We sell... french... fries?

Why is this quote so funny?

-Phil

Phil wrote:

Ever seen a hamburger that can take a bite out of you? Sincerely, Little Girl

I did once. I never dared to go back to Wendy's after witnessing that.

Jay

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand."--Homer Simpson

I know I'm screwing up this quote, but here it is anyways- Ew! You ate at Arby's.

in article [email], Jay K. at [email] wrote on 8/9/01 1:45 PM:

I prefer "I'm so hungry I could eat at Arby's" Dave

"SPAMMO" wrote in message news:B7984783.9407%[email]...

Simpson

On Thu, 9 Aug 2001, Phil wrote:

Analysing humour is always a frightening proposition, and normally at the end of it, if the writer doesn't end up sounding like a pretentious oaf, the joke is ruined (cf. the profile of George Meyer in the New Yorker a last year, who is described as being able to explain a joke while still keeping it funny).

However, I think it has to do somewhat with the discussion of last week concerning the unanticipated being the basis of all humour. There were exceptions to that rule, especially concerning running gags, but those mostly have to do with the the anticipation of finding the familiar in a new (unanticipated) context. The running gag becomes stale when the contexts can't vary from application to application.

So let's stick to unanticipated, surprise, etc. as the basis for humor. This can also cover the idea of a character's inattentiveness, stupidity, silliness, even psychopathy. As observers of a narrative we understand the situation, yet are confronted with the shock of why the participants within the narrative don't understand. That's why Shakespeare's comedies are called 'comedies': the audience knows the source of the confusion from the start. As characters develop, and as we know them as well as we know our own culture, we can be surprised by their insight when they have been presented as less than the brightest of lights. Bart - "I'm familiar with the works of Pablo Naruda," Homer - "Karmic realignment can only be apportioned by the cosmos!" (forgive if the quotes are off a bit).

In humour and satire, a familiarity with that which is being lampooned or referenced heightens our comedic appreciation. We recognise not only explicit references to popular culture and 'high' culture, but also the everyday, commonsense, habitual cluster of insights with which we operate in the workaday world. This includes broad caricatures of character types (immigrant shop-keepers, employees at the DMV, annoying Christians, and so forth). The Simpsons plays with that folk knowledge, and tweaks the actions in a way that is both true to those archetype but pushes it to an unexpected level.

With Grampa, we know he is old, we know he is out of touch with the modern culture, we know he swings between piss & vinegar and fear. We also have experience with the elderly getting fast food jobs. So the situation is true to us.

But (and this is the answer to your question), to be SO out of touch with modern living as to find the concept of french fries both foreign and bewildering is shocking to us. When we hear it, its that briefest flicker of the unanticipated that jolts us from complacency. "Re-cy-cling?" works the same way.

Lastly, everything that could be said for the comic can go for the tragic. Where the difference lies is (1) in our grasp of the consequences of the character's shaky grasp of the situation and (2) in the fellow-feeling we have for the characters in general. The Simpsons could never have been a live-action show, because we need that level of remove from their actions. It was only after time developed the characters that the writers could introduce bittersweet and (dare I say) sentimental moments. We can watch a crudely animated boy being choked by his father in a moment of rage - we couldn't watch a child actor (well, that kid from Dick Tracy, maybe). A real old man lost in a world that has advanced past him until all is unfamiliar is too painful to watch (that's why I don't like going to malls), but the catharsis allowed by laughing at the representation of the situation can, in a way, appreciate the seriousness of the reality better.

I'm Kent Brockman, and that's My Two Cents

ian

In article , Ian Bernard Brodie wrote:

"Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. You can do it, but it tends to die in the process."

Garry Trudeau

On Thu, 9 Aug 2001, Phil wrote:

It works on so many levels!

/ Kristian

+-------------------------------------------------------+
|Kristian Ronge                                         |
|[email]    [email]             |
|(civil)                (skola)                         |

|d99, datateknik, KTH (Kungliga Tekniska H�gskolan)     |
|d99, Computer Science, Royal Institute of Technology   |
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"Kristian Ronge" wrote in message news:[email]...

the ball! the groin!

sorry, i think we did that the wrong way round

On Sat, 11 Aug 2001, Scott Vivian wrote:

True, but it's still all good.

/ Kristian

+-------------------------------------------------------+
|Kristian Ronge                                         |
|[email]    [email]             |
|(civil)                (skola)                         |

|d99, datateknik, KTH (Kungliga Tekniska H�gskolan)     |
|d99, Computer Science, Royal Institute of Technology   |
+-------------------------------------------------------+