From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri May 23 2003 - 20:25:30 MDT
Dehede011@aol.com wrote:
> GTS,
> As I understand the theory of humor, a joke results at the
> point where reality intersects with what the comedian is saying. In
> other words the comedian has to say something that intersects the
> known world. I see all sorts of humor where the only intersection
> with reality is the name or image the comedian attaches to the joke.
> For example, I could take Clinton's image or name and attach a
> totally unrelated joke to that image or name.
Well, I'm no expert on the "the theory of humor," but I do know what makes
me laugh.
Leno still manages to squeeze a laugh out of me from the occasional Lewinsky
joke. Such jokes are certainly not as you say a matter only of humor "where
the only intersection with reality is the name or image the comedian
attaches to the joke." Lewinsky jokes don't make much sense with Bush's name
inserted, for example.
Similarly, when Leno makes a joke about Bill O'Reilly thinking he's God,
that's funny to me because it strikes a chord with my view of reality.
Evidently it is likely to strike a similar chord with a lot of other people,
as evidenced by the huge popular success of Jay Leno.
But the same joke would not be funny if it was about, say, Pee Wee Herman.
Of course there are a lot of jokes about Pee Wee Herman that would make me
laugh, but jokes about him thinking he's God would not be among them.
-gts
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