How many babies does it take to paint a wall red? One, you just have to throw it really hard.
Humor is defined as the ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny. The joke that you first read in the beginning may be amusing to some people while shocking or offensive to others. Humor occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern (the joke) that surprises it and that recognition is then followed by the humorous response, laughter. But, shock can only take us so far.
“I would say being a comedian is like being homeless with appointments,” says English teacher and professional comedian Chris Voth. “It’s like making a speech in which the audience has a part to play and you’re hoping they remember their lines.”
In other words, the punchlines of a joke is not what makes it funny. Instead it’s about the “kick of the discovery,” thinking one way and then suddenly turning that thinking around. Shock and surprise are needed for that turn, but there must be an end point too. The reason dead baby jokes are so unappealing is that the same thing providing the shock also leaves us with some unfortunate imagery once the joke is over.
“People find insulting or vulgar things funny because we’ve been put in a society that has grown number to those kinds of things as well as the idea of a taboo subject giving almost a sense of rebellion and fun,” said Senior Malachi Blaszkowski.
The problem with viewing humor as a psychological process, rather than following a strict formula of shock or surprise, is that the analysis falls into a gray area.
What is a joke, really? That’s hard to answer, but that’s also the point. Ask a hundred scientists to define humor, and each will have a different response because the answer is in our heads and varies with each person and it’s forever changing.
“Humor has changed like tattoos have.They are popular at the beginning but as time goes by, trends end up changing.” said Sophomore Saul Flores.Whatever causes our brain confusion or conflict is likely to make us laugh.
“When I first started as a comedian punchline jokes were popular, then there was more social commentary and then we moved to the part where someone tells a personal anecdote and then conflates it into an idea about society,” says Voth.
And we all laugh at different things because we each have different thresholds for what leads to confusion, and what offends us deeply.
“Humor has changed (in my opinion) astronomically throughout generations. The older generations engaged in lighthearted humor, never joking about things that were considered cruel/unnatural as that was socially unacceptable and they would have been viewed very differently by their peers/counterparts,” said Junior Jaren Lopez. “While the current generations (our generation and younger) find it not only socially acceptable but also encourage joking about things that really shouldn’t be joked about, to be blunt.”
So what your grandmother would find amusing could be very different from what you find amusing. The reason for the generation gap in humor is that as we age we go through a variety of different physical and emotional setbacks, which alter what we perceive as humorous.
“My parents and grandparents wouldn't think most of the stuff I think is funny because of how traditional they grew up compared to how I grew up with the internet and in the generation of change where you're required to adapt.” said Junior Mimi Sawaked.
The individual is of prime importance in determining what they find amusing, bringing memories, associations, character, their tendency to recognize patterns and their ability to comprehend to the equation. Fall is here, which means we have to tread carefully when the opportunity arises itself to make a joke some wouldn’t deem appropriate at the Thanksgiving table.
