American humor
What’s funny varies from country to country. I tend to think what I find funny is just objectively funny; you’ll also laugh. But that’s not true at all, humor is like music or food. There’s music I just can’t get into and food that’s just plain nasty. I’ve never had a snail or a raw oyster. By the way, morals are also more or less random. Your nationality and century of birth will dictate what’s moral.
My co-writers informed me that my nation’s taste in humor is almost bizarre. I suppose there is some truth in that. Years ago, there was a popular TV show called America’s Funniest Videos. It was basically thirty minutes of people falling down. Seriously, that was the premise. OK, they dressed it up a little and made it a contest but it was still just men committing serious stupid. “Hold my beer.”
One of the show’s rules was nobody could be hurt by whatever happened in the video. I would watch it and I’m quite sure that some of those exceptionally bright men had to be hurt. Why is it always men?
I never thought Benny Hill was funny. On the other hand, I like Jimmy Carr. I must not be alone in that assessment because he tours the US. If anything, he’s a bit acerbic for my taste. By the way, you can see him on YouTube, just search 8 Out of 10 Cats, and the Channel 4 show he hosts will pop-up.
I like several American comedians; Jeff Dunham & Gabriel Iglesias certainly lead that pack. They both have numerous videos on YouTube if you care to look. Again, that quirky American humor comes to the fore: Dunham’s most popular puppet is named Achmed the Dead Terrorists. Both comedians are seriously funny in my humble and correct opinion.
How many gorillas does it take to change a lightbulb?
Just one … but it takes a whole lot of lightbulbs.
Did you hear about the worst zoo in the world?
It only has one dog. It’s a real shih tzu.
OK, I better stop, they only get worse.
British humour
Our humour you may find a little different if you’re not used to us; it’s dry, it’s quick, it’s often self-deprecating, and sometimes you’re not quite sure if we’re joking or subtly insulting you. (If your name is Dean, and you’re American, then it’s the latter…) Either way, British humour I reckon is a cultural treasure, and once you tune into it, you might well find it irresistible.
Us Brits often deliver jokes with a straight face, letting the absurdity speak for itself. We are full of sarcasm and irony. If it’s lashing down with rain outside, we might say: ””Lovely weather we’re having…”. Then think of that most British of T.V. comedies, “Monty Python”, humour which appears to make no logical sense, such as the famous sketch about “The Ministry of Silly Walks”, still revered after more than 50 years.
We also love understatement, as we can downplay absolutely anything. After our team is thrashed 6-0, we might suggest: “Maybe that could have gone a tad better…”.
I love the following one-liners, which showcase all that is wonderful about our humour.
“I tried being spontaneous once, but I’d scheduled it for the wrong day.”
“I’m not lazy, I’m just highly committed to conserving energy.”
“I’m not saying I’m old, but when I was a kid, the Dead Sea was just feeling a bit unwell.”
“I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday – you know what? Never again.”
Of course’ I accept that humour is subjective, and British humour may take a moment to adjust to, but once you get it, you’ll find it everywhere; usually it’s subtle, often clever, and always wonderfully Britishly odd.
Russian humour
First of all, Russian humour is far away from being political correct. We have plenty of jokes about different nations and races, and no one seems to care about it. Sexist anecdotes are also a chunk of the national folklore. On the other hand, these anecdotes, generally, tend to be friendly by their nature. Still… Russia is not the West and it is reflected in its oral humour tradition.
Some stories are about Russians and Americans, just like Dean told us during our latest video call; I can confirm it is an authentic Russian anecdote. Some stories start with ‘A Russian, a German, and a Polish…’ Of course, Russians are the smartest guys in both cases. Every nation thinks there are special and can outsmart their stupid neighbours or adversaries.
I will try to translate a popular joke about the Chukchi people. Back from the Soviet times, we have a whole lot of anecdotes dedicated to these ‘naïve’ people, living on the edge of the world.
Here’s a typical, very brief, story:
A Chukchi man comes in to the local library in Moscow. He says: “Please, give me a book, ‘A smart Chukchi man.’
The librarian responds: “Up to the second floor and look for the science-fiction department there.”
Well, it may sound not politically correct but who cares. And I am not sure if it is funny at all for an adult because I’ve heard it back in my middle school, in the mid 1980s. Still, it was kind of funny back then to me. By the way, I can’t recall any fresh stuff coming in about the Chukchi people. I think it’s has gone out of fashion.