Skip to main content

Response to: Katherine's Comedy Blog

Jim Gaffigan

 I completely agree with Katherine's statement that Jim Gaffigan's main approach towards comedy is in relation to the superiority theory. A quote from Katherine's blog states, "Gaffigan's main style of comedy is self-depreciation mixed in with relatability," which is the ideal definition of the superiority theory. Sticking with the relatability aspect, the superiority theory can often correlate with the relief theory as well. Gaffigan often balances the superiority with the relief theory by using comically high pitched voices in terms of internal monologue to give the impression that everyone has the same insecurities. The audience tends to laugh at these types of jokes because Gaffigan makes fun of an ironic situation where the audience was oblivious to the topic at hand until Gaffigan actually points it out in his own ridiculous way.


Comments

  1. Caroline BassSeptember 28, 2018 at 10:42 AM

    Great post, Faith! I especially liked that you focused on the way Gaffigan uses comical voices to connect with the audience. That silliness definitely helps remove the "censor" we have when a serious topic is brought up. This idea also emphasizes the importance of delivery--there are plenty of comedians that should be funny in theory, but their delivery is poor and they therefore don't have as much success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shane HerronSeptember 28, 2018 at 12:45 PM

    The role of voices is, I think, almost always understudied in analysis of comedy. How many examples of comedy that are supposedly funny for a certain reason actually would not be funny without the voice? And we could use the same voice and make almost anything funny. I wonder if this actually undercuts any particular theory too?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sociological Perspective: Lead Blog Post

Human Interactions I am going to follow in the same direction as Paige, except take a more sociological approach. I analyzed this topic briefly in my blog post that was in response to Paige's lead blog post, however, I find human interactions very fascinating. Sociology studies human behavior and human interactions, and laughter is a significant part of interactions between individuals. We often study how humor is used to make fun of people (superiority theory) or to relieve stress (relief theory) however, laughter can also help alter people's perspective on important things in our lives. Humorous interactions seem to not be a top priority when people seek out comedic television shows or turn to political satire for their news. However, human interactions among other things shape our beliefs, behaviors, and overall opinions of the world. For example, two friends are interacting through conversation and one says jokingly, "we need to show compassion for the mentally ill...
4 comments
Read more

Response to: Alex's Comedy Blog

The Need for Laughter Most people find Friends funny. It is one of those shows that have been around forever but it is also one of those shows that you can watch multiple times and laugh just as hard as you did the first time you heard the joke. I completely agree with all of Alex's points on the basis that the three theories thoroughly encompasses the humor behind the show, however, the one that hit close to home was how integrated the relief theory was and how the characters use humor to handle some emotional setback in their life. First off, I believe that the relief theory can be understood in two different ways. One, watching a hilarious show like Friends can be therapeutic in a way and can be emotional for those who are watching it. Secondly, the relief theory can be incorporated into the show and how the characters use humor to distract themselves from their own problems and issues. In Alex's post, she says "m aking people laugh gives one a complete turn around ...
5 comments
Read more

Friends: The One With The Cop

FRIENDS SEASON FIVE EPISODE SIXTEEN The One With The Cop short clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2u0sN9stbA This is most people's all-time favorite episode from Friends but that is just because it is a classic. In this episode, Ross purchases a new couch but refuses to pay for delivery because the service costs nearly as much as the couch. He asks Rachel to help him carry it all the way to his apartment. The two get stuck trying to carry the couch up the stairs so Rachel decides to bring Chandler for help, but even the three of them can do nothing except manage to get the couch stuck. Eventually, the couch sustains so much damage that it ends up cut in half. Ross takes a chance and returns it to the store, but can only obtain $4 in store credit for exchange, which he accepts.  Comedy and to make people laugh is the main focus behind the Friends show. Each character has a specific personality that they portray that is geared towards the maximum amount of laughte...
1 comment
Read more