Eagan Independent | Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Features
Common Sense and a Sense of Humor
By Jouapag Lee Features Editor
Having a sense of humor is arguably essential to making it through not only high school, but also the rest of your life. To be able to laugh or smile at your mistakes or own idiocy is a key to being happier. In fact, humor cannot be learned; it is acquired and developed as we interact with each other. Often, laughter is a way we approach an otherwise overwhelming prospect. Humor is how we build relationships, how we meet new people. Humor though is a doubleedged sword. While it is a universal language, it can also pick at divides in society. For example, laughing at something we shouldn’t be, racist jokes or even obscene degrading jokes. Thus, we’ve decided to take an all-around
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Comedian Central:
Stand Up Comedy & their Personalities
By Tara Huusko Features Writer Stand-up comedy is a type of comedy in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience. Stand-up comedy performances are generally short, and consist of short “bits.” These “bits” can be short stories (of the comedic variety), jokes, or one-liners. The act that these bits make up is called a monologue. Often, stand-up comedians work for years to perfect a forty-five minute routine that they repeat often. As Will Ferrell said, stand-up comedy is “Hard, lonely, and vicious.” (Just think the Tonight Show and Jay Leno versus Conan O’Brien.) Stand-up comedy has its roots in traditional 19th century entertainment such as vaudeville. The fathers of US stand-up comedy are Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Milton Berle, and Frank Fay, who all came from vaudeville. The well-known show Saturday Night Live launched the careers of many stand-up comedians.
Will Ferrell: Will Ferrell is a very well known comedian. After graduating from USC with a degree in Sports
look at humor. Whether that humor crosses cultures, genders, or age, it’s important to understand what it is and why it is the human gift got coping and survival. This April, we introduce “Humor” as our month’s theme. All things considered, it’s not a bad way to kick off third tri, which in itself is an otherwise overwhelming prospect.
Information, Ferrell became a member of The Groundings, an improv comedy group. In 1995, Ferrell joined the cast of SNL. He is probably the best-known President George W Bush impersonator. Ferrell then transferred his comedic ability to film. His films range from Elf, to Step Brothers. Ferrell also created the website funnyordie.com. Funny or Die is a website where short comedy films are uploaded and available for viewing.
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Steve Martin: Martin’s career was started in the 1960’s, and by the mid 1970’s Martin was a regular come-
I don’t Get it...
dian on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Martin also joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. During the 1970’s Martin was well-known for his offbeat comedy acts, later branching out to other forms of entertainment such as acting and producing. Along with an impressive film resume, Martin is also a successful writer has published several books. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy in 2000.
Why Is It Funny there & Not Here? By Sarah Swenson Features Writer Since America has been a country, its humor has evolved separately from other countries around the world. The things that we might find to be hilarious here aren’t necessarily considered funny anywhere else. Likewise, we might not find much appealing about the humor from other places. In America, one might say that the humor is slightly less sophisticated than in most other countries. Bodily functions are often found to be hilarious by most Americans; physical comedy is another commonly used theme throughout our comedic history. Much of the humor pokes fun at the different aspects of American culture- this is known as an “observational” humor technique. Most of the humor in the United States isn’t quite as understated as humor often is in other countries. Although this sometimes makes it seem over the top or ridiculous, it is a staple of American humor. The main outlets for American humor are movies and television shows. However, humor is all around us; in newspapers, magazines, advertisements, and live comedy. Television shows have developed from The Three Stooges and I Love Lucy to more modern shows like Friends and Two and A Half Men, and films have moved from the silent films of actors such as Charlie Chaplin to current movies featuring actors such as Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller. Americans look for a guffaw in their humor, and use less subtle methods to
achieve laughter. In opposition to American humor, there is British humor, which has the tendency to be very dry and sarcastic. British comedians tend to say everything with a straight face, as they did in Monty Python. Comedy from Britain tends to include innuendo, black comedy, mocking of the class system in Britain, foreigners, eccentric people, and everyday life. Much British humor is either extremely absurd such as Monty Python, or totally mundane, like the, originally British, TV show The Office. In other countries, comedy continues to differ. For instance in China, a majority of the humor is very historically based and many of the jokes have been around forever. In Japan, the game shows are entirely based upon ridiculous physical challenges. Showcased by the show I Survived a Japanese Game Show, these challenges can also be found online- and they are funny despite the inability to understand the language. Humor in Canada tends to be more polite and although there is satire, it tends to be a little nicer than some of the sarcasm is in England or America. Different countries have many diverse traditions when it comes to humor; yet each country can bring something to the table and teach the rest of the world something about humor. Many different shows and movies have been adapted into different countries, and genres of humor have grown across the globe to expand the ways that make us laugh.
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Bill Cosby: Cosby produced and starred in The Cosby Show. His show was not only a comedic reliever, but
also a historic sitcom that for the first time featured a middleclass African American family. As a growing comedian, Cosby differed from the majority of other stand-up comedians. While most comedians were using risqué material, Cosby made his reputation by taking material from his childhood. In 2009, Cosby was awarded the Mark Twain Prize, America’s foremost award for humor. Photo Courtesy of broadwayworld.com
What is... By Kristine Gates Features Writer Mark Twain said that “the human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” We all do it every day, but what is it really? Why do people laugh and what makes us laugh when we shouldn’t? Laughter is something that crosses international barriers. It’s something acknowledged in every language across the globe. Ranging from the usual “ha ha” to a “hee hee” sound, the noise is unmistakable and part of the universal vocabulary. However, the meaning and the purpose laughter serves aren’t very popular research topics. Most assume it is solely a response to comedy or a way to improve your mood, yet it is much more than that. It is actually an instinctive behavior programmed in through our genes rather than something learned. It is its own universal language that brings people
Laughter?
Photo by Rachel Larson
Laughter is mainly a social response, and is more likely to be triggered in an group than alone.
together. Furthermore, laughter is mainly a social response. When alone, people are more likely to either talk to themselves or smile than laugh; but while in a social situation, someone would more likely laugh at something. Laughter is more of an unconscious signal sent to others which practically disappears once a person is alone. Laughter is very difficult to control consciously. Most would say it is difficult or nearly impossible to laugh
on command without being forced. The atmosphere is the most likely trigger. Being in a group, playfulness, and positive emotional tones are the usual factors to create an environment for laughter. Laughter is also considered contagious, as many of us will attest to. Since the action is mainly unconsciously done, it is usually uncensored. This brings us to the question as to why we laugh when we shouldn’t. Generally it is thought because someone is Story cont on page 6