“A Jew, a Hindu, and a Christian walk into a bar–” Sound familiar?
For some reason, human beings like to hear things in groups of three.
Rhetorically speaking, this is sometimes called the Rule of Three, and it is just as powerful in a serious context as it is in humor.
Have you ever listened to someone use a microphone for the first time? Do you remember the first time you used one?
Maybe you were at the Chamber of Commerce’s giant, annual, Bring a Guest Meeting. The crowd was so big, that they rented a microphone for the occasion. The meeting director said a few words of welcome and then it was time for each person to introduce themselves to the group.
OMG, scientists have come up with a new approach to reduce the populations of mosquitoes without using pesticides. One of the recent proposals was … wait for it … mosquito birth control!
One evening, a few years ago, while sitting around with my family at the Thanksgiving Holiday table, we started talking about turkey trivia. I know, my family is interesting and a bit odd.
You are chatting with a co-worker at the water cooler, when he kicks you in the shins! Then he grins and says, “Just kidding.”
What is your response?
What is funny?
What makes us laugh?
Why is something “funny?”
In the most general of terms, humor is a way for humans to release tension in an uncomfortable situation. Peace, contentment, and joy are wonderful states of being; but they aren’t funny. Humor comes from the things that go wrong:
