Lead Blog Response: Comedy vs. Seriousness

As we have learned, laughing at the expense of others' pain or suffering could very well be the epitome of comedy. Although there are types of humor that do not directly involve someone getting hurt, whether physically or emotionally, a good majority involves observing others in uncomfortable situations, or otherwise ridiculing them for something that makes observers feel superior. In the article "Waiting for the Conservative Jon Stewart", the "benign-violation theory" is briefly discussed. The term, coined by professor Peter McGraw, proposes that humor stems from degrading either an individual or a group, but it is only found funny by the audience if they know that the subject of the joke is not actually being harmed.

Now, this is not always the case, especially in YouTube/Vine culture. Most times, a funny video of a kid wiping out or an animal foolishly injuring itself are real occurrences. We may find these videos funny at first, but are usually hit with a feeling of guilt afterwards. However, this feeling quickly goes away, as we are becoming more and more desensitized from seeing these types of videos. I think that we have developed a sort of emotional disconnect, meaning, our mind doesn't fully register that this was initially a serious situation. We figure that since it has become a viral video, the subject in peril must have turned out to be okay. I think social media has made the line between what is funny and what is taking things too far even more difficult to distinguish.

In comedy films such as The Hangover, the audience expects to laugh. They know that the pain and suffering experienced by the characters is not real, therefore find it acceptable to find it humorous. In the movie, the kids laugh at Stu and Phil being tasered, but react with more shock when Alan becomes unable to move. If any of us watching were actually in the situation, we would probably react the same way, because we would worry that he wasn't okay. But after the cop tasers him again, he falls down and the tension is released.