Why do Americans look puzzled when it comes to the British sense of humour?

Answer 1

I think because so many American humourists and comedians are "in your face" and British humour requires more brain work or is understated. I get ar*sed when they say British humour is "dry." Dry my bum, it is because American humour is soaked like badly soiled knickers.
Charles "That Cheeky Lad"

Answer 2

I usually love British humor, but I get lost if I can't hear what's being said. In my case, hearing problems (thanks to working in radio and a nice little accident when I was a child) can make it a bit difficult if something isn't visual and I miss something because I turned the wrong ear to the TV. That made it obvious to me that one is based on audio, the other on video. You have to hear what's being said for British humor, and see what's being done for American humor.

Also, in a country where there are so many ethnic groups with different standards of what's funny, slapstick works best and translates better than verbal humor, which works better when everyone is from the same cultural background. Old silent films are a great example.

Answer 3

Well, I have to admit that when I have tried to watch some of the American sit-coms on TV, I have probably had a similar puzzled look on my face!

I imagine that we just have a different taste in humour. I prefer puns and play on words - I would suggest that Americans appear to prefer the knock-knock type jokes, provided they are not too subtle.

Like most other things, it's a way of thinking, and while the Americans believe that they speak English.............?

Answer 4

It boils down to the fact we use language in different ways. They don't have a history of hundreds of years of double meanings behind nearly every word we use. To them most words are no deeper than what they read in a dictionary. To us they are so much more. I remember a well respected actor who was an Anglophile singing a Music Hall (Vaudeville) song, the punch line was Bristol City. He completely missed the point of that because he didn't know that Bristol City was rhyming slang for t*tties. Much of our humour depends on people knowing these things.

I like American sitcoms, they make me laugh but the language used is less complicated and more innocent. I'm not saying they aren't intelligent or that they don't put things in fresh humours ways. But you can tell the scripts have been writen by English Majors. Sentences are never ended with prepostions for one, when in Britain everybody does it, its only the grammer freaks (a small minority) who goes nuts when that happens. Why because English is a German off shoot and Latin grammer is impossed on top in an artifical way. Americans are more influence by Latin than we are, so they are more inclinded to use Latin grammer rules. And this takes away much of the humour in our language.

Answer 5

I find British humor quite funny. The only time I am puzzled is when the accent is so thick I can't understand what they are saying. An example is the little blonde secretary from the series Absolutely Fabulous, judging the audience reaction her lines were quite funny, but I could never understand a damned thing she said!

Answer 6

Americans and humour are far off from each other.In America every thing is valued in Dollars only.Sense of humour is God given quality that cannot be valued in dollars. British sense of humour is the highest in the world. That is why they are able to withstand their quixotic weather daily.

Answer 7

Speak the same language but have different cultures.
They are more aggressive and strait to the point.
English like to make you think before you laugh, and are more inventive with words. As for the Americans are for the actions and mimics. British jokes are the best.
Show the Americans the trigger happy, and they will cry

Answer 8

The same reason Americans look puzzled when it comes to anyone's sense of humour! I gotta coupla mates over here from California and they just don't get it. Ha sigh. Wot does one do? I"m starting to suspect it's a 'language' barrier.....

Answer 9

Any society (or a culture) is best understood through it's humour. It's mainly due to the fact that jokes and satire are based on its current issues and culture, which others may not be fully aware of or don't understand fully. Americans are no exception to the rule.

Answer 10

I was on a cruise on the British line Cunard's Queen Mary II.

The entertainment included jokes from British comedians. And guess what?

While I was LMAO, every American was staring pan faced trying to "get it."