Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The History of Funny

Tonight I was watching a really cool retrospective of 100 years of American comedy.

Laughter is an essential part of a healthy state of mind. Finding humor & absurdity in the world definitely makes it easier to deal with. Even though I usually give off a first impression of being really serious, I love to joke around. Dinner with my family has always been like a comedy round table.


Inevitably, many once-popular performers & shows have been forgotten over time.

Watching the segments of comedy through the years, the material doesn't seem to change much. Just the settings and characters change.

I've also noticed that alot of humor involves the mishaps or misfortune of others. It's either that or some kind of 'cuteness' factor.

Seeing this history of American funniness made me think of a story I read about. Amazingly, archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest recorded joke.

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