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Post by hollandr on Jul 27, 2008 0:49:59 GMT
There are the usual accounts of humour being based on the unexpected or incongruous but I wonder if that really the essence of humour.
I recall years ago being in workshop in which the facilitator was using lots of jokes to manage the audience attitude. I was meditating lightly through his presentation and noticed that his quite reasonable jokes had no impact on me. It was as if my consciousness was above the level at which his humour existed.
On the other hand, if someone is in a good humour then many situations are more enjoyable without any need for the situations to be humourous.
So what then is the origin of humour?
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Tamrin
Member
Nosce te ipsum
Posts: 3,586
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Post by Tamrin on Jul 27, 2008 13:04:11 GMT
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Post by lauderdale on Jul 27, 2008 13:53:00 GMT
As I have said, I don't do humour.
If a subject is serious then I deal with it in a serious manner. There is nothing worse for example at a Works Meeting on some serious topic when some idiot cracks a banal joke which not only falls flat but might interrupt some very important point being made by either side. I always enjoy when such a fool is turned upon by both Management and Workforce alike and humiliated.
I have walked out of a so-called "Training Session" when the presenter started playing the matter for laughs, and taught myself from a DVD on the topic instead. Then again I have always preferred the Auto-Didactic method to being lectured.
Humour has its place, so does sex, eating, drinking, sleeping. Great where appropriate, but not elsewhere.
So as far as I am concerned if I am posting on any Forum and that means it is normally on a topic where I either hold strong views or have information to impart to a questioner, I will leave the jokes out of it and give a straight answer.
Most Fora have a "jokes" section, (even "The Chequered Pavement"), and that is the place for Humour as far as I am concerned.
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Tamrin
Member
Nosce te ipsum
Posts: 3,586
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Post by Tamrin on Jul 27, 2008 16:33:12 GMT
I always enjoy when such a fool is turned upon by both Management and Workforce alike and humiliated. !!!
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Post by maat on Jul 28, 2008 2:03:04 GMT
Now those cartoons are just brilliantly humourous, yet the characters were not trying to be humourous... Right, I am hooked on this topic... why do I find them funny? Blowed if I know the answer to that right now. I will work on it.
Maat
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Post by maat on Jul 28, 2008 2:16:05 GMT
Right worked it out.... Euclid helped me.
"in right-angled triangles the square on the side opposite the right angle equals the sum of the squares on the sides containing the right angle.."
The humourist is the big square opposite the right angle. He is looking at the right angle of things? ;D
The humourist is able to encompass all sides of a situation or argument and integrate them within, so that the result is Light hearted.
Maat
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Post by hollandr on Jul 28, 2008 21:35:47 GMT
>if someone is in a good humour then many situations are more enjoyable without any need for the situations to be humourous.
How is that?
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Post by maat on Jul 28, 2008 23:25:24 GMT
We have a natural tendency to see our own situation reflected back to us. If we are emitting 'light heartedness' it will bounce back to us under normal circumstances, even from inanimate things. Like an echo.
Exercise to test this... next time someone asks "how are you?" respond with a very enthusiastic "Excellent, thank you, how..." and see what happens. Also try this exercise with something inanimate and see what happens- if you're game ;D Betcha feel real good both times.
Maat
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Post by hollandr on Jul 30, 2008 3:07:33 GMT
In common parlance humour is often distinguished by its amusing nature
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | Date: 1996 amuse †beguile, delude XV; †distract, bewilder XVII; divert with entertaining matter. — (O)F. amuser †deceive; entertain, f. à AD- + muser MUSE1 .
I suspect that last is incorrect rather than ad-muse (going to the Muse) it is rather a-muse (going without the Muse)
Thus an tonal performance is music if it attracts the muses while if it does not then it is a-musing
So that brings me back to my comment above "It was as if my consciousness was above the level at which his humour existed."
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