Which Countries Have The BEST, WORST, STRANGEST Sense Of Humor?

Self | December 24, 2002 | PJ-Comix

[PJ-Comix]

Okay, it's Christmas Eve so let's set aside politics here for a bit and discuss something that has interested me for a long time. Which countries/cultures have the Best; the Worst; and the Strangest senses of humor.

I would classify Britain and the U.S.A. as having the Best senses of humor although they are a bit different. The Brits rely more on subtley and wordplay. American humor is more slap-on-the-back. Sometimes both types of humor combine wonderfully such as in the movie The Loved One written by a Brit (Evelyn Waugh) but set in an American funeral home with very American funny characters in it.

Germany is often thought of as having the worst sense of humor but in this category I think we have to award the French with this honor since those folks actually think that Jerry Lewis is some sort of comedic genius. However, there is a lot of truth that the Germans have a lousy sense of humor. I once went out with a German chick named Ernegard (sp?) and not only did she have NO SENSE of humor but she hated it when anybody else thought something was funny. I well remember the many times she would say to me: "Alvays mit der jokes! Alvays mit der shmiles! It's all vun bik joke to you isn't it?" Then Ernegard would get even angrier as I did an impression of her muttering these lines.

The STRANGEST senses of humor goes to the Japanese. I haven't any idea why they laugh at what they do. Once I was in a bar in L.A. filled with Japanese businessmen. I recieved a couple of half dollars at the counter as change so on an impulse I stuck both of them into my eyes like monocles and screamed: "BANZAI!!!" Immediately the Japanese were rolling on the floor in laughter. When they recovered I thought it was a freak accident and I repeated the same bit with the coins and the "BANZAI!" scream and again they rolled with laughter. They laughed so hard that one of them begged me not to do it anymore since he was suffocating from laughing so hard. And why they laughed so much at such a silly routine I don't know but this is why I said they have the strangest sense of humor.

One other thing I have observed is that it also depends on what part of the country some folks are from as to their senses of humor. One of the funniest people I know is from India and works at the food court at the Swap Shop. I often buy breakfast from him because I appreciate the humor. However, he is from (judging from his appearance) South India but the folks from North India seem to have no sense of humor. I recently told a funny story to these two guys from North India and they just glowered at me. Then I told them a really good dirty joke and they acted as if they I were insulting them by telling that joke.

I used to think Chinese folks were super-serious but perhaps the most humorous person I have ever met is my friend, Jessica, from Wuhan, China. The other day I told her my idea for a Chinese Restaurant with a Red Guards theme and not only did she laugh uproariously at the concept but she now wants to incorporate that concept as a business. So if you see a Red Guards Chinese Restaurant in South Florida in the near future, it had its roots in a joke I told.

[ricpic]

Funny ( organic ). Unfunny ( explicit ).

That formula perfectly summarizes the essence of what makes the funny, funny, and the unfunny, unfunny.

W.C.Fields, for example, was organically funny. His very being was deeply subversive, and yet loveable at the same time.

[ricpic]

Jacques Tati made some funny films. Mr. Hulot's Holiday. Can't think of the others. The French aren't TOTALLY hopeless in the humor department.

[Revolting cat!]

The classic examples of something organically funny have been for me the appearances of Rodney Dangerfield on Johnny Carson. After his standup routine he'd walk over to the couch and there was that wonderful moment of tension where Johnny would feed him the opening line, something as simple as "Howya doin'?" But where practically all his other comic guests would immediately step out of the persona that had just been projecting on stage, wiping their brow or something, and remarking something to the effect, "How did I do?", Rodney continued the act, because unlike all the others, he was the act! (Or his act was for real, full time!) That initial moment on the couch was absolutely precious if you ever saw it!

[RedWhiteBlue]

Maybe that is because the Argentines are the subject of so many jokes in South America? I didn't realize that until I went to dinner one night with several people from Latin America - some from Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina. One of them got on a role, telling one "Argentine joke" after another. I even felt uncomfortable. Apparently, the rest of Latin America thinks that Argentines think they are better than the others (more European blood), and all of the jokes center around this self-assumed superiority. As an example:

Argentine son: "Father, when I grow up, I want to be just like you!" The father swells up and says "Oh, why is that?" The son replies "so that I can have a son JUST LIKE ME!"

[ricpic]

Rodney Dangerfield: Poetry in motion.

[Jhensy]

Hell, on my tour of the Tower of London this past summer, even the Beefeater was a riot...(with a well-honed act, presumably).

Ha! I think I know that guy! I posed for a picture with him when I was there with my wife about 4 years ago- we stood side-by-side, me grinning, him looking proud and stoic; when my wife said, "Ready...cheese", he quickly turned his head towards me and made a ridiculous loony-face as she snapped.

When friends see that photo, they're like, "Why is that Beefeater dude about to ram his tongue in your ear? wtf?"

[Incorrigible]

Post #12 needing confirmation...

[DeaconBenjamin]

From what I understand, the top selling song in Germany is a great example of satire. Poking fun at Schroeder's proposed tax increases.

[AlGone2001]

I spent 2-years in Germany. It is one of 15 countries that I've visited.

From mypersonal experiences the Germans had the worst sense of humor. I attribute it to the fact that they don't understand sarscstic humor. If you are sarcastic with a German, he takes it as a hard insult.

I spent 90-days in Saudi Arabia, too. There was certainly a language barrier, but I wasn't able to find anything fun about them (as hard as I looked).

[Doctor Stochastic]

You're right about the mimes. Just can't tell a good joke.

[185JHP]

One problem SCTV had was the quality was not appreciated by a lot of TV viewers. Back when Sid Caesar had "Your Show of Shows", not as many people had TVs, and many of those that did had the education/taste/sophistication to appreciate it. But by the time SCTV came along, most everyone had a TV, but people that would have appreciated it didn't watch much TV, esp. on a weekend night. Too many "What was funny about that?" types for it to survive. FReegards

[Doctor Stochastic]

Her jokes are a bit like her name.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Seems like most of the French movies I've seen (and many movies with French characters) do a pretty good job of makeing fun of the Gendarmes. In the latter vein, (vain?) Charade and Darling Lilly come to mind.

[Illwind]

England, if only for John Cleese and The League of Gentlemen.

[struggle]

nah, japanese old men love getting crazy so the crazy stuff works for them. for young women its conversational. just be funny while you talk. oh, and be handsome...that helps too (hehe).

heres a famous dajare (made by me)

what do you call a hand pulled taxi bouncing off a wall?

rik-a-shade.

and as the japanese say "sabui!!!" (cold!!!, or bad joke)

[dennisw]

Not a nation, but New Yorkers are the funniest.

Especially that Shecky Green.

[struggle]

yeah, i love japanese word play. its the weirdest stuff in the world, but ive got pretty good at it. my wife doesnt think its funny, but she was a neurologic physiology major. my father in law is a buddhist statue carver and me and the guy trade the jokes like crazy. here is a link that will leave a question mark on everyones mind... feel free to comment.

http://www.watanabe-group.com/warauinu/horikenzaizu.html

[Allan]

Toto was the illegitimate son of an Italian aristocrat.
He felt obliged to own a yacht
even though he was deadly afraid of the sea
and only would go on board
when it was anchored at shore.

Alberto Sordi
IMHO
is the greatest Italian actor of all time.
He has starred in close to 100 films
most of which never made it to America
not even to the 'art' theatres.
(The White Sheik, by Fellini, is an exception).

Most Italian men I know detest Sordi
probably because his humour is based
upon a hilariously accurate mimicry
of the average Italian male's inflated ego
his bragging
his sexual and social pretentions.

[driftless]

SCTV was a million times funnier than the extremely overrated SNL. KITH was a lot funnier too.

[driftless]

I saw a German movie comedy on HBO some time back about some homosexuals and their problems. One was trying to seduce (unsuccessfully) a straight German. Unbelievably it was quite funny...even in subtitles. Can't recall the name of it. Plus I had an ex-girlfriend whose sister married a German doctor and lived in Emden. Their children loved Monty Python.