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How is humour different
How is humour different
in the UK and Hong Kong?
in the UK and Hong Kong?
We interviewed people who live in England, Northern Ireland, and Hong Kong. It is not surprising that jokes can be like tea — sometimes we can have different tastes!
Scroll down to find out more about the top 4 categories of humour in the two cultures, so you can understand what you can be laughing — when someone is not.
Political Satire
Political Satire
The British like making fun of bad decisions of their government and politicians. Only when they are criticised and held accountable, a balance of power can be maintained!
Pranks and Tortures
Pranks and Tortures
Sometimes people in Hong Kong can laugh at others' misfortunes and sufferings. Punishments are common in reality shows. Some like to avoid as they think it can be a bit cruel to the person who suffers.
Wordplay
Wordplay
Humour is often demonstrated in the form of verbal communication. A witty twist of words can create amusing puns. Just listen carefully for the change of tones!
Bilingual Jokes
Bilingual Jokes
People in Hong Kong speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English, which is why they enjoy bilingual puns and jokes about the misunderstandings of languages.
Unexpected Surprises
Unexpected Surprises
When comedy is predictable people laugh as if they are robots. The Brits fancy bursting into tears without knowing in advance! Slapstick comedy and mimes are popular.
Pretend Play
Pretend Play
Comedians sometimes dress up as ugly people, or imitate the opposite sex. Arguments among men and women are commonly brought up in comedies and written jokes.
Self-deprecation
Self-deprecation
The British value diplomacy, so they do not make fun of people unless they know one another very well. In the northern parts of Ireland and England people find it hilarious when others make fun of themselves!
Offensive Language
Offensive Language
The use of certain curse words is rude, but sometimes considered laughable by Hongkongers. They can in fact reflect discontent for misfortunes. Such words are censored by the media.
Are there similarities of the humour of
Are there similarities of the humour of
the Brits and Hongkongers?
the Brits and Hongkongers?
Yes! We found that they can both find the following entertaining.
Quoting Memes and Inside Jokes
Quoting Memes and Inside Jokes
Funny quotes from TV shows, movies and Internet memes are referenced or imitated occasionally in conversations among the Brits. You can understand only when you are truly immersed in their culture!
Dirty Jokes
Dirty Jokes
People can find dirty jokes funny because they are typically sexual innuendos that are less obvious. It is a fun way for adults to laugh about adult life without being too descriptive, upfront or offensive. Dirty jokes are easy to slip in but sometimes NSFW (not safe for work), so make sure you crack people up without offending them!
Humour exist in different kinds of British media, such as movies, magazines, sketch comedy, and memes on social media. The content could range from political events to day-to-day incidents, taking the forms of sarcasm, wordplay, innuendo, etc.
Satire
Satire
Satire is typical in various British media. Except to give a good laugh, it is a way for people to vent their dissatisfaction with the politicians' performance or to express particular opinions on certain political events.
Social Ineptitude
Social Ineptitude
Embarrassment and social ineptitude could be a great source for comedy content. A lot of sketches are designed centred around a character with inability to do things properly. The absurdity and awkwardness in their behaviours, being presented in an everyday life setting, could be easily found relatable by the audience.
Embarrassment and social ineptitude could be a great source for comedy content. A lot of sketches are designed centred around a character with inability to do things properly. The absurdity and awkwardness in their behaviours, being presented in an everyday life setting, could be easily found relatable by the audience.
This is a scene from Mr Bean, a show where the protagonist is always attempting to solve various problems in his daily life only to drag himself into more trouble.
A classic sketch by Victoria Wood - portraying an old waitress who is neither capable of taking orders, remembering the menus nor carrying soups properly.
The IT Crowd
Puns and Wordplay
Puns and Wordplay
Puns could be embedded almost in jokes of any topics in any forms of media. It could be used in political jokes, sexual innuendos, anecdotes, etc. By using particular words with multiple meanings, puns could be an effective way to produce one-liners, such as those created by the stand-up comedian Gary Delaney.
"I went to buy a Christmas tree and the guy said 'are you putting it up yourself?' I said 'no I was thinking the living room."
"It's tradition in our family that we always have a Christmas jumper and then it's my job to talk them down."
Dark Humour
Dark Humour
Dark humour is a way of playing down subject matter that is usually seen as taboo or too painful or serious to discuss. It could be commonly seen in British TV shows.
Humour and Values
Humour and Values
Do you have the experience of watching a film in the cinema, or with someone who is different from your culture? In some scenes, the whole audience can burst into laughter hysterically. However, moviegoers of different age, gender, social and cultural backgrounds can laugh at vastly different jokes. It is always good to think before you tell a joke — would it be laughable in their culture?
In the following section, we will discuss the underlying values behind British humour.
Humbleness
Humbleness
Self-deprecating jokes are told in a way people put themselves down without having others feel bad about it. These kind of jokes are seen in other cultures as well but it can get depressing when overdone. It maybe popular as showing off is uncommon in British culture. Staying humble and being capable of making fun of oneself are seen as polite and funny.
Empathy
Empathy
Dark humour and pranks are not commonly fancied by our interviewees of different ages, and some referred them as 'bullying' and 'offensive'. They find it cruel to giggle over schadenfreude. However, if something unfortunate happens, which is mundanely relatable, people in the UK joke about it because they are likely to have suffered the same at some point of their lives.
Wit
Wit
A big part of British humour is the ability to think and react to ordinary conversations quickly (best with a straight face). This might explain why political cartoonists from the UK are so skilled with their creation of satires. With an unexpected reference to recent politics or day-to-day struggles, you can easily impress your guests and friends from the UK.
Inclusiveness
Inclusiveness
A play with language can also be a common British way to joke around. Puns can be understood by an audience of all ages and cultures, as long as they speak the English language, proficient or not. With an increasingly culturally diverse population, as well as tourists and immigrants of all cultures in the UK, witty shop-owners have transformed boring shop names into puns. Everyone can laugh about them.
Best Jokes
Best Jokes
It's time to laugh out loud!
We asked people from across UK to share with us their favourite jokes, memes and punchline of all time. We hope they will crack you up!
A special thank you to Dorothy, Ruth, David, Daniel, Lauren, Jonny, Diane, Gwen, Doug, Susie and Mark.
“Any cartoons political satire is my cup of tea. Juicy!”
“Any cartoons political satire is my cup of tea. Juicy!”
“Philippe Geluck Cartoons are hilarious.”
“Philippe Geluck Cartoons are hilarious.”
“Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains!”
“Pull yourself together!”
“Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains!”
“Pull yourself together!”
“People say having kids is the best thing in the world, but you only ever hear that from the victims.”
Abbie Murphy
A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The driver says, “Ugh! That’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen.”
A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The driver says, “Ugh! That’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen.”
The woman stalks off to the rear of the bus and sits down. She turns to the man sitting next to her and says, “The driver just insulted me!”
The woman stalks off to the rear of the bus and sits down. She turns to the man sitting next to her and says, “The driver just insulted me!”
The man says, “You go and give him a telling off. I’ll hold your monkey for you.”
The man says, “You go and give him a telling off. I’ll hold your monkey for you.”
“I regret rubbing ketchup in my eyes, but that’s Heinz sight.”
Nick Helm
“There was a man who entered a local paper’s pun contest.
He sent in ten different puns, in the hope that at least one of the puns would win. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.”
“There was a man who entered a local paper’s pun contest.
He sent in ten different puns, in the hope that at least one of the puns would win. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.”
“My mother-in-law fell down a wishing well, I was amazed, I never knew they worked.”
“Doctor, doctor, everyone keeps ignoring me!”
“Next please!”
“Doctor, doctor, everyone keeps ignoring me!”
“Next please!”
“Where can you always find a date?”
“A calendar.”
“I’m pleased to be getting a beer belly. I’ve always wanted a father figure.”
Cam Spence
“I’m pleased to be getting a beer belly. I’ve always wanted a father figure.”
Cam Spence
References
References
1890s - The Triple Alliance (UK). (2020). Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/wp-content/gallery/worldwar1/1890s-the-triple-alliance-uk.jpg
British Humour Explained (with examples). (2019). Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNFw1XcRu_E
British Top 50 Jokes of All Time. (2010). Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/entertainment-media/insights/entertainment-media-outlook.html
Friedman, S. (2011). The cultural currency of a ‘good’ sense of humour: British comedy and new forms of distinction. The British Journal Of Sociology, 62(2), 347-370. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2011.01368.x
How is British Humour Different?. (2016). Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://warringtononlineblog.com/2016/12/05/how-is-british-humour-different/
Is there such a thing as a national sense of humour?. (2017). Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://theconversation.com/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-national-sense-of-humour-76814
Jiang, T., Li, H., & Hou, Y. (2019). Cultural Differences in Humor Perception, Usage, and Implications. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 123. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00123
SENSE OF HUMOUR ACROSS THE WORLD: 6 COUNTRIES. (2020). Retrieved 10 May 2021, from http://www.blogangelio.ovh/sense-of-humour-across-the-world-6-countries/
Yue, X., Jiang, F., Lu, S., & Hiranandani, N. (2016). To Be or Not To Be Humorous? Cross Cultural Perspectives on Humor. Retrieved 10 May 2021, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01495/full
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