# How funny are farts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 14, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133 "2008-12-14T17:44:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/41 "2008-12-15T03:41:43Z")
Its definitely funny for the Fart-er, but NOT for the Fart-ees! ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/42 "2008-12-15T03:52:40Z")
> [@](#): > > How funny are farts? Not at all. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/43 "2008-12-15T03:52:52Z")
1. This: > [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > 1. > > Farts are almost always hilarious, but I could envision an occasion where they may not be welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/44 "2008-12-15T03:53:26Z")
Oh well. At least half the room _at the time_ disagreed with you, and I thought it quite funny myself. šŸ™‚ Q ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/45 "2008-12-15T03:54:23Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > But thatā€™s the thing: Iā€™m not uptight about them. Iā€™m not embarrassed by them, nor do I find them inappropriate, generally speaking. I think itā€™s actually people who ARE uptight, embarrassed by them or find them inappropriate that find them funny. (I base this mostly on the fact that I only think theyā€™re funny when theyā€™re inappropriate, which is hardly ever.) > > To me, theyā€™re like swallowing after you chew or putting one foot in front of the other to walk - itā€™s just the way your body works. Why is that funny? šŸ˜• Funny is unusual or unexpected, and farts are the most usual thing in the world. Itā€™s not that all yā€™all donā€™t find farting funny (although I wouldnā€™t want to live in a world where farting _isnā€™t_ funny), itā€™s the whole uptight about farting in general thing. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/46 "2008-12-15T04:00:42Z")
When my Dad (rest his soul) passed gas at the dinner table, it was of utmost importance that I **not** make eye contact with my younger brother.šŸ˜ƒ We wondered sometimes if our father might have been doing this on purpose seeing which one of us would be the first to cave inā€¦ This is a great thread! It makes me feel very nice and _warm_. Like weā€™re a family or something. šŸ˜‰ Q ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/47 "2008-12-15T04:33:31Z")
Most of the time farts are funny. Not if Iā€™m getting Dutch Ovened though. Then definitely not. Not funny at all. Me giving the Dutch Ovenā€¦hee-lar-ee-ous. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/48 "2008-12-15T04:44:52Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > 0 > > I think it stopped being funny when I was 2 years old. Yeah, you farted. It stinks. I ā€œget itā€ very funny. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: > > Farting in front of people seems the same as shitting your pants, the only difference is that the smell will clear up after a few minutes. > > If youā€™re prone to gas, take it easy on gas producing foods. Or if insist on eating mexican food, take some Beano or Gas-X or quietly excuse yourself from the room to expel foul smelling gas from your anus. This is 90% of why farts are so funny. ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/49 "2008-12-15T04:46:49Z")
In sixth grade, I had a teacher who would have our entire class cross our arms on our desks and put our heads down for a few minutes for excessive talking. So one day the kid next to me farts. I looked at him, and he had a terrified look on his face. The teacher, thinking it was someone joking around, said, ā€œVery funny, that will be another three minutes.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/50 "2008-12-15T04:50:11Z")
Exactly! I am picturing a tribe of cavemen sitting around a fire eating some T-Rex nuggets, and of 'em lets a ripper, it makes a funny sound and then the smell comes along! Much laughter ensues and there you go: the reason most of us think farts are funny! But back to the tribeā€¦ ā€œHey guys! Did the fire just get a little brighter when that happened??? Come _over_ here, Grogg!ā€ šŸ˜‰ Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/51 "2008-12-15T05:42:10Z")
Pretty much the apex of humor, as long as itā€™s in real life. On TV or in a movie, never funny at all. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/52 "2008-12-15T06:24:24Z")
Only in rare circumstances are farts funny. For example, when my grandson ripped one that was a surprise to him; the look on his face was funny. Otherwise, not funny. But then Iā€™ve never seen the humor in farts. Guess Iā€™m just an old fart. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/53 "2008-12-15T07:15:50Z")
Not very funny in real life. But when I see Terrance and Phillip rip one on South Park, I canā€™t help but smile. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/54 "2008-12-15T08:27:19Z")
Years ago, i was living in England and working as a waiter in a pretty upmarket country house hotel in the Lakes District. One evening, i was working in the dining room serving dinner. Itā€™s one of those places where men are supposed to wear a jacket and tie for the evening meal. It was mid-week, so we werenā€™t really busy. There were only about 7 or 8 couples, so we used the smaller dining room, which was more intimate, with only about 10 tables. Anyway, it was the middle of dinner, everyone was happily eating their main course, and i made one of my regular passes through the dining room to check on how everything was going. I stood in the middle of the room, and surveyed the tables to make sure that everyone was OK, and that no-one needed their wine topping up or anything like that. While i was standing there, a fairly substantial fart caught me completely unawares, and escaped before i could even summon the effort to prevent it. It was not a long, loud, drawn-out fartā€”more of a quick popā€”but in the hushed atmosphere of the dining room i might as well have let off a howitzer. I was absolutely mortified, but the famous stiff upper lip of the British upper class meant that, apart from a sudden drop in the conversation, not one of the guests gave the slightest indication that they had heard a thing. They just kept sawing away at their roast beef. I made a beeline for the kitchen, where i collapsed in an absolute fit of laughter. The chefs, who all appreciated scatological humor, laughed long and loud when i told them what had happened. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/55 "2008-12-15T08:43:15Z")
**mhendo** , I can ā€œseeā€ that in my mindā€™s eye, and I would have been laughing right along with you! I can ā€œhearā€ that **POP**!šŸ˜ƒ Was it one of those laughters where you laugh so hard you hurt in the pit of your stomach - because those are absolutely the _best_ kind of laughs! When itā€™s inappropriate to do so - a fart in church, for example. You know what I find comical? When someone farts and then they make a sliding motion on the floor with their shoe.:rolleyes:šŸ™‚ Yeah, right, pal. That was a fart, **not** a damn shoe squeak! Thanks for sharing! Q ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/56 "2008-12-15T12:32:23Z")
After the age of 5, theyā€™re no longer funny. I know women who fart as much as men, and I find it just sophomoric and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/57 "2008-12-15T14:15:27Z")
I think it is because we are such verbally oriented creatures that farts are funny. A fart is noise being made from your _ASS_. Considering the taboos we have developed regarding defecation, it is not that far of a jump for a fart to become a sort of scatological middle ground. Not only does it have a taboo attachment, the noise is unpredictable, and humorous. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/58 "2008-12-15T14:16:00Z")
George Carlin: Farts are shit without the mess. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/59 "2008-12-15T14:38:45Z")
3 As the mother of a ten year old boy - farts as funny does get old. But sometimes they are still funny. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133/60 "2008-12-15T14:55:24Z")
5 - A good fart at the right time can be sublimely funny. Thatā€™s part of the charm - only the experts can actually time their farts - the rest of us have to take them whenever they happen. Godā€™s little reminder that we are all gasbags. Itā€™s one of those things that canā€™t be captured on well on film so I would give the best filmed fart (Blazing Saddles perhaps) maybe a 3. No fart is unfunny except, perhaps, to the innocent victims and even they canā€™t keep the smile off their face as they run from the room. The best fart is the most funny thing in the world. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-funny-are-farts/477133.md?page=4)