Hey Max! Re: Humor

[mburbank]

I'm a big fan of crude humor, but only if it's done well, and the cruder it is, the harder that is.

The problem I think, is that for a lot of folks, humor is largely about recognition, and people know you laugh when someone farts or curses. Comedians in training rely heavily on cheap laughs, and it's no suprise. It can be awful out there and knowing you can get a laugh by saying "I MEAN, WHAT THE FUCK, HUH?" is a huge relief.

The other thing to take into account is historical context. A lot of the things you're thinking of in Animal house and KFM had never been done before, and now they're almost a requirement. You can't see a comedy movie that doesn't ave fart jokes in it. It's not allowed, it's totally the law. It's the exact opposite of breaking a taboo, which is what made it funny the first time. On the other hand, I can think of a South park where they made a fart joke over and over and over, and to me that was funny because by running it into the ground they're illustrating how required it is. Terrence and Philip is funny to me because someone who doesn't like South park wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I guess what it bils down to, for me, is intention and skill. What did they mean to do with the crude joke, and how well did they execute it.