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I've heard a lot of debates as to what exactly is humor/comedy. Some people talk about the timing of what makes things funny or the presentation. Some talk about expectation subversion or exaggeration. But no one seems to be fully in agreement about what humor is or what makes things funny. The fact of the matter is none of them are wrong... and none of them are right.
How They're Right:
If you say that a joke must be well timed and well presented to be funny... you're absolutely right. While there are different things that make good comedians funny, most of them have learned comedic timing and have it down to a science or to instinct. They can present their jokes and their skits humorously leaving just enough time in between each joke, and say every line with just the right inflection to make you laugh. Likewise if you say exaggeration is funny... you're also correct, at least some of the time. Overreactions whether in cartoons, or sometimes even in real life are hilarious. That's part of why so many people find big youtubers like JackSepticEye and Markiplier humorous. Of course similar things can be said about each of the above mentioned topics. Everyone who has said that "blank is what makes humor funny." Is completely right in some regard.
How They're Wrong:
This is about the point where I expect some of you reading are like "blank mentioned thing has never been funny to me, so you're wrong." And that is the exact reason everyone who says these things are what make humor funny are incorrect. Not EVERYONE finds any of the above funny. There are of course the sorts of things that MOST people find humorous... but there's always something more. Of course there's plenty of evidence to suggest that certain things are usually funny. But then you have things like knock knock jokes and the casual pun at the sound of which half the listeners groan and the other half giggle. None of the things that supposedly make up humor are consistently and objectively humorous. No two think all the same things are funny, and some people find none of the same things funny even if they still find other things humorous. So then... while all the things people say about what makes humor funny are sometimes and perhaps even usually right... they're also wrong. The statements "humor is this," "humor is that," have a way of limiting our perception and thereby make themselves inaccurate.
So Then... What IS Humor?
Humor is... anything. Humor is whatever makes a person laugh or feel humorously entertained. While it is clearly a horrible sense of humor, a psychopath may find the way a dead body is sprawled on the floor humorous. To them it IS humor. Again... it is obviously very bad humor but it is humor none the less. Likewise puns are humor when they make someone laugh. But they're just kind of dumb if they don't. Humor/comedy is literally anything you find humorous or comedic. You think someone kicking a baby is comedic? ( I see you out there southpark fans). You may be an asshole but you aren't wrong in thinking that. Whether or not you're IN the wrong and ought to be appalled by such actions... you aren't incorrect in calling it humor if you think that it's funny.
Humor is what makes us laugh. Some forms of humor are far more wholesome than others but they're all in a sense humor. Large groups of people may share an opinion about one type of humor being funnier than others but common agreements do not define absolutes. Humor is a subjective, when people say "I don't care who you are that's funny." They are both acknowledging that humor is a subjective matter that not everyone can agree upon, and at the same time stating that a certain thing is objectively humorous as the exception to the rule.
Closing Thoughts
I realize that a lot of the people who ask "how can I be funny?" Or "what makes something funny/comedic?" I have failed to give you what you're looking for. If your goal is have people laugh at your jokes and think you're funny, obviously this didn't help. If you want to learn that, look at those comedians people recognize as really funny comedians. It's not hard to find advice on that sort of thing. My guess is that just asking on GaG you'll get plenty of responses for that sort of question. I merely wanted to adress the topic as I see it. Not for the sake of "I have a better understanding of comedy that blank person" I just wanted to share my perspective on things. I feel like so many people see humor as some sort of objective mess to sift through and figure out rather than realizing that... the reason it's so messy is because it's not solid. It's a bunch of moving parts that are constantly changing from person to person, time to time, culture to culture. There will never be ONE thing that is just ALWAYS funny to everyone everywhere, and likewise I doubt that there's ever going to be something that at least ONE person would not find somewhat humorous. Please feel free to share your thoughts as well.
x3 I don't actually hate you but you know... it was too good to pass up.
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