tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114031911651699337.post4859570981444590754..comments2023-11-05T04:43:00.701-05:00Comments on Swithin Central: School of hard knock-knocks.Alan Beecheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06548550791501469533noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114031911651699337.post-18977774136696366232010-07-26T11:36:40.778-04:002010-07-26T11:36:40.778-04:00I think all humor is rooted in incongruity -- the ...I think all humor is rooted in incongruity -- the expected v. the unexpected, the proper v. the improper, the official v. the subversive. John Cleese's Basil Fawlty is outstandingly hilarious because of the mismatch between his snobbish, intolerant personality and his job requirements as a hotel manager. <br /><br />I don't think there's any better determinant of shared culture than saying people laugh at the same things, for the same reasons. (A shared sense of humor is a pretty good indicator of personal compatibility too. And vice versa.)<br /><br />For children, I believe shared laughter has a crucial function, in that confirms their developing worldview. From birth, they have to make a mental map of the world that coheres with the reality out there. To laugh at the idea of an orange cow (or a talking skunk or a flying elephant or a divaesque sow) serves to solidify their conceptual structure. It's a moment of huge relief, when something outside their range of experience turns out to be a joke, which reinforces their work to date. Silliness has a purpose.Alan Beecheyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06548550791501469533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114031911651699337.post-20719267196033152682010-07-26T09:31:44.680-04:002010-07-26T09:31:44.680-04:00I am actually laughing out loudI am actually laughing out loudKathleen Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096607261757810034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114031911651699337.post-48610738875217376402010-07-25T08:36:44.157-04:002010-07-25T08:36:44.157-04:00orange cow...lolol he's got something there. P...orange cow...lolol he's got something there. Probably struck my funny bone as I remember a similar conversation with my eldest.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10200940053036903121noreply@blogger.com