It's a question we've all been asked. Sometimes it's just continuing in the humour in a self-deprecating manner. At others it is honest, an expression of confusion. But what really is funny? Why do we laugh?
I'll start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. This week in my French class the teacher asked me what book I was reading. Quite honestly, I answered a book about the role of a branch of the British Secret Service dealing with Prisoners of War, Escapers and Evaders during World War Two. A slight ripple of laughter went round the class. Then, one person said 'I've read that too, it's a good book'. I hadn't even said the title and everyone knew it was taking the mick out of me, but everyone laughed. I, obviously, did not find it funny, but neither did it annoy me too much. The teacher, however, asked for who had said it. When they owned up, he gave us a five minute, highly enjoyable lecture about why it is not 'funny' to laugh at another persons expense, sentiments which I had held long before the incident. How can it be funny to laugh at someone? What is funny about racism, or sexism, yet this makes the backbone of many modern jokes. It is never acceptable to be racist say many people, so why tell jokes about Jews, or the French, or whoever. Because it is cheap and easy humour? That's pretty pathetic. If the only way you can attract girls is by making them laugh and the only way you can do that is by being racist, then you're not clever or witty, you're racist. I draw the line between racist jokes and innuendo. Strong innuendo is, again, stupid I feel. But mild innuendo is okay. But being racist is not. Why, oh why, do so many shows these days deal only in that sort of humour. I also see the difference between the extreme (and pretty pointless) violence of the Young Ones and Bottom and racist jokes. But, then again, if the only way you can make the audience laugh is by sticking an axe through someones head, what does that say about humanity?
So, to conclude, why does modern humour have to revolve around slacking someone off? Can people just grow up and write some decent comedy. You may say I just want Morecambe and Wise, Dad's Army, The Goodies and the Muppets back and you'd almost certainly be right. Well, are you all going to learn and mature, or will I have to learn to write for myself?