Response To Lead Blog November 13

I have actually never seen family feud. I have seen game shows like Jeopardy, and I enjoy shows like this. I feel as I am sucked into the action by just watching it. Sometimes, I find myself shouting out the answers to the questions. I did find this clip funny. What made it funny was the way Steve Harvey reacted to the guy answering the questions. He entertained it rather than just completely ignoring the mistake. The laughter of the audience made me laugh even harder. The guy seemed beyond embarrassed, which mad the situation more amusing. I can also relate to this. We all probably can. Being under pressure can make people do things out of panic or nervousness. Sometimes, pressure can make people freeze. I've played games where I had to say the first thing that came to mind in relation to something specific. Being able to relate to a situation makes it easier to laugh about it. Overall, I found this entertaining. Relief theory is the best one to describe this situation because it was pure entertainment.

Lead Blog

Hey everyone! This week, I decided to share a video clip from the Ellen Show. While I was watching youtube the other day, I stumbled across this video. This is a typical Ellen segment in which she invites people who became famous courtesy of a video that happened to go viral. In this case, Ellen's guests are a mother named Erika and her three year old son John. Erika had recorded a video of herself confronting John about eating sprinkles. We are shown a small portion of the original video, in which John continues to adamantly lie about eating the sprinkles. I found this entire video hilarious. I love baby and kid humor. It's timeless and can make me smile any day. The innocence of children is clearly portrayed in this video. The way John answered each of Ellen's questions with a simple "Yeah!" shows that he wasn't intentionally lying. The part that cracked me up was when Ellen asked John if he had a pet, and he said that he had a puppy named tick. Tick is a rather unusual name for a puppy, and the humor of the situation was increased when the audience learns that "Tick" is a figment of John's imagination. By the time Ellen had asked John if he had ever driven a car, it was clear that he didn't really understand the questions he was being asked. I was surprised by how chill and relaxed the mother was. She seemed to entertain the situation and enjoy the crazy amount of attention her son was receiving. John and his mother's reactions to getting the shirts and the sprinkles was priceless. The most logical theory which could explain the humor of this video would have to be relief theory. It is pure entertainment, and the humor is harmless. Incongruity theory could also work here. It's not common that a family winds up on a universally famous talk show because of a mischievous three year old. The meer fact that John and his mother are being interviewed is hilarious. This is also a relatable scenario. Many parents have experienced times when their young children had been engaging in mischief and were caught red handed. A key to humor is the ability to strike an emotional cord. Overall, I enjoyed this video, and I think that John is an adorable little kid. You can never go wrong with child humor.

Response To Lead Blog November 6

I have heard of the show Wipe Out, but I never knew what it was about. In fact, it sort of reminds me of the show American Ninja Warrior, except that it seems to show more fails than successes. I've never been a fan of these kinds of shows because they are extremely visual. E en when my mom tried to explain the video to me, I wasn't able to properly laugh at it because I wasn't getting the full experience. The things the contestants were doing sounded dangerous. I do find physical humor entertaining. Often ties than not, I laugh at my self when I fall, unless I am in immense pain. I agree that superiority theory is definitely the one that works here. It's easy to think "Haha" when you see someone fall You begin to feel that it sucks for them. Many times, people are glad that it wasn't happening to them. Overall, I laugh at physical humor, but I didn't necessarily find this video funny.

Response To Lead Blog October 30

When I first heard that this video was about talking animals, I was curious. When I hear the term talking animals, I think of the little cartoons I used to watch as a child. This video was interesting. Honestly, at first, I was really confused. I had no idea what was going on. I just heard human voices, and I was thinking that there was no way an animal could produce such sounds. I am amazed as to how this clip was put together. Was it ventriloquism? I had difficulty wrapping my mind around that when the people were speaking, it looked like the animal was speaking. I guess that's just the vision barrier. Either way, I got a laugh out of it. The clips with the laughing birds cracked me up. Laughter is contagious, especially if it sounds funny in the first place. It was funnier because I was imagining a bird actually laughing. Also, the otter that kept calling some one's name was pretty funny as well. This video reminded me of a video I have seen before on YouTube where goats screamed like humans. That video could make anyone crack a smile. The screams were so similar to human ones it was unbelievable. I think that the fact that we new that humans were doing the talking sort of took away some of the humor. However, I attribute most of my confusion to the visual aspects of the clips. I do agree that incongruity theory was definitely a possible reason for laughter in this situation. Most people don't expect others to so deeply try to interpret animal behaviors.

Response To Lead Blog October 23

language is a fascinating thing. It can bring strangers together andbe the material of amazing conversations. In all honesty, this video was rather difficult for me to understand. I imagined that it would switch from people speaking English to other people speaking different languages. However, it seemed like the people were mostly speaking in English. My confusion resulted from not being able to access the subtitles when foreign languages were spoken. Despite this, I do understand the beauty of being bilingual. I speak Arabic and English fluently, and I believe that it is a wonderful thing to speak multiple languages. It adds a unique aspect to your life. I can switch between the languages accordingly. Whenever I tell anyone that I can speak Arabic, the reactions I get are priceless. Some people are stunned. Others just think it's really cool, and others ask me to say something in Arabic. Also, being bilingual allows me to more easily learn a new language. I am learning Spanish right now, and I find it easy to learn. It's also nice to be able to speak two languages because if I needed to convey a private message to someone, I could say what I need to say in the language I find appropriate. For example, if I am having a personal phone call with a family member, I may speak in Arabic in order to keep it private. These are just some of the advantages of being bilingual. I am thankful that I am able to speak more than one language.

Response To Lead Blog October 16

I've never really thought much about Whole Foods. I've been there a few times, and the only product I am familiar with is their fruit tarts. They are rather delicious, and I recommend them to anyone who loves some good desserts. Moving on, I thought the article was hilarious. Before reading it, I wasn't expecting to get a good laugh out of it since I don't know much about Whole Foods and what all they sell. I think the way the author exaggerated the events of her experience made the article all the more entertaining. That's the talent comedians possess. They are able to turn an every day experience into a funny story. I also agree that it is mind boggling how gullible human beings are. We believe anything that is said to have good for us. The idea of a machine that tells you how "ugly" you are sounds utterly ridiculous to me, and I couldn't tell if the author was serious or if she was just joking.  I think that this article was meant to satirize human tendency to easily fall into trends. It's interesting to hear some one's perspective on this topic. It's hard to pick which theory actually applies to this situation.

Response to Lead Blog October 9

Mean girls is one of those movies that I've heard about so much that I wonder what all the buzz is about. People quote it all the time, and honestly, I feel that these references don't sound like anything people wouldn't usually say. I haven't actually seen this film, but I have heard of the characters. However, I found this clip rather entertaining. I got the impression that it was a montage of different scenes put together. The ridiculousness of some of the lines was definitely chuckle worthy. To me, high school dramas are kind of ridiculous in general. I've been through high school, and life doesn't revolve around the "popular people." In fact, I never noticed distinct cliques at my school. Despite this, it's interesting watching the unraveling of plots of stories like this. Mean girls seems like a highly exaggerated portrayal of high school. I personally found it hard to pinpoint an exact humor theory that made this clip funny. Perhaps it was the sheer silliness of it. Relief theory could be the winner because the viewer might be relieved that high school isn't really the way it is portrayed in the movie. Either way, Mean Girls is still funny, however, I don't understand why it is considered classic.

Response to Lead Blog October 2

I've never been a fan of these types of videos. Every "Try Not To Laugh" challenge video I've attempted to watch has been visual. It's usually one of those videos with music and pictures. However, I was pleasantly surprised at this one. The style and structure was similar to that of a game show. I appreciated the presence of a host because it allowed me to somewhat understand what was happening. Unfortunately, even with the assistance of my mom, who tried to describe the video to me as much as she could, I was still confused. It seemed that each reaction lasted only a few seconds to a minute, and most of the time, the videos to which the people were reacting didn't seem to be audible to the viewer. However, I did enjoy some parts. My favorite moment was when the clip of the baby calling for his dad was shown. It was hilarious when the mail hit him in the face. Admittedly, I felt kind of bad for laughing about it because that poor little kid was probably shocked out of his mind. I think that both incongruity and superiority theory apply to this clip. As Kirsten said, no one would have expected the kid to get hit in the face. also, the laughter was sympathetic. We laugh because we feel bad for him. Another aspect of this video that I enjoyed was the participants' commentary on the clips they were shown. I found the comments they were making funnier than the videos themselves. Contrary to what I said before, I love watching reaction videos. The best ones are ones which include passionate, genuine reactions. I sometimes get the impression that people are exaggerating their reactions because they know that they are on camera. Reverse psychology is an interesting concept. When one is told not to perform a certain action, they feel compelled to do it just because they were told not to. I was laughing before I even clicked on the video. Throughout it, Iwas suppressing a smile. That may have been how the participants felt. As a whole, the video had its positives and negatives, but it gave me something to think about.

Response to Lead Blog September 25

I'm not an avid watcher of SNL, but I've seen some clips and skits here and there. I found this skit rather interesting. It seemed more chaotic than I expected. The people sounded frantic and scared. Despite this, I enjoyed it for the most part. I wasn't familiar with all the songs and artists being impersonated, but I do think that Bruno Mars is very talented. I have always loved impersonation videos. It's so fascinating how some people can capture the voices of others. Impersonations are the funniest when the impression is accurate. I think that this skit is funny in its own unique way. No comedy theory really pinpoints the reason behind the humor. This seems to contain silly everyday humor. Humor is an essential part of life. If it didn't exist, we would go crazy. Laughter relieves psychological stress and often times clears tentions or awkwardness. This is the very reason we often look for something funny when we are feeling down. I've definitely seen funnier impressions, but I enjoyed this. Sometimes things are funnier when I don't expect them to be. For example, if some one informed me of a certain comedian and told me that he or she was hilarious, I am more likely to approach his or her work from a critical angle. Also, things are funnier when I understand the joke. On talk showsy the hosts often poke fun at topics that are not necessarily understood by everyone. Creativity is another aspect of great comedy. This SNL skit was pretty creative. Creativity, relatibility, and good punch lines are my top three most important elements of good comedy.

Response To Lead Blog September 18

I have heard of Aziz Ansari in the past, but all this time, I thought he was an actor. It was slightly surprising to learn that he is a stand up comedian. Aside from that, I thought certain aspects of this clip were funny. The way in which he is looking at marriage in itself is funny. To most people, marriage is considered one of the happiest moments in a person's life. On the contrary, Ansari views it at an almost morbid angle. The overanalysis of such an underanalyzed topic is the body of the humor. The addition of the voices and sound effects also assisted in making it funny. I personally love stand up comedy, even though I don't watch a lot of it, and it's always interesting to watch comedians perform small skits to validate their claims. I think that the incongruity theory is the most prevalent one in this clip. Most people wouldn't associate the topic of marriage with humor, so the way Ansari breaks it down is unexpected to the viewer. Relief theory could also be applied here. Ansar is taking what is perceived to be a serious situation and making light of it. It's interesting how such a short clip can send a message. This clip could be compared to a vine. Obviously, vines are considerably shorter than this because they are only six seconds long, but those six seconds hold a lot. Many times, I have watched a vine over and over again. This video truly shows that quality is more important than quantity.

My Favorite Comedy THeory

If I'm being completely honest, I have never thought deeply about the reasons we find various situations humorous. Laughter is a fascinating form of emotional expression, and I am interested in digging deeper into the subject matter. I now know that here are three main theories of humor, however, the one which I find most convincing is the relief theory. Many awkward situations can lend themselves to nervous laughter. People make jokes to lighten a negative mood. People laugh when they are simply just happy. A great example of this theory is if someone's silly cell phone ringtone went off in the middle of a serious meeting. The people in the meeting would most likely laugh. This is a form of relief. Although this theory resonates with me the most, I do feel that all the comedy theories make sense. We can't exactly pinpoint the reason for our laughter because each situation differs. Every situation lends itself to a different analysis.

Baby Laughing Hysterically at Ripping Paper (Original)

This video earned its unprecedented fame back in 2011, yet it never fails to crack me up. Baby humor is timeless and can always put a smile on my face no matter my mood. In the video, a dejected father is seen ripping up a job rejection letter, which for some unknown reason, sends his 8 month old son into hysterics. The reason for which we find such great amusement in baby laughter is rather unknown, however, it could be one of a few. Most people would simply explain their pleasure by pointing out the cuteness of the baby. Admittedly, the baby is adorable, but the reason for our laughter could be much deeper. It could be attributed to the incongruity theory of humor. Most of us wouldn't expect someone to laugh at his or her parent's failure. The father's anger about being rejected and the baby's hysterical laughter are two incongruous events. The baby's reaction catches us off guard, which then brings on the laughter. One may also find this funny because the baby is clearly oblivious to his father's feelings.