Thoughts on humor

After that last post, I figured it would be a good time to write about something I've been giving more and more thought to over the last 2 years or so. I really don't know what I'm going to say here, except I'll be shooting.

There's such a delicacy and craftiness when it comes to making people laugh. Some people laugh at almost anything and some only find certain things funny. Satire, slapstick, riddles, real life situations, stupid people, wahtever the case may be. Now as someone who is known by a lot of people as being a jokester (good or bad, you make the call) I am starting to ponder the whole thing and I'm starting to make some conclusions on this issue.

First of all, some people don't agree with this thought at all, particularly my mother. But I think a self-depricating sense of humor is good when it's done right. If you have some confidence about yourself, then I think it's good to tease yourself in front of others on occasion. I emphasize on occasion, because if you do it too much, it gets stale and it gets stale quickly. But I think people who poke fun at themsleves (and I am certainly one of them), they have to have a little bit of insecurity somewhere inside of them. I mean we all want to be accepted by other people, but I think this takes it to another level.

I never minded telling an outrageous joke once in a while, mostly because I like the reaction. The roll of the eyes, the groan, the sigh, the shake of the head, the smile that starts, but quickly drops down before it gives too much away. Most of the time, when someone hears a bad or risky joke, maybe a part of them is irked, but you know what I think? I think they wish they had the nerve to say it themselves.

Now I have done a lot of activities with the intent of making people laugh: stand-up, acting, they way I play Whirlyball. And my singing can't be too far behind on that list either.

But do you know what is the most frustrating thing about my humor? I am at my funniest when I'm not trying. This is according to other people and I wish it wasn't that way sometimes. But I'm starting to think the funniest things are not pre-meditated, they're just things that pop out or just happen. Random conversations, your pants accidentally dropping when you're in front of a crowd (I witnessed this, it didn't happen to me) those are things you remember. Even if you can't remember exactly what it was you were talking about, you know the feeling you had when you were laughing. That doesn't fade away.

I always thought that people who were funny always had a quick answer for everything. It seems like some people just have a gift for always saying the right thing, in just the right way, at the right time. Wit is something I find appealing. It's unusual to find and it's hard to learn. It seems you either have it or you don't.

But here's the question. (And this is rhetorical) What makes someone funny? Is it because they have a sharp mind and can react quickly in the right way? Does it depend on what others find funny and how he relates to them? Or is it that they're always in a jovial, humorous mood? Is it a combination of factors?