Another thought is how the emotion is diverted into another response because of cultural expectations.
On Nov 30, 9:04 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > Me too Molly - I wonder what the term 'I didn't know whether to laugh > or cry' means? > > On 1 Dec, 00:06, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > would much rather be laughing. > > > On Friday, November 30, 2012 6:29:50 AM UTC-5, andrew vecsey wrote: > > > > What In find interesting is how it is almost impossible to see the > > > physical difference of someone laughing his head off and someone crying > > > his > > > heart out. Both are a result of a sudden unexpected disclosure of truth.. > > > > On Saturday, November 24, 2012 7:51:00 PM UTC+1, archytas 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?- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --
