nori-chan 0 Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 How would you say is main difference between US and UK humor style? I must write something about it for a project and it is difficult! If you can help with ideas I am so happy. Thanks のり Link to post Share on other sites
Weegeoff 0 Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 The US have not got one Link to post Share on other sites
Stefan 0 Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Nori-chan Though it is easy to make sweeping generalisations about what Americans find funny and what the British find funny, I am going to anyway. In general it is sarcasm and self depreciation. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that America is unparralled in military, financial and cultural reach over the world! This translates into the fact that Americans find it hard to laugh at their own stupidity. While the British having once been an Imperial superpower, now feel impotent and laugh at there new found inferiority, or in some cases, are in a state of self denial. The crusty aristocratic Lords and MPs who still think there is a Great in Great Britain! On the other hand I find the following Americans funny: Richard Proir Eddie Murphy The Simpsons South Park Steve "I USED to be funny" Martin Bill Murray The Cohen Brothers Friends (eek) and many more that I can't think of now.... I think the underlying problem is that American humour translates in the British psyche, WE find THEM funny. But British humour seems to get lost in translation...THEY don't think WE are funny? Any takers? Link to post Share on other sites
Weegeoff 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 I have got to apologies to the US. Above, I said thay had no sense of humor.I made a mistake,Just over 50% have voted for Mr. Bush. that was a joke!!!! was,nt it Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 Americans generally dont understand surrealist humor. My nipples are ready. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 UK relies on sarcasm a lot much more than US. Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 I'm curious ~ where exactly are you getting your information from? I love the generalizations that come up here. Is there any chance at all that you've looked in to DVD rentals of the second season of 'The Office'? Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 Wasn't nori-chan asking for generalisations? Link to post Share on other sites
nori-chan 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Author Share Posted December 12, 2004 Thank you I would like to hear more opinion from US people also. Link to post Share on other sites
nori-chan 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Author Share Posted December 12, 2004 Quote: Wasn't nori-chan asking for generalisations? Yes I was! I think that is all that is possible on such question, right? Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 I'm not sure what you want to hear, but as a US citizen, I find 'British' humor funny as hell. I also find 'American' humor funny. Depends on the show and the circumstances. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 American contemporary humour perhaps derived from the in-your-face situational slapstick - chaplin, laurel & hardy, marx, stooges where witty/dumb remarks were to the fore, "One more time Alice and POW, right in the kisser" (Ha, Ha, Ha..) which further progressed into the development of the one-liner as the mainstay ie. standup comics, sitcom, romantic comedy etc .....! Brit stuff seems to have forgone the belly-achin' and kept the the stiff upper lip with a big fat wink. Lots of innuendo ( ..in your end you know...), sarcasm, dollops of righteousness with a never far away sense of self mockery. Of course many exceptions to both. Monty Python and it's ilk could never, ever have grown out of the states. "Farty Owls and Watery [censored]" as much as "Kin folk said,Jed move away from there, Californy is the place ya orta be, so they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly, Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars." could never have come out of britain. And now I'm having another sake chaser before the red run outs. Link to post Share on other sites
jstepp 0 Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 I happen to love Monty Python, in fact all of my male friends are quite fond of them too. For some reason it doesnt mix well with the american women, no offense to any american women but your senses of humor are worse than a german's. As far as slapstick and one-liners, american pre-teens and teenagers tend to like those as I did when I was their age. I have noticed that along with age comes a greater need for sarcasm, I LOVE sarcastic, satirical comedies. I think the biggest difference in our humor is because of our histories and localities. I dont understand much of british comedy because their sarcasm and jokes relate to things that are from BRITISH past, people and events that americans do not know about in the first place and same goes for them. However there are general sarcastic things that both of us can relate too. Such as jobs, family life, etc. But once they start joking about specifics such as an event that happened in a certain area of GB, or the mocking of a local british celebrity, you lost us there unless we KNOW what or who it is. If we know the root of your sarcasm we will laugh and be merry along with you, is what I am trying to say. And that goes for anybody of course. I just got sidetracked and forgot what I else I was going to say. Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Snobee- you don't think Python could have come out of the US? Well, you may be right. It's doing a banging business over here 20 years later though. 'The Office' is also one of the top rentals here. I guess I just never thought about it. Stuff is funny. If I find it that way, I don't even think about the nationality. It just makes me laugh. A lot of you are really obsessed with nationality. Who frickin' cares? Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Plucky - I think Python has always had a substantial "cult" following in North Am. Many fans of the absurd abound. Re nationalities - I think you're right in the bigger sense - who cares who made what. Just, it's interesting that when Fawlty Towers astute daftness was reigning supreme in Britain (and other places) in the 70's, America's top offering was Happy Days - funny bits, but as dis-similar to Cleesean Thought that one could imagine. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 But the most subversive and surreal Python, the animator Terry Gilliam, is American.... The Python's satirised various figures in UK life who aren't prevelant in the USA. Public school civil servants, accountants, army majors, etc. You get great American satire too, but they just have different targets. "This is Spinal Tap" would be a fine example. When making a case for UK Comedy, most people tend to focus on shows like Fawlty Towers and the Office. Unfortunately, stuff that's that good is the exception rather than the rule. Most mainstream UK comedy (Jim Davidson etc) is shite. Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by Mr Wiggles: But the most subversive and surreal Python, the animator Terry Gilliam, is American.... Shhhhh, it's a secret snobee - I was never a huge fan of Happy Days, but last year they started replaying it. Man, that show had some moments! I actually enjoyed watching it. They were seriously a bit ahead of thier times in some situations. Anyway, I've bought the first 3 seasons of Seinfeld and that is keeping me busy. I watched the second season of 'the office' two weeks ago stoned out of my gord. Watched it sober also. My friend who I was staying with in Portland didn't even know it was from GB. Loved it. Link to post Share on other sites
Weegeoff 0 Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Most of the best British comedians are now dead.Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Morcame & Wise the list go,s on and on They could make you laugh and not have to swear. Not like the modern ones which say f**k and then stand back to wait for the applause. Don,t forget the great Bob Hope was English along with Stan Laurel I must be one of the few people how did not find Fawlty Towers or The office funny. To my mind John Kleese is not funny and overrated.The Python show was a pinch off the Goons. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 You sound like a right old codger! I can just imagine you sitting there with a pipe in your mouth, slippers and smoking jacket on in front of the fire, dictating your complaints to your butler to type into the 'writing machine thing.' Link to post Share on other sites
Weegeoff 0 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Bobby12 Sorry I don,t smoke {do drink}No butler. BUT I have got the slippers Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Again don't matter where it's from, but - if it's funny it's funny. Cringeworthy crap stuff from everywhere. Oh to be vague. I'm feeling more than a little Vague this morning. Hai. One guy I have heard about from the UK - Johnny Vegas (?). I just don't get what he's going on about at all, Link to post Share on other sites
nori-chan 0 Posted December 15, 2004 Author Share Posted December 15, 2004 Thank you for your informations and ideas. I will try to find out more about some of them in Japanese also. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Nori - A few years ago some researchers wrote a short paper on the style of joke that is most popular in a a few different countries. They were quite diverse and distinct with the popular style of joke in each country but damned if I can find the articles nor remember much of it. I found this one on the interent for you. I think it may be related to the article that I read http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/10/03/joke.sampler/ http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/10/03/joke.funniest/index.html Quote: People from the Republic of Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand most enjoyed jokes involving word plays. Many European countries, such as France, Denmark and Belgium, displayed a penchant for off-beat surreal humour, while Americans and Canadians preferred jokes where there was a strong sense of superiority -- either because a character looks stupid or is made to look stupid by someone else. Europeans also enjoyed jokes that involved making light of topics that make people feel anxious, such as death, illness and marriage. Wiseman said: "These results are really interesting. It suggests that people from different parts of the world have fundamentally different senses of humour. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 http://www.laughlab.co.uk/summary.html Link to post Share on other sites
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