# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/121 "2011-02-06T00:51:00Z")
Slapstick, Jackass-stuff, phone pranks. I used to hate Dane Cook, too, but I guess I got used to him. ETA: +1 for the BBT being unwatchable due to the laugh tracks. Now get this: The same folk make 2.5 Men, right? And it uses a laugh track…and I don’t hate it. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/122 "2011-02-06T01:14:38Z")
I don’t like stoner humor. I don’t think I cracked a smile watching Pineapple Express, or really any show that focuses on people who are stoned or drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/123 "2011-02-06T02:39:01Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > I also don’t see why Bill Crosby is considered to be so funny. I guess it comes down to “reality family” comedies which are so very corny and predictable. I didn’t either, until \*The Simpsons \*[translated](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHFYJO9v5Xg) it for me. Now I get it. I see the humour through the Simpsons’ television, and, sometimes when I watch it, I can’t stop laughing for five or more minutes. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/124 "2011-02-06T03:30:09Z")
I don’t get slapstick. I despise bathroom humor to the point where if I see someone laugh at it I automatically assume they’re not too bright. (Unless it’s a kid, then it’s ok. Farting is hilarious in 3rd grade.) ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/125 "2011-02-06T04:01:39Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > I just don’t get “The Aristocrats” jokes. Neither do I. I’ve have people try and explain it to me, but I still don’t get them or see why they’re funny. Otherwise, humour which involves embarrassing people (or otherwise making them appear stupid) who clearly aren’t in on the joke- things like Borat or “Candid Camera” type stuff. Also, most political humour. Not because I “don’t get it”, I just find politics boring and see a lot of political humour as either cheap shots or “obvious”. Not a fan of scatological humour either, although I’d always assumed that no-one outside primary school was amused by that. Sadly, it would appear I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/126 "2011-02-06T04:01:54Z")
Number one on my list is “blue” comedians. In my view, while occasional profanity can be funny, comedians who work clean generally have to work harder to actually be funny, and come up with material that can appeal to general audiences. I don’t like humor that focuses on someone getting humiliated. A scene of someone making a fool of himself, I can live with. Movies that feature a Humiliation Conga, like Ben Stiller movies, make me feel sorry for the guy, rather than laugh. Ranting, bitter politically focused “comedians” who just scream and grumble (and in the last 10 years or so, rant about George W. Bush) and confuse straight political commentary for humor. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/127 "2011-02-06T04:03:29Z")
> [@orderfire](#): > > Put these two together and…isn’t there an entire sub-genre of black men dressing as women “comedy”? I don’t get that. Oh gods. Tyler Perry is a supreme jackass, and if I see Martin Lawrence in a dress one more time, I will punch him in the crotch. Another one for cross-dressing, scatological humor (although I will admit the word “caca” makes me giggle uncontrollably), and stupid slapsticks. There are some things I don’t typically find funny, like jackasses thinking their material is somehow improved by playing the guitar, but can be in rare, well-done cases. And even in those cases, I’m typically laughing because the material is funny; the guitar rarely adds anything to the bit, and I can only think of maybe two examples where the bit is actually funnier because it’s a song. I will never, _ever_, laugh because a dude is wearing a dress. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/128 "2011-02-06T04:27:38Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > Whatever the style is that 85% of the shows on Adult Swim have adopted, which consists almost entirely of things that **don’t make any logical sense** that appear intermittently between long pointless pauses. It was kind of funny the first time. Non sequiters? ---
**Author:** ![Trubie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@Trubie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trubie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/129 "2011-02-06T05:03:15Z")
> [@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.” > > 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. I know this isn’t supposed to be about specific people, but I just want to beat the living daylights out of him. The weird thing is he might be a little older than me, and I can’t imagine someone as annoying or ugly as him making it past 18. I’m surprised someone didn’t stuff him into a locker until he suffocated. Not to totally hijack this. I don’t care for comics who like joking about racial differences. Like “White people shop at Neiman Marcus! Black people shop anywhere that has lay a way!” The jokes are usually white vs black or white vs minority. Really the jokes seems to be all white people are rich, or waste money, and all nonwhite people are poor, or don’t spend any money they have. Comedians who are overly sarcastic. Sarcasm isn’t a trait I like in general. Comedians who make jokes about how ugly/fat/hair/just plain gross their spouse is. Comedians who insult people in their audience. I’m talking about a comedian who says like “All Yankee fans are assholes” or stuff like that. I’m talking about comedians who will point someone out and call them names or poke fun at them. It always shocks me the majority of these people don’t walk out. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/130 "2011-02-07T03:29:49Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Non sequiters? But I generally like non sequitur-based humor. Those show all seem to be reaching for some kind of awkward disjointedness that doesn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/131 "2011-02-07T04:15:10Z")
Whatever you’d call the style of humor that is found in Meet the Parents. I guess it’s embarrassment humor, but what I find so non-hilarious is not the embarrassment itself, but that it’s the main character who is being embarrassed. You know, the guy we’re supposed to identify with. I do that, and thus nothing that humiliates him is funny. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/132 "2011-02-07T04:20:52Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Bumping this because I’d like to hear more examples. Again, interested in genres of humor - this is not a thread about individual performers. Yeah, sorry about that…2 1/2 years ago. :dubious: I agree with those disliking “awkwardness/embarrassment” humor. It’s either slightly painful or just leaves me cold. Hollywood industry-insider comedies where people make movies, tv shows, etc. They’re all so alike. I think it must be hard for producers to resist them, possibly because everybody loves to joke about his job. That super-low-key situational humor (not “situation comedy”) where a boring date goes on and on, or 2 guys sit watching TV, or etc., and nobody does or says anything much. It’s just awkwardness humor with the awk-o-meter turned way down. Jim Jarmusch actually did this sort of thing very well years ago, but now it is always stale. Laughs too dependent on character study. Like Steve Carell’s uncle character in _Little Miss Sunshine_. In fact, that whole picture was laborious until the kid started doing the stripper dancing. Just about any romantic comedy made since 1980. They basically have to be a dance of the stereotypes or they don’t get the greenlight. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/133 "2011-02-07T05:05:58Z")
Racist or sexist humor. Mean-spirited humor - of the punk’d, Borat, or insult type. Anything where the comedian(s) is trying to get you to laugh _at_ a third person or group of people. On the other hand, I _love_ puns, I _love_ any sort of wordplay, and I enjoy comedy where we’re laughing _with_ the comedian at their own foibles. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/134 "2011-02-07T05:12:58Z")
I just thought of some more. I’m also not a big fan of subtle humor. If I have to be specifically looking for the funny, then I lose the spontaneity that is required for something to be funny. I also prefer humor not to be too esoteric or obscure. If I have to think about it for more than a few seconds, then it again loses its spontaneity. I do like insult based humor, though. But it needs to be over-the-top enough not to seem mean, or the hostility overrides the humor. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/135 "2011-02-07T05:45:24Z")
Filler humour. Often awkwardly employed by news anchors and hosts to kill the last 30 seconds or so of a program. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/136 "2011-02-07T05:52:19Z")
Not sure if it is a style, or genre…but I’m not a fan of the ‘one-two’ type comedy often employed by sit-coms like Two and a half men. \*Jake: “If girls with big boobs work at Hooters, where do girls with one leg work? IHOP!” Charlie: “That Gives a whole new meaning to tipping your waitress.”\* On it’s own it is alright, but 22 solid minutes of this stuff is tiring. ---
**Author:** ![Trubie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@Trubie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trubie)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/137 "2011-02-07T06:14:18Z")
I thought of another. It’s often used in sitcoms. Repeating phrases over and over again. “That’s what she said!!!” type stuff. Saying words wrong on purpose. Especially if it’s involving a small child. I know it’s supposed to be sweet or endearing, but I find it annoying and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/138 "2011-02-07T10:36:11Z")
Too bad it’s limited to genres, I hate comedians who think if they say something not funny in a funny way it’s funny. I’m looking at you, Larry the Cable Guy. I don’t like whatever genre Gallagher is. ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/139 "2011-02-07T11:33:10Z")
As has already been mentioned: **Fart humor.** In fact, one fart joke in a good comedy brings the whole movie down significantly, for me. **"Acting like an idiot" comedy**. I don’t know what this genre is called, but Jim Carrey is known for it. It’s just awkward watching someone pull faces while making weird noises and movements - it looks so desperate and I feel embarrased for the actor. **Musical comedy**. I hate song parodies or anyone with a guitar trying to be funny. So any “funny” band or musician. I don’t know, for me, music and comedy is a painful mix 99% of the time. **Repetition humor**. Where the same things happens over and over or just never seems to end. Someone falls, gets up, falls again, repeat ad nauseum. This is the worst when _combined_ with fart humor. **Overly-predictable humor**. All that stuff where you just _know_ exactly what the joke will be. Like when someone in a movie says “Oh, come on, how hard could it _be_?” - you know the next scene will be a display of how they underestimated the difficulty of said task. _yawn_ On the whole, it’s kind of hard to get me to laugh out loud. There’s only a handful of movies and shows that made me laugh (Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda come to mind) ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872/140 "2011-02-07T17:48:24Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I don’t like whatever genre Gallagher is. I’d describe him as a **prop comic** , the same genre as Rip Taylor or the pre-MST career of Joel Hodgson. I will give Gallagher credit for a few funny lines early on. “We know God is not a woman. Why? If God was a woman, we’d have our dicks on our chins.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-types-of-humor-do-you-not-get/495872.md?page=8)