Humor: Do you have a sense of humor? How can humor be counterproductive?

[LightSun]

"Humor: Do you have a sense of humor or are you more a serious type? If you do have a sense of humor then what is your viewpoint of those people who don't? Being fair if you are considered by many as being a serious person then what is your view on humor? What is the purpose of humor? Is there a counterproductive-side?"

 

[Population: 1]

If I didn’t have a sense of humor I’d be a forgotten name on a tombstone or a frothing madman eating flies in an institution by now. Humor isn’t just for fun, it’s a life saving sanity preserving necessity imo. Humorless people need not apply for a position in my life. There are definitely times to be serious but being humorless just seems like you’re a walking corpse with all the charm one would expect from an individual bearing that description.

The downside? I think people like comedians, almost feel they have to be ‘on’ all the time. Musicians, authors, artists etc can talk about their craft outside of their craft. Comedians seem to get frowned upon for being real by a lot of people. And it’s true comedians usually have had hard lives and endured a lot of pain. (Christopher Titus definitely comes to mind) Seriously read their biographies. They obviously have serious sides to them and it has to be hard to feel like you can’t be taken seriously, that you’re never ‘off the clock’.

 

[Jaguar]

False dichotomy.

 

[Coriolis]

False dichotomy.

Agreed, although I find it hard to say.

 

[Yuurei]

Yes very much so. I take few things seriously.

Though it's frustrating because apparently people who have known me for more than ten years cannot tell when I am joking.

 

[Obfuscate]

i prefer to joke about serious matters and to take trivial things seriously... sometimes people take either approach to be something it isn't... when i am misinterpreted, sometimes i double down on my approach, and other times i will backpeddle... there are advantages and disadvantages to everything in life... unless something is a present danger, very little of it is worth getting worked up about... a lot of my humor is atypical or based on wordplay... i often chuckle to myself about connections i leap between, though i rarely explain it... i am not sure that i am a funny person... the people that do find me funny tend to think i am very much so... i give no shits if someone prefers a tounge in cheek or direct approach... all that matters to me is that they let me do things my way also... it bothers me when people are unable to accept a difference of opinion or approach...

 

[Mole]

I make people laugh all the time. Although I must be careful not to go for a second laugh because it will fall flat because the first laugh depends on being caught by surprise.

 

[chickpea]

i love to laugh and make others laugh. it would be nearly impossible for me to relate or feel a real connection to someone without a sense of humor. however, i can get along with people that have a different sense of humor than me.

 

[Fluffywolf]

It sucks when you are always dead serious, yet are never taken seriously.

/World in which I lack a sense of humor.

 

[Frosty]

Im pretty open about most things, have a sense of humor about most things, but I find there are certain things where I dont think its cool to joke about. Certain things that shouldnt be joked about. So I gusss Im also serious in some ways.

People who cant take a joke... can be annoying to me. People are too proud to ever allow themselves to be poked at... even lightly... especially if they poke at others- those people I think need to loosen up and stop being hypocrites

But that is a pretty specific situation

 

[Yara the Corpse]

I have humour yes. Though I can take other people literally just because I don't feel like looking into it lol.. sometimes I just am too lazy and have no patience for casual humour because I don't easily find humour in small apparent things of everyday life... like nothing surprises me.

It's mostly a lack of street smarts and basic intelligence that makes it impossible for me to know what people think is funny. Like if I don't think about apples then I won't understand jokes about how apples are blue, because I'd wonder wait maybe apples are blue. But to a normal person they'd immediately think "apples can't be blue" and laugh. So that's what's blocking me from laughing: I can't accept that a joke is as absurd as it is until I think about it.

And because of that I think humour can be lame and annoying.

But me... I have a sense of humour that .. Well I'm not sure what it is.

 

[LightSun]

"I view funny as having multiple dimensions of intent. (1) It can be cruel put down's. Bigotry can come into play. Scapegoating-is another aspect of cruel humor. (2) I find it a pet peeve when people make slights of other people's mistakes. For some strange ill undefined reason we tend to laugh at someone else's misfortunes. It's not funny. I personally find this quite a bit distasteful aspect and human humor. I don't like the term stupidity or other labels on a persons mistakes. Have we not all made mistakes?

Aren't we all human? Would we like it if we were dealt a strange hand of fate and found our own selves embroiled in any mess, scandal or embarrassing moment? Making fun of other people's misfortunes I find in poor taste. On the positive side, (4) What are the mechanisms for humor when we are overcome with it all the while belly aching in our seats? It is because there is an element of truth in the great stand up comedians material.

In a way they are philosophers in their own right. They put the intolerable into a humorous light. Comedy helps express horrors or injustice that we have difficulty discussing or articulating.We are therefore soothed and assuaged. We hear an uncomfortable truth that has yet to be addressed by society. I just happen to laugh when someone says something so funny that I lacked the courage to say. Nevertheless, this other person (comedian) laid it out all in the open finally, putting to rest the boogeyman. Strangely enough, it is funny.”