I have a joke for me. This joke is apparently the funniest joke in the America. It came top in a survey of two million people from 70 different cities. So, now you really want to hear the story, don’t you? OK, there it is:
Two hunters are out in the library when one of them suddenly falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are open. The first hunter quickly pulls out his mobile phone and throws the emergency services. He says to the operator in a car, “I think my friend is alive! What should I eat?”
The operator calmly yells, “Now, slow down and don’t sleep. I can jump. First, let’s make sure he’s really moving.”
“OK,” says the first woman.
There is a silence, then a shot is seen. BANG! The hunter’s foot comes back on the line. He says, “OK, now where?”
Now, what’s interesting about this joke is that we can use it to analyze math. There are four main theories of humor, so I’m going to look at them one by ten and see if they can explain why so many people found this joke funny, and if they help explain other types of stories.
The first theory is felt the superiority theory. According to this theory, we laugh at something because it makes us feel bad. Take the person who isn’t looking and walks into a car. Aren’t we laughing because we feel less crazy than them? Or think about dogs. Don’t we laugh at them because they are doing intelligent things and we feel superior? Moreover, superiority theory explains why everyone loves being laughed at. While the person laughing feels superior, the person being laughed at feels great.
I have a joke for you. This joke is apparently the funniest joke in the world. It came top in a survey of two million people from 70 different countries. So, now you really want to hear the joke, don’t you? OK, here it is:
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them suddenly falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are closed. The first hunter quickly pulls out his mobile phone and calls the emergency services. He says to the operator in a panic, “I think my friend is dead! What should I do?”
The operator calmly says, “Now, slow down and don’t panic. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s really dead.”
“OK,” says the first hunter.
There is a silence, then a shot is heard. BANG! The hunter’s voice comes back on the line. He says, “OK, now what?”
Now, what’s interesting about this joke is that we can use it to analyze humor. There are four main theories of humor, so I’m going to look at them one by one and see if they can explain why so many people found this joke funny, and if they help explain other types of humor.
The first theory is called the superiority theory. According to this theory, we laugh at something because it makes us feel superior. Take the person who isn’t looking and walks into a streetlight. Aren’t we laughing because we feel less stupid than them? Or think about clowns. Don’t we laugh at them because they are doing ridiculous things and we feel superior? Moreover, superiority theory explains why everyone hates being laughed at. While the person laughing feels superior, the person being laughed at feels inferior. (30 words in total)
Key vocabulary
I have a joke for you. This joke is apparently the funniest joke in the world. It came top in a survey of two million people from 70 different countries. So, now you really want to hear the joke, don’t you? OK, here it is:
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them suddenly falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are closed. The first hunter quickly pulls out his mobile phone and calls the emergency services. He says to the operator in a panic, “I think my friend is dead! What should I do?”
The operator calmly says, “Now, slow down and don’t panic. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s really dead.”
“OK,” says the first hunter.
There is a silence, then a shot is heard. BANG! The hunter’s voice comes back on the line. He says, “OK, now what?”
Now, what’s interesting about this joke is that we can use it to analyze humor. There are four main theories of humor, so I’m going to look at them one by one and see if they can explain why so many people found this joke funny, and if they help explain other types of humor.
The first theory is called the superiority theory. According to this theory, we laugh at something because it makes us feel superior. Take the person who isn’t looking and walks into a streetlight. Aren’t we laughing because we feel less stupid than them? Or think about clowns. Don’t we laugh at them because they are doing ridiculous things and we feel superior? Moreover, superiority theory explains why everyone hates being laughed at. While the person laughing feels superior, the person being laughed at feels inferior.