why don't most Americans have a sense of humor?

Question

i posted a question on here that was a joke about england revoking the us right to be independent and the yanks were up in arms. i even said it was a joke at the begining some thought it was funny others had a right go.
cant americans see the funny side of things. how the hell do yanks get monty python and the office and programmes like that. terry

Answer 1

Hard not to laugh with Bush as our president. If that in itself isn't the longest joke in history, nothing is.

The Office is hysterical, although I've only seen the American version, and anything that pokes fun at religion (Monty Python) has to be okay.

Answer 2

I think americans do have a sense of humour but at the same time they can take certain issues too seriously, to some americans making jokes about their constitution and Jesus is a big offence and dare you make such jokes in the deep south they will come after you with guns....no joking now...as a brit Im sure you are aware of the program 'top gear'. In one episode those 3 guys went to america and scribled stuff on their car like 'I support homos' or something and when they drove through a small town some where in the southern states they got chased by armed red necks in cars - serious. LOL.

Americans are not humourless they just take some issues very seriously.

Answer 3

Humor's subjective. You said it yourself: "How the Hell do yanks get Monty Python and The Office...?" Some do. Some don't. For example, I thought Borat was one of the stupidest damned wastes of film ever produced. Apparently, I'm alone on that.

I'm also sorry to report that there are many members of the world IN GENERAL that only listen to statements for offensive value. You tell them a blonde joke, they start looking around for blondes--and if they see one, they ask: "How do you think that made her feel?" Tell them a black joke and they'll look around for black people. Same deal.

Some people just need to loosten up, that's all. We're starting to take ourselves way too seriously the world over.

Answer 4

Americans tend to get humor from Monty Python for different reasons. Maybe the way you worded it was kind of mean-spirited, which is something Americans will pick up on and immediately counterattack, even if your statement was true.

If you want to do a experiment on the differences of American humor and British humor, look at the two versions (UK and US) of the office itself. The US version tends to have more happier endings and more positive lights. The UK version tends to be pretty negative and hostile and degrade each other, but in the end, they accept it as words and move on with their life.

Answer 5

A lot of Americans have a sense of humor. However, most Americans feel strongly about their liberty, and "jokes" about revoking it might hit some sore spots with people. Sometimes things that some people find funny others find insensitive. It's usually nothing worth getting worked up over.

Answer 6

I have a sense of humor. However, many of us Yanks as you call us just dont get British humor. I get most of it. Sometimes
I dont understand British slang though. And yes I too am I Python fan, along with Red Dwarf, Benny Hill and anything else I can watch. Now I must look up your posted question and see if its funny or not.

Answer 7

We do have a sense of humor.....but here's the thing, we take care of most of the world problems....so when we get slammed by you or any other country we get a little testy...Its okay if we make fun of ourselves but no one else has earned the right , when another country steps up to the plate and takes the bat first, instead of following behind us , I don't think we will be so on guard at jokes made about us......we are a proud people and are treated like trash.....So the next time you want to make fun of us .....EARN THE RIGHT!
You Brits haven't yet!

Answer 8

I have lived in England and Canada and visited the US.
The sense of humor in America is quite different from the British Isles and humor does vary from culture to culture.
You need to spend time and get educated in a culture before you can understand the humor.

You seem to use plays on words and puns far more than they do in America. For example 30 years back I liked " Doctor In The House ". On one scene the student is going to do his first disection of a body and he has a nevous grin on his face. The grouchy old professor comes up and says " Get on with it boy! Quit grinning over the body like Sweeny Todd!" Well if you didn't know the legend of Sweeny Todd, the demon barber of 17th century Fleet street who slaughtered his customes who were baked into meat pies then that humor is meaningless.

Reagrds,

Michael Kelly

Answer 9

I've seen a group on facebook about that that, yeah, did tick off a lot of Americans. I also saw a facebook group about annexing the UK as part of the US, that ticked off a lot of British people. So it goes both ways.

You also have to bear in mind the fact that there are differences between American and British humor. A lot of things Americans would find funny, you might not.

And, as someone above me said, you just might not have been funny.

Answer 10

That is so freakn true! Us commonwealth countries have that larickan part in us that we can laugh at ourselves.

I think its because americans are somewhat more aragant and egotistical than the rest of the world. There also somewhat more scarred about the world critisiing them. I mean, Osama Bin Laden critises USA, and look what happens!

Yanks are a weird bunch of people.....having said that, a good minority are still ok :P