Like seriously? Even since the first man fell after slipping over a banana peel, everyone started laughing at him and it has been going on for decades. The meaner we speak of that particular person, the funnier it seems to the others. What do you really think?
2007-01-26 01:46:39 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Almost all jokes are made at the expense of others.
We laugh because it hurts, we feel their pain, and we laugh.
Sometimes we laugh because we don't want to hurt ourselves. Other times we laugh because we we want others to hurt.
Sad world we are in, but that seems to be the way it works.
2007-01-26 01:52:18 · answer #1 · answered by whatotherway 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Like, oh my god, ok. How the hell do you start a serious post off with "Like seriously" That in and of itself is funny, not really at your expense...ok, at your expense, but ok, for real now.
I think it is funny that there are jokes about black people eating watermelon all the time, but I also think it is funny that black people think all white boys are lacking in a particular department. I think the joke "what do you call 2 mexicans in a box?" - a pair of loafers is really funny. Is this at the expense of any particular person?
Is this really about jokes being about a person, or is this post about you getting made fun of all the time. See, there is a big huge difference between ragging on someone directly and telling jokes. Jokes are funny because they are generalizations, that a majority of people have experienced. Otherwise, they would not be funny, because people could not relate. There are other jokes, that you tell with people that you are close to, that no other group of people would find funny, but again, there is an audience. Sitting around bashing someone, because 30 people are laughing, are not generalizations or inside jokes, it is something that you should whooooop there asses for, and shut their pie holes up.
I suspect this is the issue, not jokes that Eddie Murphy, Jeff Foxworthy or Carlos Mencia tell.
2007-01-30 21:15:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's okay when it's meant just as a good-natured laugh to let off the tension. Another question just reminded me about work, we often laugh at eachother when we mess up, however we all do it, usually the person messing up laughs as hard as the rest and there isn't any one person who's always the one getting laughed at... we know each other well enough to know it's just good fun. However it can also be painful and hurt getting laughed at... I don't think it's funny when people are getting really hurt either or break something expensive or whatever. Often the 'funniest home video's' are just stupid or sad. It can be a fine line, and also depends very much on the person(s) you're laughing at and with!
2007-01-28 01:44:02 · answer #3 · answered by Sheriam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like it or not, people do laugh at other people. The only thing that makes that acceptable is whether or not those laughing people would laugh at themselves in the same situation.
However, jokes that are demeaning and distasteful usually aren't funny, nor considered as jokes, to the more enlightened thinker.
It all comes down to the individual sense of humor and that covers a broad spectrum.
.Personally I know so many jokes that are not made at the expense of anyone and really, God gave us humor and laughter as a good thing so in essense, no jokes are not all at the expense of others.
It is a matter of crossing the line between humor and abuse.
2007-02-02 20:19:59 · answer #4 · answered by truthckr 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's never a good idea to make someone the but of the joke. It's much better to laugh "with" the person, than "at" them. If, for example, a man slipped on a banana peel and laughed at his own mistake, then we could show our support by laughing with him....not at him.
2007-01-31 05:02:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Germans have a word, "schadenfreude," which describes a feeling of pleasure arising from observing the pain of another. It is a strong element of certain types of humor.
A bit of the "better you than me" might come into it.
Another consideration is the comment Henri Bergson made about humor, that it has its source in "an expectation meeting a void."
We expect that the man walking along the street will continue to do just that without interruption. When he steps on the banana peel and slips, our expectation meets a void and we laugh.
2007-01-26 01:54:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Comedians seem to be more funnier to me when they are making jokes about themselves and their own life experiences. Although, yes, I couldn't help but laugh when my three year old insisted on going barefoot on the farm and accidental stepped in a fresh warm and steaming cow pile. She screamed so horribly, I turned around thinking she got bit by a snake or something, but no it was just a big pile of poop that got her.
2007-01-26 02:56:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Jokes are made to be funny. The funniest jokes I have heard come from the tellers personal experience. Tell a joke about something stupid you did, not what someone else did. Then, the joke, if it's good will be retold. See how it works. It wasn't made up at your expense, you started it.
2007-01-26 01:59:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Someone having an accident isn't funny. All jokes, however, are not pointless as many have a point they may be trying to make and should not personally target when doing so.
2007-01-26 01:56:59 · answer #9 · answered by GoodQuestion 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One man's pain, is another man's pleasure.
Making fun of others is the easiest way to make people laugh, but no one deserves that expense.
2007-02-02 17:56:42 · answer #10 · answered by sorrowlaughed25 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋