There were 2 penguins in a bathtub. The first penguin said to the second penguin, "Can you pass the soap?" The second penguin replied with, "What do I look like? A typewriter?!" HAHAHAHAHA
Reading Chuck Klosterman's "Haha," he said. "Haha" made me realize that my parents have terrible senses of humor. My dad re-watches Everybody Loves Raymond, often on two channels at once, and nearly cries with laughter. His other favorite shows also listed in poor category on Klosterman's list, Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men. Now admittedly I have enjoyed these shows with him, but I definitely feel like most of the "hahaha"s come after a not so funny joke.
Even more evidence my dad has a poor sense of humor; my brother, a video editing guy and New Yorker, tries to introduce high comedies like The Office and Always Sunny. After an episode of Always Sunny my dad decided the show was not funny and didn't get any of it. Sort of like he needs the laughter to know what's funny.
On the opposite end of the spectrum my 5 year old niece has discovered canned laughter. In the article, Klosterman says he, as a child, thought his laugh track was a result of the actual audiences around the world laughing and that he was included. Not my Mia, she turned to her mom and said, "Mommy, the invisible people on Suite Life laugh so you know it's funny." It should be embarrassing to people to know that a 5 year old can call a multi-billion dollar industry's bluff.
To call on sociology, it appears that the media is socially constructing humor. That rather than choosing what we want to laugh at, we are conditioned to laugh after every joke not just the ones we find funny.
Wanna test it? My friends used to do this in high school. Tell the opening joke of this post to a small group of friends, explain to them that there is nothing funny about it, but to laugh hard whenever it's told. Then invite another friend to join the group and retell the bad joke. All of the group should laugh. Observe the new guy, does he laugh because everyone else is? Probably.
HAM
Ha once again lovely post, I liked the intro of the corny joke and how you tied it in down at the bottom, we actually did a experiment like that in our soc class in highschool. But yeah I think that it's interesting that even your neice can tell there's canned laughter. Also my dad also shares in the taste of having pretty lame shows, but I have to admit I watch them also. I gotta give him props though he really likes Futurama..not sure if that has a laugh track.
ReplyDelete