can confidently make that statement because while I have seen a few episodes of The Office I would definitely embarrass myself trying to identify the characters and their personality traits. I see the humor in the clip similarly to Parker as I like how they are making light out of a serious situation. I would have mentioned the dry humor here, unlike some clips we have watched in class that are a different genre of comedy, this is scripted and dry. This type of humor works because characters are taking themselves seriously while representing ridiculous situations. I appreciate this kind of sarcastic humor. Parker's post definitely appealed to my personal sense of humor!
While reading Hutchenson's criticism of Hobbes, a point that Hutchenson made stood out to me. He says, "If Mr. Hobbes be just, then, first there can be no laughter on any occasion where we machine comparison of ourselves to others, or of our present state to a worse state, or where we do not observe some superiority of ourselves above some other thing: and again, it must follow, that every sudden appearance of superiority over another must excite laughter, when we attend to it. If both these conclusions be false, the notion from whence they are drawn must be so too." (Reflections Upon Laughter 104) I really like the point Hutchenson makes here against Hobbes' theories about laughter and what people think is funny. Breaking down the paragraph, which I had to do to absorb most of the article, showed Hutchenson's skepticism of Hobbes superiority theory. He is basically saying that the theory of superiority is too broad, and at each instance where superiority is present aren't inherently funny (a point that Hobbes doesn't address). Also, he discounts the need for superiority in order for something to be funny.
On the other hand, all three theories intertwine immensely from my experience. It is incongruous to relieve someone from superiority. Now, that statement is a stretch, but my point is this: it is ridiculously hard to determine the reason someone is laughing at any given situation, and all of these theories are representative of types of things that are funny and they interconnect. I think without the interconnectivity of the theories, comedy wouldn't flow the way it does in the genre. My sense of humor relies on the relationship between these theories.
I've been thinking a lot about how important it is in sketch show comedy, especially today, for there to be reference to pop culture. I've found in the clips I've watched that I find it most funny when I understand the allusions because that's the reason they're there. It brings the audience in with familiarity and makes someone want to click on the clip when they see a celebrity they like in the sketch. This is slightly off-topic, but it goes along with the video below for sure.
My attention span doesn't extend much further than that of the average five-year-old, so I am always looking for quick ways to entertain myself between activities. Generally, these small entertainment opportunities involve using my phone. For these little breaks I almost always turn to Vine. I spend more time watching six second clips than I do most things on my phone for the sole reason that I think Vine is a clever and hilarious creative outlet. Basically a vine involves a user recording themselves or their environment for six seconds and no longer. People have gotten really into making vines and they get more and more hilarious the more you watch.
Vine is funny because it has all of the aspects of comedy in one place. There are people falling, people making clever jokes (my favorite form of comedy), and people making fun of other people or things, dog humor, baby humor, etc. The thing I really like about Vine as a social media is that it feels like everyone has the opportunity to post whatever they want. Everyone that uses the app has found super creative ways to use the format and it's hilarious. I also like Vine because there is new content everyday, and keeping things fresh and new humor in the mix definitely makes the app more funny. I think everyones sense of humor is represented on the app. Vine is significant to me because it is a good outlet for creativity and as much as I enjoy watching them and making them I think its a funny way to connect and see people with the same sense of humor as you.
I have several favorite vines and viners, but one of my favorites is linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFkVhcSOwwE
