"you had to be there"

What is it about personal experiences that make them sometimes unshareable in the area of comedy?

Think about it, have you ever had someone try to tell you a story that they thought was so very funny but when they tell you it wasn't funny? I really never thought of the reasons as to why a seemingly funny story could get lost in the transition from one person to another. Usually, when the story is told and there is no laughter the response of the storyteller is "oh, you would have had to be there." This statement itself sums up the reasons for the lack of comedic value. How much of comedy do we have to be able to relate to in order for it to be funny to us? Though I may not have the answers to these questions I can state that there does indeed have to be some sense of relatability to the receivers of comedy.

Harambe Response

Hello friends,

In addition to my last post, I am going hit you with another response to another friend's blog.
This blog in particular deals with the oh so controversial topic of the late gorilla Harambe. Society has been up in arms over the death or supposed killing Harambe the gorilla. But since the devastating loss there has been a mass outpouring of memes related to the incident. The big question that my fellow blogger poses is " How can we laugh at the death of an innocent animal?" Then she goes into the relief theory, explaining how we are allowed to laugh because our walls are let down. However, what if we aren't laughing at the incident its self but actually laughing at the serious reactions of Harambe lovers? The matter its self is a serious one and there are people who are using the death as a catalyst for political reform. The reason these memes are so popular in my opinion simply because of the fact they are so versatile. They cover topics such as race, parenting, gun laws and even movie quotes. Thus making the meme not only relatable but powerful.

Response to another Comedy Blogger :)

Hello Everyone! Today's blog post is going to be in response to one of my fellow comedy bloggers blogs.
https://scallananblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/the-unexpected/

So to get started my friend did a very good job at describing the three main theories behind comedy (relief, superiority, incongruity). I greatly appreciated the way she explained how though the superiority theory more evident than the other theories there is still evidence of the other two that she points out.
What really stuck out to me though was how she mentioned the racist presence throughout the comedic piece. I hadn't really noticed that essentially they were making fun of a specific race until she mentioned it. I just took the humor for what it was, I didn't think of it on a deeper level. I think there  is a strict difference between laughing at some and laughing with someone. If it had been a white guy doing it the scene may not have been as comical. If you sit back and think about that for a while something might click, at least I know something clicked with me. Do we feel superior to certain races? and is that why we laugh? It makes sense... It's sad. So yes, my take away from my friend's post is a little grim. However, I hope this post makes you think a bit about why you are laughing.

comment on lead blogger

I quite enjoyed your analysis of the movie. It is rather interesting how you used the superiority theory as your main basis of your dissection. I was pleased to hear your personal background in your blog. Not only did you let the readers learn a little more about yourself, but you also tied it in with the discussion. I agree with your statements on the superiority theory in relation to the movie you described.