Hatrack River Forum: A Worrying Trend Towards Glumness

This is topic A Worrying Trend Towards Glumness in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

Wow. Scary! This had better not affect the comedians!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050524/lf_afp/afplifestylebritain_050524214117

"Britain is suffering a sense of humour failure, with laughter levels three times lower now than 50 years ago and nearly half of all adults unable to enjoy at least one big guffaw a day, research showed."

Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :

Maybe they aren't getting the funny?

Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :

quote:
Around 16 million adults, totalling 40 percent, said they failed to muster even one proper belly laugh in an average day.

Is that an estimate? Cause I find it hard to believe that 16 million people actually answered this... o_O

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

I know I have to search to find things that I find genuinely funny the past few years.

Although I seem to be in the minority. My family and coworkers rave about movies like "Meet the Fockers" but I just roll my eyes.

I still end up rolling on the floor from "Whose line is it anyway" though. [Smile]

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

Christy doesn't like www.qwantz.com -- which I think is proof of the point. [Smile]

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Here I was thinking that you're getting diagnosed with clinical depression! Don't scare me like that, Elizabeth!

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :

http://www.qwantz.com/fanart/trexmariodeadpan5gk.gif

OK, that was funny. :D

Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :

Wasn't.

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :

Thbbbppppt.

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

I maybe laugh like that once a week! If I'm lucky! Since when has it been a a daily requirement?

Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

I laugh hard, and often. My husband barely ever laughs hard, but it doesn't mean he doesn't think things are funny, he is just more reserved.

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

Exactly. It takes a lot to make me laugh loud and long.

Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :

I'm going to go all wacky on you all here and propose that it's because popular humor these days is sarcastic and mean and leaves everyone worse off than when they started.

Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

It's funny you say that, Annie.
I think of my step father-in-law. That man watches reruns of I Love Lucy and Jack Benney, and laughs so hard each time it makes me laugh just hearing him.

Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :

You know, I haven't had that problem. I've laughed at something that's come to mind, completely out of the blue, and people have stared at me because of it. Even the news makes me laugh sometimes: "Polls split 49-49 as to whether Bush is a uniter, divider" is a particularly memorable one that I saw here on Hatrack. [Big Grin]

--j_k

Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :

quote:
Around 16 million adults, totalling 40 percent, said they failed to muster even one proper belly laugh in an average day.

The sixteen million is 40% of their sample?

That means that they would have had to have asked about two thirds of the population of Britain!

Which I find unlikely.

Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :

Maybe it was 40% of their sample, which the article then extrapolated to 40% of Britain.