so i've been pondering the sense of humor across the pond. self-deprecating humor was always a person fave- the likes of J. Stewart, Conan, pug-nosed Ricky G and Chapelle (not on Oprah) = the height of hot. I blame Canada for my loser-loving insecurity-revealing affinity. that and being raised on SCTV (i don't actually hate the queen just her hats) and the muppet show (i self-identified with kermit).
take a look at the list of canadian comedians i copied and pasted from a blog written by Ethel. For a more thorough list with relevance to the current decade, Wiki that stuff - i'm trying to reduce and reuse.
- Will Arnett
- Dan Aykroyd
- Samantha Bee
- Brent Butt
- John Candy
- Jim Carrey
- Tommy Chong (who that?)
- Joe Flaherty
- Dave Foley
- Tom Green
- Phil Hartman
- Jason Jones
- Eugene Levy
- Rich Little
- Tim Long
- Mike MacDonald
- Norm Macdonald
- Eric McCormack
- Bruce McCulloch
- Kevin McDonald
- Mark McKinney
- Howie Mandel (we're sorry)
- Andrea Martin
- Lorne Michaels
- Rick Moranis
- Mike Myers
- Leslie Nielsen
- Catherine O’Hara
- Caroline Rhea
- William Shatner
- Martin Short (my facial expression exemplar)
- Frank Shuster
- David Steinberg
- Seth Rogen
- Saul Rubinek
- Mort Saul
- Ron Sparks
- Ryan Stiles
- Dave Thomas
- Scott Thompson
- Johnny Wayne
I highly doubt that this bunch would make it anywhere else. except potentially new zealand but keep in mind Brett and Gemaine are 100% better looking and do not require an average of 55 lbs to be photoshopped off of each member (sweet American influence).
the British dry wit is delightful; defs lots lost in translation however. sometimes i get the urge to call some profs out for their unintentional (presumed) disregard for the plethora of internationals. Case in point: with respect to fire and safety in Manchester after mentioning there are only 2 fire trucks and 9 firefighters for the massive area, "You shan't find yourself in harm's way unless you are in the unfortunate position of being in my class. i have set fire to the building twice." - dead-panned by Prof whom we soon found out had in fact set fire to the building. i haven't seen one demure Singaporean dude since.
this is all in sharp contrast to SARCASM.
Watch: My favourite pairing.
sometimes that stuff be ever so grating. i'm not sure if it's my predilection to over-analyze everything but it's quite easy to pick out whom is carrying on so purely in jest vs. needing to dominate the conversation and thus boost their ego.
Trust a THERAPIST>
"So why do wisecrackers keep their bons mots coming at the risk of alienating others? Though they may not be aware of it, sarcasm is their means of indirectly expressing aggression toward others and insecurity about themselves. Wrapping their thoughts in a joke shields them from the vulnerability that comes with directly putting one's opinions out there. "Sarcastic people protect themselves by only letting the world see a superficial part of who they are," says Steven Stosny, a Washington-based therapist and anger specialist. "They're very into impression management." Because humor and hostility often come mixed together, it can be difficult to pinpoint a wisecracker's primary intent. "Sometimes sarcasm is humor—purely a Don Rickles kind of joking—and sometimes it's just innocently insensitive," Stosny (Stosny! Hah!) says. "But other times, it's devaluing."
Devaluing schmaluing, buddy's got a point though. while not an admonition of some good ol' back'n'forth it may be indicative of a deep-seated napolean complex/narcissistic personality disorder. jkjk. although now that i think of it....
suppose i just don't know what i don't know is about all i know.
next time: the ego-protective factors of slang/gang-speak aka don't b judgin moi cos i jus ain't b takin yous lot srsly as evidenced by me typings
ps
The best pompadoured Harvard Grad:
http://www.noob.us/humor/conan-obriens-harvard-commencement-speech-video/
