# What's your humor style? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512 "2003-01-09T14:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [January 9, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/1 "2003-01-09T14:31:09Z")
What is your sense of humor like? We all know that having a good sense of humor is of enormous importance…and nobody wants to be known as humorless. Apparently, a person’s humor preferences can vary quite a bit. So please answer these qestions: 1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate? 2. Who are your favorite comedians? 3. What styles of humor leave you cold? 4. Do you find some things funny that other people don’t? For example, my answers would be: 1. Puns and other word play. Double meanings (almost always with a sexual connection.) 2. Steve Wright and George Carlin. 3. Scatological and sex jokes. Go figure how this ties into double meaning…I don’t understand this myself. Also, using animals as the source of humor. As and example, chimps on rollerskates - how is this funny? I don’t get it. 4. Yes. Little kids absolutely crack me up - in a good way, not making fun of them. It has something to do with their fresh outlook and how they make assumptions in their innocence about the world. This makes a wonderfully funny contrast to how we more experienced people interpret the world. So, give it a whirl, and let us know about your sense of humor! ---
**Author:** ![Alexxandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@Alexxandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alexxandra)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/2 "2003-01-09T15:06:26Z")
1. Word play, double meanings, and one-liners. Anything dirty is hilarious. Practical jokes and bodily noises are funny as well. 2. Robin Williams. Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock have some VERY funny moments. Dennis Leary’s “No Cure for Cancer” cd made me laugh out loud on the bus when I had it in my discman. 3. Long, contrived jokes. If it takes 5 minutes to tell, the punchline is usually a disappointment. I don’t tend to find a lot of female comedians very funny, I have no idea why. 4. Yes, me. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/3 "2003-01-09T15:19:10Z")
1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate? I really enjoy humor that ventures into the nonsensical, also wry and witty humor, as well as humor based on social commentary. 1. Who are your favorite comedians? Hm, well my husband would be my first choice, but as far as professional comedians I would say Robin Williams, Janeane Garofalo, Dennis Leary, Jon Stewart, Wanda Sikes, and most of the registered SDMB members :😁: 1. What styles of humor leave you cold? I’m not really amused at sexual jokes unless they consist of innuendo. It’s not as funny when you’re being blatant about it. Also I can’t stand those men vs. women type jokes. Enough already! 1. Do you find some things funny that other people don’t? I’m a loyal and dedicated Piers Anthony fan. Does that tell anyone anything? ---
**Author:** ![Fnoonf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f6c823/32.png) [@Fnoonf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fnoonf)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/4 "2003-01-09T16:03:53Z")
1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate? Deadpan surrealism. Humor that veers off in different directions and subverts your expectations. Social and political satire, when done well, is pretty much unmatchable. 1. Who are your favorite comedians? Eddie Izzard, Denis Leary and an Icelandic comedian named Jón Gnarr, who I’m certain were it not for the language barrier would be famous the world over. The Onion, South Park and Family Guy also crack me up on a regular basis. 1. What styles of humor leave you cold? Over-the-top slapstick and humor that just screams "Look at me! I’m being _Funny!_ Example: Every single god damn time Mel Brooks crosses his eyes and expects us to laugh. 1. Do you find some things funny that other people don’t? The single magical moment after something ridiculous happens, when all involved parties simply don’t know what to say/do. When something awkward and strange happens in the background somewhere, and is not necessarily meant to be noticed. The funniest scene I’ve ever seen in a movie involves two characters sitting and talking in the foreground, while into the background, 50 feet away or so, comes a man riding a motorcycle. He stops, then drunkenly, inexorably tilts over, still on the bike. People rush up, there’s much ado, but the main characters in the foreground continue their conversation as if nothing had happened. Most people don’t seem to find stuff like this as absolutely side-splitting as I do. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/5 "2003-01-09T16:31:37Z")
My own style is… > [@](#): > > Deadpan surrealism. Humor that veers off in different directions and subverts your expectations. I do that. For example, a funny thing happened on the way to the office today. A guy came up to me and said, “I haven’t had a **bite** in three days!” So I whacked him across the knees with a handy two-by-four! He went down like a sack of potatoes. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed! Yeah, I do vicious humour. I also entertain my cow-orkers (humour! ha!) with voice characterizations, _extremely_ stupid jokes, and really bad puns. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/6 "2003-01-09T16:38:22Z")
**1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate?** A good dose of sarcasm and wit. Winston Churchill was great. There are few comics who are nearly as witty as he was and most of the time they try but come off looking like an ass. **Who are your favorite comedians?** I used to really like Dana Gould (I think that is his name) as a stand-up. **What styles of humor leave you cold?** Puns or anything that deals with them. This is typically because most people who think that they are good at it aren’t. They tend to look like more of a hack than an eeven more untalented Piers Anthony. Also, comparison humor is really bad too. I absolutely hate comics say Group X is different than Group Y because they drive like this…(imitates a lame person and then a cool person…yes I actually saw that one done by a stand up comic who stole it off the Simpsons.) \*\* you find some things funny that other people don’t?\*\* I think Carrot Top is pretty funny. However, I tend to laugh at death scenes in movies. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/7 "2003-01-09T16:47:39Z")
Lewis Black is among my favorites at the moment. I’d say my own humor is pretty dry, relying on alot of obscure (or not so obscure) references, just to see who picks up on it. ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/8 "2003-01-09T17:05:48Z")
1. One-liners. Rants, if well-done. Non-sequiturs - again, if well-done. Innovative humor. Stories. 2. Mmm, hard to say. 3. Puns. Useless self-depreciation (“Our humor magazine is so bad, ha ha” style). Kids saying stupid things. “It doesn’t matter if everyone hates my geeky cracks as long as I’m laughing at myself inside” type of geek humor. Movie quoting. Those goddamn pie Flash animations. 4. Sometimes, there might be not anything particularily stand-out humorous happening, but the whole situation’s just so ridiculous as to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/9 "2003-01-09T18:02:53Z")
**1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate?** I’m all for puns and silly nonsense types of jokes, one-liners, put-downs and insults (“he’s so stupid that…”), and sarcasm. I also like gross-out humor (yes, I’m childish for this, so what!) **2. Who are your favorite comedians?** I like George Carlin for his observational humor, although he’s starting to lose his edge and he’s become more cranky in recent years. I also like Steven Wright for his deadpan delivery, Gallagher for his props and Robin Williams for his improvisation. **3. What styles of humor leave you cold?** Opposite-sex bashing jokes, whether done by men or women. It’s old, give it a rest. Also, sexual jokes, not because I’m offended, but it’s just simply overdone. Racist or ethnic humor is an oxymoron to me. Political humor doesn’t elicit any laughter from me, either since I don’t follow politics. Jokes where animals are the victim (especially cats, as I am a cat lover) don’t appeal to me. **4. Do you find some things funny that other people don’t?** Puns (my family hates them and I am notorious for all the groaners that I deliver during Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). As I mentioned above, I find gross-out humor to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/10 "2003-01-09T20:55:34Z")
[Mitch Hedberg](http://play.rbn.com/?url=gchaille/gchaille/g2demand/mitch/done/mitch_comdeycentral_1.rm&proto=rtsp) I hope that link works. You’ll need Real Player to view it. He pretty much sums up what I think is hilarious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/11 "2003-01-09T21:10:25Z")
**1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate?** Sarcastic, dry witty. Manic. double entendre. **2. Who are your favorite comedians?** Marx Brothers, Robin Williams, Janeane Garafolos, Wanda Sykes, Dennis Miller. (Actually, I will watch anyone. When I get a chance, I like to watch the stand up nights on Comedy Central, no matter who is on.) **3. What styles of humor leave you cold?** Adam Sandler, stupid men doing assinine things. It is just plain embarrassing. Joe Piscopo ( long after SNL) is remarkably bad. **4. Do you find some things funny that other people don’t?** The best description of this is what I heard on a radio interview of comedians. " Comedians hear things differently." That pretty much sums me up in a nutshell. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/12 "2003-01-09T21:22:04Z")
42! * * * She told me she loved me like a brother. She’s from Arkansas, hence the Joy! ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/13 "2003-01-09T21:22:47Z")
Self deprecating. But that’s just because I’m to much of a lazy slob to undertake the energy required for prat falls. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/14 "2003-01-09T21:30:15Z")
**1. What are the styles of humor that you best appreciate?** Sarcasm, big time. The line has to be played straight; obvious sarcasm is OK, too, but play it straight. Laugh when the other person gets it. I also enjoy people making fun of themselves, but (see 3). 1. Who are your favorite comedians? Not a lot, really. I don’t appreciate stand-up comedy much, though I used to love Andrew Dice Clay. Last time I listened he was still funny to me, but no more than anyone else. Steven Wright cracks me up most, I think. 2. What styles of humor leave you cold? Jokes that make fun of others (for example, if a friend of mine were pudgy and someone made a fat joke). This is a big thing with a few of my friends (they are also very competitive; ugh). In an abstract sense I do not mind jokes about flaws, I just don’t like it made personal. 3. Do you find some things funny that other people don’t? I think it is impossible to answer “no” to this one! Offhand, though, I can’t think of anything I find humorous that others just shake their head at in any general sense. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/15 "2003-01-09T21:33:01Z")
I mean, in 3, that someone deliberately made a joke about this hypothetical friend. I do not enjoy “picking” on people outside of sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/16 "2003-01-10T00:52:25Z")
1. Sadistic stuff with lots of swear words. 2. People who swear alot. And do mean things. 3. Good vocabulary. Being nice. 4. Swear words. And sadistic stuff. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/17 "2003-01-10T02:23:59Z")
1. Dry, witty and sarcastic do it for me. 2. Meh, I don’t find many people in the biz funny. Then again, I’m a tough crowd. 3. Slapsticks. Grr. 4. Gotta go with puns on this one. Though incredibly cheesy, they crack me up. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/18 "2003-01-10T03:18:50Z")
1. Dry Sarcastic stuff, over the top absurdist satire. 2. Norm McDonald, Steven Wright, Penn and Teller, Mitch Hedberg, David Sedaris(not a comic, per se, but hilarious nontheless). 3. Racial and Ethnic Jokes. 4. I find that the absurdist stuff really turns some people off while it leaves me in rolling on the floor. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/19 "2003-01-10T07:47:53Z")
You wanna know who’s an awesome comedian? Triumph the insult comic dog. No, seriously. Sure, his humor may not be best described as dry, sarcastic or witty, but I dare you to watch him and not laugh. If you need any proof that this man/puppet/whatever is freakin’ hilarious, just go [here](http://www.roysebrinkmeyersucks.com/triumph.html). You _will_ crack up. My favorites are the first two and the last one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512/20 "2003-01-10T14:05:35Z")
1. Sarcasm, Irony, Satire. Also some obscure things (it’s hard to explain exactly what I mean here). 2. I’m not really sure. I don’t know many comedians. 3. Slapstick. Anything cruel, particularily if it’s directed at a particular person or group. 4. Again, rather obscure things. Sometimes particular (unusual) combinations of events/concepts just strike me as really funny for no obvious reason. It gets me some odd looks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-humor-style/147512.md?page=2)