Comedy

[Martha Ferris]

This topic has probably been discussed before but I am new here and would like to ask about how those here view/react to comedy. I have been thinking about my reaction to comedy or the lack thereof for days and would like some input.
I watch Youtube at night before I settle down to sleep. Lately I have been watching comedians. A lot of comedians. I find very few of them consistency amusing if at all. People in the audience are laughing hysterically at nearly every joke while I am like "Ok, why are they laughing so hard or even at all?" Sometimes I smile but rarely do I burst out laughing. It doesn't matter which venue the comedian is performing on. Even when I watch AGT or BGT and the judges are laughing as is the audience I am left wondering why.
I think I have a sense of humor. There have been times I have laughed so hard and for so long at a joke I thought I would literally die laughing. I could not catch my breath but those times are few and far between. Is this just me or can others here relate?

 

[Skittlebisquit]

I can relate. I crave comedy but often find it amusing. I find I need an appetizer so I watch cat videos or stupid humans behaving badly and that sometimes warms me up to it.

 

[Magna]

I can relate 100%, Martha. I've often said I'd be a comedian's worst nightmare if I was in a live audience because I would be stone-faced most of the time. I can recognize that a joke is "funny", but for me there are different levels of response. For me "funny" doesn't automatically equal "laugh" like it seems to with a lot of people.

I think there's a herd mentality in live shows. If most people are surrounded by others who are laughing, they probably laugh almost subconsciously as a reaction?

Like you, I know I have a sense of humor. Thankfully I make my wife laugh fairly often and I feel I can appreciate humor. There are times when I laugh very hard at comedy, but it's rare.

I'll never laugh at something unless I truly think it's funny.

 

[Bort]

I'm similar. I never really cared for stand-up comedians. I much prefer a comedy movie/TV show. Even a comedy movie/TV show won't make me laugh all the time, but I can still find it entertaining and funny and I will smile at some parts or make a low "ha" sound.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Comedy seems so idiosyncratic in what one finds funny. I rarely got a lot out of standup, but enjoyed going to Second City in Chicago for their improv, though never liked the Capitol Steps.

I guess I enjoy the comedic where people's relationship with the world goes off kilter, like The Invention of Lying, Shaun of the Dead, After Life, or most of Wallace and Gromit. The comedic TV that I enjoyed started with the Ernie Kovacs Show. Who can forget Percy Dovetonsils or The Nairobi Trio? Then in the late 70's when I was probably mentally ill, my lifesaver was The Muppet Show that I would enjoy at home when others my age were out finding relationships and hooking up. It cheered me up with its gentle silliness during a very dark time in my life.

 

[LadyS]

I really dislike most modern stand up comedy, especially with a lot of vulgarity. Modern comedy mostly just forces it. I much prefer the old school golden Era of humor and slapstick comedy (Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Don Rickles, Milton Berle, etc) with the quick wit and when they were allowed to drink and smoke onscreen. Also one of the reasons I like Graham Norton's show. American talk shows are too pretentious and mostly about the host instead of the guests.

 

[Rasputin]

This topic has probably been discussed before but I am new here and would like to ask about how those here view/react to comedy. I have been thinking about my reaction to comedy or the lack thereof for days and would like some input.
I watch Youtube at night before I settle down to sleep. Lately I have been watching comedians. A lot of comedians. I find very few of them consistency amusing if at all. People in the audience are laughing hysterically at nearly every joke while I am like "Ok, why are they laughing so hard or even at all?" Sometimes I smile but rarely do I burst out laughing. It doesn't matter which venue the comedian is performing on. Even when I watch AGT or BGT and the judges are laughing as is the audience I am left wondering why.
I think I have a sense of humor. There have been times I have laughed so hard and for so long at a joke I thought I would literally die laughing. I could not catch my breath but those times are few and far between. Is this just me or can others here relate?

Yes I relate. Many times I don’t understand the humor, and even if it is explained I do not see the humor. I have gotten used to this.

 

[Tom]

I often try to be comedic on this forum. To lighten the atmosphere for myself and others. I think it is a coping strategy mostly so as not to sink into depression. But talk about a tough crowd!

 

[Judge]

Good post @Martha Ferris.

In a nutshell, no- it isn't just you. I'm very selective about much of anything that makes me laugh out loud.

Though it does come in handy when I'm looking for a greeting card to send to a loved one for their birthday. It's those cards that bring out a chuckle that get purchased. The ones that evoke only a grin remain on the rack.

Comedians over the years who can keep me laughing? Fewer than the fingers on one hand in my case.

 

[Gerontius]

I like comedy but dislike a lot of standup because it targets people.

We all have healthy senses of humor.

 

[Progster]

Same here. Stand up comedy is just not my 'thing.' It may be funny for the first 5 minutes, but after the 20th punchline it's just not funny anymore. I've become desensitized to it, or suffer from a kind of joke overload, not sure what's really going on. I don't take it in any more and I switch off. And that's assuming I get the humour, which often I don't, because I don't keep up to date with pop culture and don't get reference jokes.

Also, I don't like the kind of stand-up that mocks minorities or vulnerable people or is based on stereotypes. Not my kind of humour. EDIT I wrote this, but not sure how true it is - it depends on the context and situation, and the way it's done.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Comedy is much like video games, music and TV/film for me - whilst I enjoy it, I dislike most of it. On Youtube especially I get links from friends for videos with millions of views and I don't laugh once. In fact I find it quite frustrating when I see most people trying to be funny. The jokes I see at work have people laughing, and they're so frustrating to listen to, I often wish I had the balls to tell them to shut up, or just to smash my head against my keyboard in protest to the BS I hear every day.

Dark humour tends to be what I enjoy. Comedians with a jaded view of the world, or who live with, or have had previous substance abuse or mental health issues. They "get it" and they're able to translate their struggles into jaded humour. I hide a lot of my issues and opinions behind humour in real life. I think people find it easier to digest if a genuine struggle, or unpopular opinion is veiled behind humour.

Awkward comedy is another great thing in my opinion. A lot of UK and US comedy shows have perfected the art of portraying situations where things are said or done which leave a palpable, awkward atmosphere. I find that gives me a buzz, not only when watching it on screen, but when I witness it in real life. I can feel that energy in the atmosphere when something awkward happens, it gives me a rush.

Laughing or joking inaproppriately is another one. I'm of the opinion that no joke is, or should be considered offensive. Unfortunately, I know that in this day and age that isn't an opinion shared by a lot of caustic individuals who are only too eager to leap on, and attack views that don't fall in line with their own. I'm not a fighter, and often lack the courage or conviction to speak my mind, so I tend to hide my real sense of humour from most people, as I know they wouldn't appreciate it. When I do find someone who has a similar sense of humour though - that's always a strong foundation for a good friendship.

Schadenfreude is another. Ahh - nothing quite like that one. Saw a guy crash a brand new motorbike in a supermarket car park the other day, because he was driving like an idiot. As soon as it happened I felt the laughter erupt, but I had to bottle it up, and I ended up looking and sounding like I was having a stroke. Even better, when he got the bike back up again - it wouldn't start. I feel defective getting so much pleasure from other people's misfortune.

A few of my all time favourite stand up comedians who I never tire of re-watching (and where to find them):

Doug Stanhope (3 specials on Amazon Prime)
Tom Segura (4 specials on Netflix)
Louis CK (3 specials on Netflix)
Later works by George Carlin (several on Daily Motion)
Jim Jefferies (4 specials on Netflix)
Bill Burr (4 specials on Netflix)
Mark Marin (3 specials on Nexflix)

Last 2 aren't such dark comedy, but still very good:

Jim Gaffigan (5 specials on Netflix)
Bert Kreischer (3 specials on Netflix)

Ed

 

[Bolletje]

We all have our own tastes. I’ve previously found I don’t like most mainstream comedy. Sometimes I don’t get the jokes, but most of the time I get the jokes, I just don’t find them funny. Many stand-up comedians get on my nerves as well.

I have a pretty dark sense of humor, and I can appreciate that in a comedian as well. I don’t mind jokes about sensitive topics either, as long as it’s funny. I think a lot of aspiring (and quite a few accomplished) comedians underestimate how hard it is to toe the line between offensive but funny, or just offensive. I can have a guilty laugh at a possibly offensive joke if it’s genuinely funny to me, but for me the jokes often fall flat and then it just feels like someone yelling taboo things for laughs.

 

[Tom]

I'm a little embarassed about some of my own preferences in humor. I dislike the gross, crude or adult types. Most sitcoms do not seem funny. Perhaps because they do not depict situations I find myself in or can relate to.

What does tickle my funny bone is offbeat, slapstick or absurb humor and also types that poke fun at the human condition.

 

[Crossbreed]

So much comedy relies on social convention (like politics), which is not our strong suit. (Sarcasm would be a good example.)

Word play, OTOH, is very objective and very entertaining (for me). (Puns reign supreme! )

 

[1ForAll]

The only persons I ever thought were funny were Lucille Ball on the I Love Lucy show, and John Ritter. on Three's Company. I laughed hard at nearly every funny word, gesture, posture and expression coming from those two characters. To me, they were brilliant at humor, presentation and delivery. All the comedy others, I would roll my eyes and say to myself, "I do not get it." It's not that I did not understand what they said, but I needed things presented in a believable, perfect and precise funny way.

 

[LadyS]

The only persons I ever thought were funny were Lucille Ball on the I Love Lucy show, and John Ritter. on Three's Company. I laughed hard at nearly every funny word, gesture, posture and expression coming from those two characters. To me, they were brilliant at humor, presentation and delivery. All the comedy others, I would roll my eyes and say to myself, "I do not get it." It's not that I did not understand what they said, but I needed things presented in a believable, perfect and precise funny way,

Huge Lucille Ball fan here! I Love Lucy will always be a favorite and never gets old.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Huge Lucille Ball fan here! I Love Lucy will always be a favorite and never gets old.

Not only was she a great comedienne, she had skills that made her a great producer and television innovator. Plus, who doesn't like the Long, Long Trailer?

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

Laughing is part of social communication. No mystery we may not laugh at the same times as an NT. My problem is laughing at inappropriate times. I go into a car dealer and a salesman tells me the salesman I was working with was burned in a vaping incident. I instinctively laughed before asking or giving any thought to whether he had serious injuries (I felt like crawling under one of the cars ). Once during a collage class, I was suddenly stuck by how inane the material we were learning was. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to contain my laughter. This went on for maybe 10 minutes. No one noticed my struggle AFAIK.

 

[Fino]

It's a very strange phenomenon, but when you're physically present at a comedy show, it's ridiculously more funny. I assume it has much to do with the group setting. I've exhausted myself laughing at shows but I rarely laugh at things through the screen.