Learning Experience 2

            After covering Carroll’s perception of the basic theories of humor, we moved into The Comic Toolbox: How to be Funny Even if You’re Not, in which we became familiar with the theory of truth and pain as a way of explaining what humans find funny. I found this theory fascinating because it explained many of the situations the superiority theory explained through a more all-encompassing light. Like all theories on humor, it could not define the subject alone, but it does open a window through which to view the subject.

            It seems natural that relatable instances of the truth and pain that comprise our human existence might be perceived as comical, but like any good theory, it makes sense when its told to a person, but that person most likely would not have come up with the theory on his or her own. Upon reading his theory, I reflected back to some of the America’s Funniest Home Videos episodes I laughed at as a child. Many of these clips are merely children falling over accompanied by a cheesy comment made by Bob Saggot (or whoever the new announcer for the show might be). However, according to the theory, I would find this funny because I, too, have fallen over, and it reveals the truth that humans are not quite as sophisticated and coordinated as we might think we are. While I may have thought that these things were funny because they weren’t happening to me (based on principles outlined in the superiority theory of humor) before reading Vorhaus, I think that at a certain point, physical pain incurred by others is no longer funny, especially when it looks like it could cause significant bodily harm. I believe that Vorhaus’ theory provides a solution to this obstruction of the logic presented by the superiority theory by saying that it needs to be a relatable pain that reveals some truth about humanity. Watching a skateboarder’s shin bone protrude through his skin is not relatable nor does it relate anything about humanity aside from its fragility.

            In life, I have noted this theory present itself frequently since my first reading of it, particularly in relation to the internet memes I look at in the mornings before going to class. The majority of these short snip-its of entertainment possess the qualities outlined in Vorhaus’ text. One that I read recently related the struggles of finals week with an image of Boromir from Lord of the Rings and a text that read, “Brace yourself. The grades are coming.” Obviously, the relation of finals week to the gruesome battle that was about to ensue in the LOTR films and books is an exaggeration, but that pain and struggle is felt by all students during this time of the year, and it reveals the truth that we as students inherently panic over grades and final exams because of the societal value assigned to them.