American Humor: Joning, Roasting, "Just f'n with you", etc. Good or Bad?

There's no doubt that messing with people and playing around with them is fun and entertaining, but have you ever considered that it might not be as fun for them as it is you?

Is bringing up people's weaknesses and shortcomings for a good laugh okay?

It feels good, and it is fun and all that, but when words cut deeper than you thought they could, and you get enjoyment out of it, what good are you doing yourself?

So, it's fun, but is having fun at the cost of others really fun?

Are you the person who says things to people without thinking about how its affecting them? In my opinion, you should take a look at yourself and do some "soul" searching, because I think your behavior is hateful.

reply to post by smithjustinb


I'm usually the butt of my own jokes.

But I've always said that there is alot of truth said in jest!

If somebody roasted me I'd probably break down into tears. American humour can be cold, insensitive and hostile at times.

Me and my friends take jabs at each other all the time. Usually about each others skill levels in video games

reply to post by Heartisblack


If somebody roasted me I'd probably break down into tears. American humour can be cold, insensitive and hostile at times.


Roasted what..? If your heart is black, you're already burnt all the way through...


And tears..?! How many you gonna shed champ..? Maybe one for each of the birds in your avatar..?!


Just living up to your expectations...

Dont Really think it s exclusivley an American sense of humour.. im Scottish, alot of my friends are down right nasty to each other.. as in... real nasty to each other...

i think if your a certain way you develop a good sense of humour where being nasty in jest is nice... im nastiest to the people i like the most, its like saying things you cant get away with to strangers....

we all know its good humour though, who ever is unfortunate enough to be the butt of the jokes then and there know there bringing enjoyment to everyone else

I watched the Roast of Charlie Sheen last night and found it quite distasteful and uncomfortable.

Which is wierd, because at work and in other social settings, us British can be quite the piss-takers and, where I work at least, it can be quite brutal and have course language.

But we would never do it in such a formalised setting as a "Roast".

The Americans, it seems, can be the opposite. They are all nice and "have a nice day" in a normal social setting and would probably balk at the chatter we get up to at my work. But they have formalised piss-taking into a special dinner where, it seems, anything goes!

On the Charlie Sheen roast, for example, they were making rape jokes with Mike Tyson and everyone was laughing! The rest wasn't in much better taste, if you ask me.

That is the point I turned it off. I just don't get it and cringed for the 20 minutes I watched it.

Originally posted by Heartisblack
If somebody roasted me I'd probably break down into tears. American humour can be cold, insensitive and hostile at times.

All humor tends to be "cold, insensitive, and hostile". Outside of puns and intellectual or pop culture references, most humor is based upon someone's pain. Some comedians will talk about their own painful experiences, other comedians will point out the flaws of others and that painful experience, and some comedians will pick on certain audience members right in front of them creating an instant painful experience just for the sake of a few laughs.

From the poor bloke slipping on a banana peel, to Wiley Coyote falling mid run off of a cliff down to the painful ground, pain drives humor. This pain is not exclusively American, and Benny Hill had no compunction at all at relishing the pain of others, and his bald little side kick seemed to be the brunt of much of Hill's pain based humor. Monty Python hilariously took a look at religion, Messianic legacies, and belief in mysticism in The Life of Brian, and spared no insensitivity at all. The religious zealots could find plenty of in-sensitivities in that film.

The Japanese appear to have a genuine love for humiliating the everyman or everywoman of Japan in countless television shows, and all of this done for laughs. I am fairly certain that all cultures use pain as a form of comedy, and that this sort of humor is not exclusively an American cultural thing. It is universal.

One of my favorite comedians was a master of the art of making victimless comedy. I'm sure you all know this guy:




It seems simple at first, but when you realize how truly difficult it is to make humor that doesn't belittle some person or group, including oneself, you get a new appreciation for his style.

Originally posted by smithjustinb
There's no doubt that messing with people and playing around with them is fun and entertaining, but have you ever considered that it might not be as fun for them as it is you?

Is bringing up people's weaknesses and shortcomings for a good laugh okay?

It feels good, and it is fun and all that, but when words cut deeper than you thought they could, and you get enjoyment out of it, what good are you doing yourself?

So, it's fun, but is having fun at the cost of others really fun?

Are you the person who says things to people without thinking about how its affecting them? In my opinion, you should take a look at yourself and do some "soul" searching, because I think your behavior is hateful.

edit on 21-9-2011 by smithjustinb because: (no reason given)

We are no longer a caring society. Our culture devolved over the last 30 years or so from one of enlightened tolerance and (nonpolitical) progressive growth to one that is more like a professional wrasslin' smackdown or even the old Roman arena.

A lot of this has to do with basic parenting and fundamental education... both of which have been neglected as our nation morphed into one of material comfort rather than reward from hard work.

I researched once (years back) the peak of American intellectual and educational capacity and I think we reached the apex about 1977. It's been downhill ever since and what you see today is the result of this death spiral.

Good post. S&F

Americans can be brutal with humor ,I was raised by the masters of this.
in ancient celtic cultures if someone was found to be a coward a traitor or otherwise a willful detriment to the tribe .They would mock him to death,so humiliate him that he committed suicide. this was done in a public ceremony ,kinda like a roast!

Patton Oswalt

I love a good laugh..that's why I keep a lot of mirrors.

Seriously, everyone should be able to laugh, especially at themselves. Only when you can, should you be able to laugh at others...so lighten up. That's whats wrong with the world today... everybody gets offended. Just think...could "Blazing Saddles" be made today? Mel Brooks made fun of everyone and with no PC control. whatsoever...

One of my favorite self deprecating comedians was Rodney Dangerfield...I love Rodney.

"Hey, I don't get no respect. I didn't as a kid..and I was ugly,...oohh was I ugly. I was so ugly my dad kept the picture that came with the wallet."

"And my mother, she was no better... I was so ugly, she breast fed me through as straw..."

I was in a fraternity in college and you had to develope a very thick skin and become quick witted too. We used to "cut on each other" all the time...guess it was a guy thing, I don't know. But if you ever showed a wince at what was said and the guys smelled blood...that was it.... they were unmerciful...

So lighten up...get a smile on and sharpen your wit...

I was so ugly, I went to the Doc to see if there was anything he could do. He gave me pain pills. I said Doc...my face don't hurt. He said...They're not for you. they're for the people around you.

reply to post by facelift

Sad thing is I burnt out at least two years ago, if the doom wasn't running me half crazy I'd probably laugh.
You're #ing hilarious dude, #ing comedy hour! But on a serious note America did used to have a heart. I don't know what happened to it, after 11/9 and some of these senseless wars we have going on; America as a whole has lost it.

We've faded into a society that only is obsessed with fart humour and stupidity, like for instance that show Modern Family. How the hell is that funny ?

I think it is interesting that people will say some pretty taboo things during a roast that they could not otherwise get away with. Kramer from Seinfeld killed his career by dropping an n-bomb in a comedy club. Comedians who participate in the Comedy Central roasts tell some extremely racist/homophobic/misogynist jokes, yet they seem to get away scott free within the confines of the roast.

Perhaps the roast servies as a safety valve where people can safely unload all their pent up negative emotions. Having Rick Ross and Patrice O'Neal exchange jabs on TV can act as a substitute for Whites and Blacks exchanging blows on the street.

Some things can be in bad taste. But it's all for love. The most hurtful things said are often the things that are true and embarrassing when brought to light. I agree with Jean Paul also, it's not just America.

Here's a question, if most people are laughing, is it a bad thing? Even if it is at another's expense, laughing is great, even if it shouldn't be funny.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Perhaps the roast servies as a safety valve where people can safely unload all their pent up negative emotions. Having Rick Ross and Patrice O'Neal exchange jabs on TV can act as a substitute for Whites and Blacks exchanging blows on the street.

Really stupid? Rick Ross? If Patrice O'Neal and Rick Ross exchanged jabs on TV Patrice would get shot. Goggle Rick Ross to see why. Now maybe you should tell your fat fingers that you meant to type Rich Vos. Here's a clip of Patrice and stupid Vos attacking that awful hack, Dat Phan.



And I hope everyone understands that I'm being verbally abusive to this dummy because it's the theme of the thread. I don't hate him, I just think he should slam his hands in a car door for typing "Rick Ross." And maybe you're wondering how I know hotpinkurinalmint is a man? Because no woman EVER ANYWHERE would reference Patrice O'Neal because women don't know funny.

Mean is funny, period.


And crap. You know what? I apologize for my meanness, because apparently I can't type worth a damn either. I'm editing because my grammar was mildly retarded in my opening salvo on hotpinkurinalmint. So I stink too.

reply to post by smithjustinb


humor has gotten less clever, no one is really funny anymore.


the "roasts" were great, back when dean martin was hosting.





always had great guests and was on primetime tv, no cable back then.

no need to get dirty and mean, either.

just browse the roast vids for some gems.

reply to post by fooks


Bingo, it was awesome then. Not so much now.

reply to post by Heartisblack


"I fart in your general direction!"

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

In 1974, long before September 11th of 2001, and well outside of America, a troupe of British comedian/philosopher kings made their first "proper" film, that being Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Perhaps in spite of that popular fart joke in the movie, it is forgiven its indiscretion and counted as one of the funniest films made, often times coming under yet another film made by Monty Python, The Life of Brian.

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gillam, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin were not above fart jokes, and none of them were, or are, "Americans". Since 1979, the British comic magazine Viz has offered Brit's their own brand of humor:

The comic's style parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent storylines. It also sends up tabloid newspapers, with mockeries of articles and letters pages. It features competitions and advertisements for overpriced 'limited edition' tat, such as a cat which "#s its own weight in gold", as well as obsessions with half-forgotten celebrities from the 1970s and 1980s such as Shakin' Stevens and Rodney Bewes. Occasionally, it satirises current events and politicians, but has no particular political standpoint. Its success has led to the appearance of numerous rivals crudely copying the format Viz pioneered; none of them has managed seriously to challenge its popularity. It once enjoyed being the third most popular magazine in the UK,[1] but ABC-audited sales have since dropped to an average of 76,408 per issue in 2009

Perhaps Viz's most recent dramatic decrease in sales has something to do with the evolution of the British who - post 9/11 - have outgrown the potty humor, opting for a kinder gentler humor...

From 1983 to 2000 there was a Finnish underground comic book called Peräsmies:

Peräsmies is a Finnish underground comic strip drawn by Timo Kokkila that appeared in the Pahkasika magazine from 1983 to 2000. The strips were initially written by Kokkila together with Sami Laitala. Other scriptwriters have also occasionally participated in the comic.

The comic depicts the adventures of Peräsmies, a Finnish superhero and a parody of Superman. The name Peräsmies literally means "Butt Man" and is a play off Teräsmies which is the Finnish name for Superman. The "official" English name of Peräsmies, according to Kokkila, is "Phartman", although "Pooperman" might better capture the essence of the original pun.

Peräsmies is a middle-aged, severely alcoholic homeless man living in a landfill, whose only superpower is the ability to fart supernaturally hard. He gained this power as a result of consuming a can of radioactive pea soup, pea soup being the stereotypical flatulence-inducing dish in Finland.

Hmmm, ended its run in the year 2000 apparently. Perhaps the Finnish also have evolved in post 9/11 world, only a year earlier, as the Finnish are well known for the prescience.

In 1981, French Comedian Louis de Funes made La Soupe aux choux, which translates into Cabbage Soup:

Claude Ratinier (de Funès), known as Le Glaude, is an old farmer who lives across the road from his long-time friend Francis Chérasse (Jean Carmet), known as Le Bombé. The two are described as the last surviving members of their breed, still living in a rural fashion while the rest of the world has modernized. They spend their days getting drunk and eating cabbage soup, while they spend their nights getting drunk and farting.

Dare I spot a pattern here? Isn't it interesting that the French film was made in 1983 prior to 9/11? I don't know, maybe someone out there does, if the French have also eschewed the use of flatulence for humor since 9/11. Do the French no longer feature flatulence in their comedies?

And of course, we should not slight the Canadians, with their television show Total Drama, and the character Owen

Owen is a bumbling German Canadian contestant with a habit of passing a lot of gas in public.

The problem with Owen is that he kind of kills the whole other nations other than America are above fart jokes in a post 9/11 world theory. Maybe the Canadian's are just too damn close geographically speaking and through osmosis have fallen prey to that base and bathetic riff on flatulence.

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Not my favorite but really damn good!