# Humor does it need a victim?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-does-it-need-a-victim/171990>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [April 29, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-does-it-need-a-victim/171990 "2003-04-29T20:13:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Southerner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Southerner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southerner)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-does-it-need-a-victim/171990/21 "2003-05-08T21:19:23Z")

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Ok try this one.  
What did the snail say while riding on the turtles back?

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!! 😃

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-does-it-need-a-victim/171990/22 "2003-05-08T21:36:52Z")

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Humour hardly needs a victim but helps when they rise to the occasion. 🙂

I’m so sorry but I’ve been holding that back all day.

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-does-it-need-a-victim/171990/23 "2003-05-08T23:30:45Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Synthesis \*  
> **It has become clear to me that the source and reason for something being funny is more complicated than I initially thought.**

Don’t feel bad. The very best minds in the world have spent all of history trying to figure out why we have humor and what makes things history, without a firm and agreed-upon conclusion. We have some smart people on this board, but a pride of Heideggers we ain’t, so I doubt we’ll make a significant dent either.

Speaking of whom, he’s a boozy begger who can drink you under the table. 😃

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-does-it-need-a-victim/171990/24 "2003-05-08T23:34:29Z")

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Uh, “…why we have humor and what makes things _funny._”

Stop laughing at me. I’m the _victim_ here. 😉

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