# What types of humor do you not "get"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872 "2009-05-09T20:26:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/1 "2009-05-09T20:26:42Z")
I’m not talking about particular comedians, not whether you find Dane Cook (for instance) brilliantly funny or a pox on humanity. Nope, I’m interested in _genres_ (for lack of a better term) of comedy. Examples are OK, but this is not the place to dump on particular comedians, but whole genres. I love to laugh, and can remember the times in my life when I’ve laughed hardest, the times when I’ve laughed so hard I got an endorphin rush from laughing so hard - like seeing “This Is Spinal Tap” at a sneak preview with an audience gathered by the local hard rock station that had no idea it was a comedy. I had to visit the lobby to resume breathing. But other types of comedy leave me cold. [ul] [li] **Slapstick:** Any humor that depends on hitting, slapping, eye-poking or (especially) being kicked in the balls. The Three Stooges, America’s Funniest Home Videos and “Dodgeball” are examples. The thing is, I’ve been kicked in the balls, and I’ve never felt pain like that before or since. I don’t laugh at scenes of pain, I wince.[/li][li] **Poop:** It’s just human waste. What’s funny about it? I understand there is a particular age range when children usually laugh uproariously at anything featuring poop, but I don’t recall ever doing so.[/li][/ul] What are yours? ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/2 "2009-05-09T20:33:47Z")
“awkward” comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/3 "2009-05-09T20:37:38Z")
Also agree with slapstick. And while I find some episodes of Family Guy funny, in general it just seems…I don’t know. Like it’s trying too hard, or something. I’m not sure what else I’d lump in with it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/4 "2009-05-09T20:39:04Z")
I also am not into scatological humor. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/5 "2009-05-09T20:43:25Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > And while I find some episodes of Family Guy funny, in general it just seems…I don’t know. Like it’s trying too hard, or something. I’m not sure what else I’d lump in with it, though. There are various types of humor in that show - slapstick, classic “Father Knows Dick” situation comedy, etc. The bits that annoy me is that Letterman style “Uma Opra” thing where you keep repeating something until people assume that it must be funny and start laughing at the repetition. But this is why I said genre, which is one specific style, rather than a specific comedian or show, which can encompass many different styles. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/6 "2009-05-09T20:47:08Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > “awkward” comedy. Agree. Early Daily Show correspondents found idiots, interviewed them, and let them look like idiots. But in the past several years, the idiots have wised up and generally refused to be interviewed, so they have the correspondents act like idiots instead. Doesn’t work. I’ve taken to skipping any “outside” segments on the show. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/7 "2009-05-09T20:48:50Z")
Puns. I hate puns, and to be honest, think less of the person telling them. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/8 "2009-05-09T20:50:14Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > There are various types of humor in that show - slapstick, classic “Father Knows Dick” situation comedy, etc. The bits that annoy me is that Letterman style “Uma Opra” thing **where you keep repeating something until people assume that it must be funny and start laughing at the repetition.** But this is why I said genre, which is one specific style, rather than a specific comedian or show, which can encompass many different styles. Git 'er done. 😃 Now that was funny, I don’t care who you are. I don’t get slapstick, either. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/9 "2009-05-09T20:51:37Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Agree. Early Daily Show correspondents found idiots, interviewed them, and let them look like idiots. But in the past several years, the idiots have wised up and generally refused to be interviewed, so they have the correspondents act like idiots instead. Doesn’t work. I’ve taken to skipping any “outside” segments on the show. Superbad. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/10 "2009-05-09T21:05:57Z")
Whatever the genre of new comedy is, that I somewhere got the impression originated with Tina Fey, where people say things like “not so much” and “I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.” Excessive “randomness”. It’s not that it was never funny, but it’s waaaay played out. E.g. the chicken fight. And yeah, akward comedy. Any post-AD Michael Cera. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/11 "2009-05-09T21:11:31Z")
Comedians with a song (which includes a guitar, banjo, keyboard), and think they’re funny when they sing a song. 99% of those acts are not funny. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/12 "2009-05-09T21:11:54Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Whatever the genre of new comedy is, that I somewhere got the impression originated with Tina Fey, where people say things like “not so much” and “I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.” For me, “not so much” goes back to Paul Reiser’s married-couple sitcom of the '90s, [del]whose name for some reason escapes me at the moment[/del] _Mad About You_. > [@](#): > > Excessive “randomness”. It’s not that it was never funny, but it’s waaaay played out. E.g. the chicken fight. I’m curious: is it non-sequiturs in general, that don’t do anything for you, or just physical stuff that comes out of nowhere? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/13 "2009-05-09T21:13:07Z")
Old-style, stilted, scripted comedy. Like, for instance (raise shields, Ensign), the Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers. I’m sure it was great in its day, but we’ve changed. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/14 "2009-05-09T21:14:37Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I’m curious: is it non-sequiturs in general, that don’t do anything for you, or just physical stuff that comes out of nowhere? Non-sequiturs in general, really. Like I said, they were funny around the late-90s when they were used with discrimination, but someone figured out that, to a 15 year old, “random” = “FUNNY!” and flooded the comedy market with them. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/15 "2009-05-09T21:20:02Z")
I despise puns, too. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/16 "2009-05-09T21:21:46Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Non-sequiturs in general, really. Like I said, they were funny around the late-90s when they were used with discrimination, but someone figured out that, to a 15 year old, “random” = “FUNNY!” and flooded the comedy market with them. Gotcha. > [@capybara](#): > > I despise puns, too. It’s much too thick, I agree. I prefer pun soup. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/17 "2009-05-09T21:24:39Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > I despise puns, too. So you would say that for you, they’re more pun-ishment? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/18 "2009-05-09T21:29:51Z")
Slapstick, especially AFHV crotch-smashes, is not amusing. Farts are not funny. I also agree with the awkward Daily Show bits - not funny. Borat was not funny. Stereotypes are not funny. I especially hate the current over-used scenarios with idiot man and smug, superior woman. ick. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/19 "2009-05-09T21:34:40Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Old-style, stilted, scripted comedy. Like, for instance (raise shields, Ensign), the Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers. The Stooges and The Marx Brothers are very different styles of comedy. The Stooges were almost entirely physical, **slapstick** comedy - hitting, slapping, eye-poking, goosing with a blowtorch - though they did it generally in a **fish out of water** venue. They were usually the lower-class workers hired to perform labor in an upper-class venue. The Marx Brothers were a completely different style of comedy, though actually each of the three was a different style. Groucho was mostly verbal - **word-play** , **comic lecherousness**. Chico was a **ethnic character** and a conniver. Harpo was a silent **clown**. The only connection between the Marx Brothers and the Stooges was the shared **fish out of water** scenarios used in films, though the Brothers were often in the [position of power](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Soup_(1933_film)#Plot). ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/20 "2009-05-09T21:40:26Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > Comedians with a song (which includes a guitar, banjo, keyboard), and think they’re funny when they sing a song. > > 99% of those acts are not funny. I agree. But I think Dana Carvey’s “chopping broccoli” bit falls into the 1%. Adam Sandler, on the other hand, I never found funny when he was singing (or not). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872.md?page=2)