|
Humor is essentially a means for bringing together a community; that's why the 'inside joke' is always one of the funniest. But in a sense, all jokes are 'inside jokes'; the famous 'Didja ever notice...' routine creates us as an in-group ("Yeah, we did notice..."), and presumes an out-group of people less smart than us, who did not notice. We laugh at prat-falls because 'we' are far more adroit than this guy.
__________________
"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."
"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche
|