Why is violence funny?

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Kadarin

Originally posted by: Fritzo
It all started with The Three Stooges.

Did they come before or after Looney Tunes?

After in the DC area.

Well, they came around the early 1930's, so yeah.

Yet magically I somehow knew at age 6 that I couldn't take a pair of scissors to my brothers nose or tell him to pick 2 fingers for me to poke his eyes out with even though I would watch the Stooges do that at 5 PM every evening after Cap'n Tug was over and the Stooges came on.

This show was invaluable in self defense, because without this show, we wouldn't know to put our hand up the middle of our faces to block a double finger eye poke.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Kadarin

Originally posted by: Fritzo
It all started with The Three Stooges.

Did they come before or after Looney Tunes?

After in the DC area.

Well, they came around the early 1930's, so yeah.

I was refering to when I used to watch them on TV. Looney Tunes, Popeye, and Bullwinkle followed by the Stooges.

Yet magically I somehow knew at age 6 that I couldn't take a pair of scissors to my brothers nose or tell him to pick 2 fingers for me to poke his eyes out with even though I would watch the Stooges do that at 5 PM every evening after Cap'n Tug was over and the Stooges came on.

This show was invaluable in self defense, because without this show, we wouldn't know to put our hand up the middle of our faces to block a double finger eye poke.

But there is also the Moe two handed index fingers eye poke to overcome the Moe block.

 

[Crono]

It's not.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Kadarin

Originally posted by: Fritzo
It all started with The Three Stooges.

Did they come before or after Looney Tunes?

After in the DC area.

Well, they came around the early 1930's, so yeah.

I was refering to when I used to watch them on TV. Looney Tunes, Popeye, and Bullwinkle followed by the Stooges.

Yet magically I somehow knew at age 6 that I couldn't take a pair of scissors to my brothers nose or tell him to pick 2 fingers for me to poke his eyes out with even though I would watch the Stooges do that at 5 PM every evening after Cap'n Tug was over and the Stooges came on.

This show was invaluable in self defense, because without this show, we wouldn't know to put our hand up the middle of our faces to block a double finger eye poke.

But there is also the Moe two handed index fingers eye poke to overcome the Moe block.

Oh yeah...much like the H-Bomb, there is no defense against that.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: Crono
It's not.

Oh but it is, so long as other emotional factors can be quelled by an assurance that the person upon whom violence was inflicted came out of it largely OK. Violence is not only carried out by people on other people. A sudden violent gust of wind could blow something off a shelf and have it land comically upon someone's head. If they started crying in earnest it might not be funny, but if they hit the ground and got up a moment later, rubbing their head; I assure you their performance would be accompanied by gales of laughter by amused onlookers. Violence is, in fact, the easiest form of comedy that can be experienced. Other forms (like jokes) require more imagination. Often they still revolve around direct harm being done to an invented character, and they always involve misfortune of some sort.

 

[DVad3r]

Originally posted by: PlasmaBomb
A man falling over on ice isn't violence...

Yea, I"ve never laughed at stuff like that, ever.

But what is funny is Steven Segal busting the shit up of 20 black people.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Humans can be gruesome. We laugh at other people's misfortunes, it's human nature. Not only when harm is involved but anything else, like if some guy gets scammed a ton of money it's like "LOL noob!"

 

[Lurknomore]

It depends on the violence (a violent act- accidental or intentional).
Some types, such as heinous acts against women, children will never be found funny and will be rightfully denounced here. If an adult woman, however, is felt to have bought it upon herself, then we might find some humor in it.
If a person is decapitated, however, all bets are off. The jokes start flying left and right.
Accidental death- if it's a British actress who falls on a bunny ski slope, then all condolences. Yet if a person is killed by an exploding toilet ...tee hee hee...get the pattern?
For me, if some idiot decides he/she is the next senna or danica patrick and ends up being a healthy serving of human lasagna in the left lane, HAHAHA!!!:laugh:

 

[shortylickens]

So if we remade "Who's on First?" with a violent overtone............

 

[Vic]

There is ALWAYS a butt to every joke. Whatever it is that we laugh at or about, to someone out there it isn't funny because it's at their expense. And that's what makes it funny to us. Like it or not, that is what humor is.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Vic
There is ALWAYS a butt to every joke. Whatever it is that we laugh at or about, to someone out there it isn't funny because it's at their expense. And that's what makes it funny to us. Like it or not, that is what humor is.

What about puns, innuendo, etc? Many people laugh at that.

 

[Gothgar]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
So if we remade "Who's on First?" with a violent overtone............

you're onto something sir

 

[yhelothar]

There's a famous neurologist, named Ramachandran, that talks about this in his book.
All of this is mostly speculation now, but he proposes a few reasons what laughing could be for when people get hurt.
Why does people make this weird repetitive noise? He says that it only happens when you see someone get hurt, but are perfectly fine. The laugh is like to let others know of your relief.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
It is easy to see that moments of violence can often be funny, but much harder to explain this simple observation. We've all probably chuckled quietly at a man falling on ice or laughed at Kenny getting beheaded in South Park, or but why is it that we laugh at such moments of violence? Why is it that we find humor in these moments of misery for those on the receiving end of the violence?

That, ATers, is what I ask today. I have my own ideas, but since I'm brainstorming ideas for an essay on humor I thought I'd start by getting some opinions on the talented people of ATOT

So, shoot!

because what you are describing is not actually violence. it's make believe, and we let ourselves laugh at make believe because it's not real. Real violence is not funny.

(A man falling on the ice is not violence, and it's only funny because it looks funny. The same man cracking his skull because he fell on the ice would turn serious and any chuckling would cease)

 

[judasmachine]

I think the very root of laughter is fear, and uncomfortability.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: 996GT2
It is easy to see that moments of violence can often be funny, but much harder to explain this simple observation. We've all probably chuckled quietly at a man falling on ice or laughed at Kenny getting beheaded in South Park, or but why is it that we laugh at such moments of violence? Why is it that we find humor in these moments of misery for those on the receiving end of the violence?

That, ATers, is what I ask today. I have my own ideas, but since I'm brainstorming ideas for an essay on humor I thought I'd start by getting some opinions on the talented people of ATOT

So, shoot!

because what you are describing is not actually violence. it's make believe, and we let ourselves laugh at make believe because it's not real. Real violence is not funny.

(A man falling on the ice is not violence, and it's only funny because it looks funny. The same man cracking his skull because he fell on the ice would turn serious and any chuckling would cease)

Exactly. Non-insane/evil people don't find violence to be funny. Cartoon violence is funny (at least sometimes) because you know it's not real and the situations themselves are over-the-top humorous.

Accidents can be funny, but only if the person isn't hurt or not hurt too bad, and if the person was clumsy or set himself up for it. It's the reactions of people and the facial expressions that are funny, not that they were hurt.

I saw a video a couple of years back where some kids were randomly slapping some kids for laughs. I didn't think it was funny, I wanted to beat the crap out of those kids. Real violence is not funny for anyone who is rational and with any sense of decency.