Humor2021

  The Times article “Why I use Humor When Talking About My Sexual Assault,” and Ralph Ellison’s article “American Humor” describes how humor can be used in many different ways, and for different reasons as well. In Time’s article, Myriam Gurba writes about how she uses humor to cope with her sexual assault. While using this tactic may prompt others to think, “oh, it must’ve not been that bad if she uses humor to talk about it,” Gurba writes how she uses humor as a form of action. She turns the definition of humor on its head as she says that rape itself is the “sickest practical joke ever invented.” Gurba uses humor to normalize talking about sexual assault because as she states in her closing sentence, society still has not become “intimate” enough with talking about it, and it’s something that must be talked about. Gurba also writes about how humor helps the healing process because she states that humor “requires spontaneity” and later on Dr. Jack Saul states that he knows when...

            Myriam Gurba’s article  Why I Use Humor When Talking About My Sexual Assault  highlights the importance of understanding positionality in humor. Humor that deals with subjects that are more than surface level, have to have an added level of nuance, or the joke will come off as flat.              As people become more and more aware of the trauma that is caused by acts like rape and sexual assault, there is a tendency to shy away from talking about it. Through “understanding” experiences of survivors, their experiences are pushed farther into the realm of taboo. Gurba raises this point when she recounts her experiences as a writer. “When I’ve discussed the book with journalists, students, and other writers, the same question repeatedly emerges: Why use humor to write about sexual abuse and violence? The inquiry veils a criticism. It implies that I’ve committed an impr...

          Ralph Ellison’s “American Humor” takes an almost anthropological lens to understand how a form of humor has developed in American history. Elision speaks on the existential importance to have a collective sense of humor in society. Additionally, he argues that American Humor is built on ethnic humor because of the unique composition of this nation’s populus and situation. Leading his audience from the colonials’ need for humor, when the new world contrasted their known reality of the old world so harshly, to reflect the mercurial nature of their new existence. Elision exhorts a theory on American humor as one born in the anguish of uncertainty and potential ill fate. Thusly, the founding of our modern society coincided with the advent of a form of humor ingrained in the American tradition.  Before transgressing on the downfall of this form of humor in the 1930s and 1940s, Elision describes how humor helped American society become more inclusi...

  Jayden is markedly different than me. For starters, I'm 21 years old, and he is 13. He is a first year in high school, and I am a senior in college.  I am white, and he is black. Difference, however, does not translate to misunderstanding or confusion. In fact, our marked differences spur our conversations about things we both have a working knowledge of. For example, current events make up the bulk of our conversations and, in turn, we offer each varying analyses and perspectives. His perspectives are perhaps due to his differences from I and maybe mine from his, but notably the differences in theories are never combative or opposing. In fact, they are often complimentary. Not to say that we always agree - we do not. ie. the Yankees are still the greatest team of all time in baseball But or discussions are continue and thrive on the basis of our connection and understanding that each other's perspective is both organic and artificial. Sure, we make our own jokes, define and...

One aspect that stuck with me from the reading today was Gurba’s discussion of spontaneity in relation to humor. Gurba gives an example in horror movies, writing, “Film theorist Carol Clover coined the term  final girl  to refer to the last female character left to confront a killer in horror movies. She, too, exists according to script, according to formula, and she suffers a static status. Humor, however, disrupts stasis. Humor is a form of action. It requires spontaneity, and that’s what’s missing from the pious scripts about sexual assault that bother me”. She goes on to describe how Dr. Jack Saul believes that a trauma patient has recovered when they exercise the ability to be spontaneous.             The first thing I want to point out is how this goes all the way back to our discussions regarding the humor theorists. Plato wrote that the most common kind of joke is one in which we expect one thing while ...

 In "American Humor," author Ralph Ellison discusses the origins and reasons for certain types of humor. He concludes that humor is both a uniter and divider. Further, he states that humor is necessary to sustain life. In all its complexity, humor is a way to cope with certain events, people, and things.  Something that struck me in this essay was Ellison's discussion of humor among different ethnicities. He states in the beginning that stereotyping and categorizing the "other" during the colonial period helped others cope with diversity. By projecting an image onto others, we process the "unexpected." He states, "But this kind of humor, for in all its crudeness, in some instances allowed the American people to come together on some sort of workable basis" (148). Ellison seems to suggest that categorization created structure in this new, unfamiliar society. By making these assumptions, we knew what to expect and how to deal with this new real...

Today's authors artfully correlate what is comic to what is painful to show that the two worlds of emotion overlap with purpose and impact. Gurba explains her use of humor to cope with the trauma of her sexual assault. I truly appreciate her explanation of humor as a vehicle that captures the atrocity of sexual assault that normal language cannot quite represent, as it gives humor a voice and character of its own. At one point, Gurba writes: "Humor is a form of action. It requires spontaneity, and that’s what’s missing from the pious scripts about sexual assault that bother me. They don’t allow for survivors to really be alive.” This thought really struck me; I had never categorized humor as something active, but now thinking about it, it makes so much sense. Humor is fluid, quick paced, timely, and motivating. For example, punchline is only powerful if it's placed at the right time. And punchlines change with the time - what is satirical now is certainly not the same 15 o...

  “It is part of the mainstream of American humor, precisely because there is no one who sees the absurd  anymore  than the person who has lived closest to it” (Ellison, 153).  Ellison is specifically referring to being Black in America and how “we couldn’t escape” (154). His descriptions of  why humor generates from the irrational resonates because it’s what we have been observing all semester. Specifically,  when authors refer to specific parts of their identity that are oppressed or violated by American society, the humor is  particular salient  because it feels valid and real.  In many ways, Ellison is speaking about irony especially when he says, “So that double knowledge of knowing the reality of a society that had the power to treat you as though you were  actually  inferior, but knowing within yourself that you were not, you were thrown into a position i n which you were either going to develop a sense of humor or you were g...

  "I told you earlier how depressed I got, starting the day that I got pregnant. My postpartum depression stayed with me for forty-eight years, until the day Cora left home. People around me didn't know how bad it was. I tried to hide it. It was my biggest secret" (Perry 136). While taking on the outrageous and humorous character of Madea, Tyler Perry still manages to comment on very real experiences. For example, Perry constantly references mental health implications.  On page 136 in the section "Depression", Perry speaks about postpartum depression and general depression. While Madea jokes about how she was depressed because she missed dancing on the poll, there is a bigger point to be made beneath all of the jokes. Mental health, specifically postpartum depression. Postpartum depression has been an entirely avoided topic as it's "unnatural" for a women to become depressed after childbirth. Women are supposed to be mothers and should be overjoyed...

“Some of the absurd situations are painful, but it is precisely because they are so painful that they have to be comic” (Ellison 155). This line in the reading for today struck me immediately. I feel like this is what all the authors of the novels, books, or articles that we have read this semester are reaching for. Whether it is Irby’s experience with depression or oppression as a black female, whether it is David Sedaris’ trauma in his family life and death of his sister, mother, and father, or Tiffany Midge’s recount of the Native American experience and abuse by America. All of these authors we have read are striving to make sense of pain through comedy. It is the only way to make sense of them as Ellison says.     Even the article today is arguing for the importance of humor when speaking about sexual assault, and when speaking about how the storytelling of the narratives of sexual assault are controlled by others Gurba says, “Our storytelling habits matter and I’ve liste...

          Madea’s blunt approach to life and its intricacies is a core aspect of Tyler Perry’s humor in his book; this behavior often leads to either laughs or anger in an audience. Anger seems natural – to be brusque is to be impolite – but why is it that acting in such a way can also make people laugh? Using the theories we have learned, we can answer this question. When it comes to relief theory, a person is primed to believe that something horrible is happening or has happened – the energy then is built up in that person to be used for pity or anger at the offender. However, a brusque reply connotes that the speaker is more annoyed than upset; it is the reaction of a person who looks down on the offending behavior but does not see himself as truly harmed by it. The person is not conventionally upset (and is also acting improperly himself), so the audience does not have to react with pity or righteous anger – those emotions are then turned into humor. ...

  Katie West  Blog Post  March 22, 2021       I personally had never heard of Tyler Perry before reading  Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings . However, his name had suddenly come twice this past week: once being in this class and the second being in the Oprah TV interview, Oprah with Meghan and Harry. This interview stated that Tyler Perry lent his home to fleeing royals, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry. However, I still only knew that I was about to read his novel and that he saved the escaping royals--I had no clue what to expect. And when I began this novel, I had done no research, so I was quite confused, especially in the beginning. I kept asking myself why is he talking as a woman, and the more I read the more I personally got annoyed. Sure, this novel offered serious, intellectual moments and I felt he addressed race uniquely and wisely where he appropriately cued white Americans into some references. Perry addressed race in a...

 Gino writes, "To either create or understand sarcasm, tone must overcome the contradiction between the literal and actual meanings of the sarcastic expressions. This is a process that activates, and is facilitated by, abstraction, which in turn promotes creative thinking." I have never read such a clear and accessible explanation as to why sarcasm indicates to higher levels of intelligence. Sarcasm, like wit, is fast paced, creative, and above the normal level of brain functioning. To be sarcastic or ironic, one must think one step ahead of their conversationalist to consider the inverse response and gauge the recipient's capability to understand. As Dr. Ellis and Gino indicate, sarcasm and irony walk hand in hand; specifically, irony is creative because it creates the opportunity to juxtapose and intertwine worlds that naturally might not seem coherent. For example, Dr. Ellis explains how Orange "...rubs together past and present, the urban and the land, exemplifyi...

Anyone with a lick of a sense of humor understands the benefits that  “The Surprising Benefits of Sarcasm” proffers. In fact, as I was reading the introductory remarks, in which the author puts forth straw man arguments about the potentially detrimental side effects of sarcasm, I found myself repeating one word whenever a new study was introduced: nuance. The benefits of sarcasm get past the surface level of the conversation and force participants to think critically at the moment to understand what the sarcastic comment articulates through context clues. Moreover, it is the nuance of the form that unveils its power and benefits.  In recognizing this fact, and being a part of the first generation to grow up on the internet, it became evidently apparent how off-base some of the studies being presented were. For instance, the study observing the recognition of sarcasm in text and in vocal portrayal began with hypotheses that are not based on any understanding of human behavior...

  Katie West  March 17, 2020  Blog Post The sarcasm to irony in FRIENDS           When I think of sarcasm my mind immediately goes to the late 1990s & the early 2000s hit TV show Friends. My mind quickly associates Chandler Bing with sarcasm. Chandler’s character is defined by his funny, witty, and mainly sarcastic one-liners throughout the show and at one point his character even states, “'I'm not great at advice. But can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?” (Season 8, Episode 17). Or another famous comment being, “I'm glad we're having a rehearsal dinner. i so rarely get to practice my meals before I eat them” (Season10, episode 12). However, in Francesca Gino’s piece  The Surprising Benefits of Sarcasm  she explores the many benefits but also downsides to sarcastic humor. Gino expresses how “Not surprisingly, the participants exposed to sarcasm reported more interpersonal conflict than those in other groups” showing how th...

  Jayden and I communicate almost entirely via Zoom (I did give my email in case he had any extra questions).  What makes our communication so unique is that I am the only one with the camera on. I honestly cannot recall what his face looks like, however we have made each other laugh on several occasions. What does this about the nature of humor, or more specifically, sarcasm? I'm not entirely sure. Jayden is a very smart kid. His older brother works for a startup in Silicon Valley without graduating college. Jayden possess that same tenacity and raw intelligence. So, our jokes are usually pretty sophisticated. We make jokes that revolve around the state of the world, school, and humor found in his assignments. Most are sarcastic and rely heavily on the verbal inflections in the punchlines. He will say things like "School was great today, I even got up to brush my teeth during math class." or "My teacher called on me while I was getting a snack, I told him I had to c...

      Sarcasm is defined as, "The use of irony to mock or convey contempt", as it falls on the more "raunchy" side of the humor scale. Sarcasm is bold and has few limitations, as it is not in sync with sensitivity. As explained by Francesca Gino, "“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence,” wrote that connoisseur of wit, Oscar Wilde". Consequently, "....sarcasm expresses the poisonous sting of contempt, hurting others and harming relationships. As a form of communication, sarcasm takes on the debt of conflict" (Gino). Essentially, while meant to be a form of humor and a joke, sarcasm makes things seem more harsh and jagged than they were initially intended to be received.  Furthermore, in the age of internet and social media, the true meaning of sarcasm can be even more misconstrued. A text or a Snapchat embellished with a sarcastic remark makes it hard to decipher if it is a joke or not. Texts are unable to pick up ...

       One aspect of Gino’s article on sarcasm that I found particularly interesting was how it is able to be easily misinterpreted, especially when communicated electronically. As I’ve mentioned previously in class, a lot of the humor I use personally is sarcastic, and I find this statement to ring true. However, there is one discrepancy I have found between my life and this article: even when communicating sarcasm verbally, there is a good chance of misinterpretation occurring. I believe this is due to the fact that, when delivering a sarcastic comment, it is often done in a dry, monotone voice. As this is also my normal speaking voice, there have been multiple occasions in which the meaning behind my statements has been misinterpreted by my friends. This all echoes back to the point made in class multiple weeks ago regarding reading humor versus having it spoken to you. We mentioned that, if an author were to read you a portion of their book, they are able to deli...

  The misinterpretation of sarcasm intrigues me because I often utilize sarcasm through digital  or written means . W hether it’s in the form of an Instagram caption or text to a friend ,  I often find myself trying to be funny – and sometimes the recipient misses the point.    I t’s interest ing that  we read  individually read   authors’  humor  the come together to  discus s  our various interpretations. Thi s proves that  humor and  sarcasm  as a form of humor  can be misinterpreted  due to  the difference between electronic (or in our case written) an d verbal communication. For example, many of Irby's jokes and tone translated differently when we watched her read aloud versus reading them on the page.  Furthermore , it’s interesting that  the  Scientific American  article concludes with, “Given the risks and benefits of sarcasm, your best bet is to keep salty remarks ...