Or in Allan's words: "we are all full of hot air and release it quickly. that is part of what make ME so good,"
2012/11/24 Molly <[email protected]> > I have seen it used recently as an ineffective cover for a badly > positioned provocative argument. "I was only kidding, she doesn't > understand my humor..." not hard to see through and not inspiring > confidence. The dance of the fool. > > Kind humor, irony, absurd, surprise are more my style than sarcasm or > more aggressive humor that derides or shames. > > There is no denying the biochemical rush that comes with laughing > oneself to tears, and the joy that comes with sharing such a moment. > > On Nov 24, 1:51 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > While there is only speculation about how humor developed in early > > humans, we know that by the 6th century BCE the Greeks had > > institutionalized it in the ritual known as comedy, and that it was > > performed with a contrasting dramatic form known as tragedy. Both were > > based on the violation of mental patterns and expectations, and in > > both the world is a tangle of conflicting systems where humans live in > > the shadow of failure, folly, and death. Like tragedy, comedy > > represents life as full of tension, danger, and struggle, with success > > or failure often depending on chance factors. Where they differ is in > > the responses of the lead characters to life's incongruities. > > Identifying with these characters, audiences at comedies and tragedies > > have contrasting responses to events in the dramas. And because these > > responses carry over to similar situations in life, comedy and tragedy > > embody contrasting responses to the incongruities in life. > > > > Tragedy valorizes serious, emotional engagement with life's problems, > > even struggle to the death. Along with epic, it is part of the Western > > heroic tradition that extols ideals, the willingness to fight for > > them, and honor. The tragic ethos is linked to patriarchy and > > militarism—many of its heroes are kings and conquerors—and it > > valorizes what Conrad Hyers (1996) calls Warrior Virtues—blind > > obedience, the willingness to kill or die on command, unquestioning > > loyalty, single-mindedness, resoluteness of purpose, and pride. > > > > Comedy, by contrast, embodies an anti-heroic, pragmatic attitude > > toward life's incongruities. From Aristophanes' Lysistrata to Charlie > > Chaplin's The Great Dictator to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, > > comedy has mocked the irrationality of militarism and blind respect > > for authority. Its own methods of handling conflict include deal- > > making, trickery, getting an enemy drunk, and running away. As the > > Irish saying goes, you're only a coward for a moment, but you're dead > > for the rest of your life. In place of Warrior Virtues, it extols > > critical thinking, cleverness, adaptability, and an appreciation of > > physical pleasures like eating, drinking, and sex. > > > > Much humour is cruel - but try and read cruelty in to 'Doctor, doctor, > > I've lost an electron'. 'Are you sure'? 'Yes, I'm positive'. > > > > What do we think humour is? > > -- > > > > --
