References

1. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
2. Gervais, Ricky. "The Difference Between American and British Humour | TIME.com." Ideas The Difference Between American and British Humour Comments. Time Magazine, 09 Nov. 2011. Web.
3. TheFutonCritic.com. December 10, 2013.
4. Kohut, Andrew (2006) America Against the World, Times Books, ISBN 0-8050-7721-9 (288 pages).
5. Rourke, Constance, (1959 ed.) American Humor: A Study of the National Character on the American Studies at Univ. of Virginia webs, (324 pp.)
6. American Humor.org The home page of the American Humor Studies Association
7. "Adult Swim Video.com". Video.adultswim.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2011

The Strange, New and Progressive in American Comedy

In previous posts, I talked mostly about the bare bones of American humor. I discussed American stereotypes and how they influence comedy... I looked at characters that are popular in both stand-up comedy and television shows: the misinformed patriot, the offensive, straight-forward "Yankee" comedian who goes for the cheap laughs. 

It is important to take into consideration that historically, there has been a counter-culture present in American comedy (and all comedy, for that matter.) All comedy in America is not like Family Guy (or The Big Bang Theory...or Friends...) and in fact there is a lot of alternative comedy on the rise, and it is increasing in popularity among Americans. The humor is still "alternative" in nature. It is more likely that the average American sitting at home on a weeknight will turn on Fox to watch Family Guy or New Girl. But the comedies I am referring to are not completely obscure either, especially among people from the ages of 16-30. 

Sketch shows reminiscent of Saturday Night Live have taken off in a new direction; shows such as Key & Peele, Inside Amy Schumer and Portlandia (all of which are sketch shows, but aimed at a specific audience that will "get" the humor, and not nearly as mainstream as SNL) are increasing in popularity among Americans. The humor in these shows does not necessarily follow the American "formula" for comedy, yet it still works among many audiences. 

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, from the Comedy Central show Key & Peele

The narrative seems to be changing to a more progressive one. Comedians like Amy Schumer address controversial issues and makes them more accessible. For example, in the clip above from her show Inside Amy Schumer, she is faced with the dilemma of having to describe a black person's appearance without coming off as offensive, yet she struggles with trying to be politically correct so much that she can't handle the situation. This is an effective way to get people talking and feeling more comfortable with the issues that surround us as a nation.

This new type of comedy comes in many different forms. Clearly sketch comedy seems to be growing in popularity among American audiences, but there are also different varieties of alternative comedy that are becoming increasingly popular. 

"Bizarre" humor is something that a large population of American people find funny (similar, in a way to what the Brits find funny, for example, The Mighty Boosh.) Bizarre shows can likely be found late at night (or early in the morning) on Adult Swim, a network which shares its air time with Cartoon Network (it occupies the time at night.) 

The shows on Adult Swim are targeted at audiences who are up late, which is a defining part of their demographic. The shows that are aired on the Adult Swim network are known for being risque and unorthodox.

One of the trademarks of this station is that the shows on Adult Swim become increasingly stranger the later it gets. In fact "early on" in the night, around 10 or 11 PM, the network airs Family Guy and American Dad! ...after which they broadcast shows such as Robot Chicken- which may seem weird, but it is still popular among a large percentage of people. When the wee hours of the morning come along, the shows become increasingly odd. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is probably one of the more well known "obscure" comedy shows that is aired on the network. 

Another Adult Swim show, Squidbillies

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, another example

These are somewhat extreme examples of "strange" American television, and a big point of these shows are to be bizarre and obscure. Some of the humor just comes from how little sense the show makes. Yet, there is a large audience for these shows and this specific type of humor. 

Workaholics is a TV show on Comedy Central which is popular among certain American audiences. It is known in part for its silliness, it's not humor that has gone viral across the United States, in the same way that shows like New Girl have. The type of comedy is accessible enough that a large minority of people are fans of the show, but it is not (necessarily) stereotypically "American" humor either, which contributes to its appeal. 

Workaholics is a good balance of strange and mainstream. It is one of the shows that toes the line in terms of alternative comedies, so it is more likely that a larger portion of Americans will be into it. It is a show that could act as a gateway to more obscure comedies. 

Workaholics 

"Obscure" comedy could also be inclusive of groups of people who are not often included in comedy (or not as much.) One group, for example is women. Throughout the history of comedy, women have been in the backseat to men. Not because they are less funny, but because men were the dominant group (and they control a larger percentage of the media.) 

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the trademark for a generation of funny American women (and funny women from all around the world.) Before their entrance into the comedic world, women comedians were sparse, and often not taken seriously. It is still hard for women to find success in this particular field.

However, recently in the United States, women comedians have been given almost the same respect as men, while appealing to both genders in terms of content and delivery. There is a new age coming about in America where women can be recognized as being as funny as men.

Amy Poehler recently produced a show which first aired this year called Broad City; a show which has received a lot of success among counter-culture audiences. The humor in the show appeals to both men and women. It is a spin off of a web series created by the show's two stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. The Wall Street Journal referred to Broad City as "Sneak attack feminism," and Abbi Jacobson was quoted saying "If you watch one of our episodes, there’s not a big message, but if you watch all of them, I think, they’re empowering to women.” (Jacobson, 2014.) 

Broad City is an example of an especially "progressive" American  television show. It contains two women as the protagonists, and some of the themes are not entirely accessible for mainstream audiences. Women are, however, becoming more incorporated into American humor on a larger scale. 

 Amy Schumer opened a door for female comedians in recent American media. Her stand-up could contend with any male comedian's, and she still talks about things that are related to women. A lot of the time, women comedians do not get the same recognition as their male counterparts, one of the criticisms being that their jokes do not relate to the viewer in the same way as male comedians. 

Women comedians are getting a lot more attention in recent years. With shows like MTV's Girl Code (a direct response to the show Guy Code...yet with a much higher rating), women are able to talk about things related to being a woman. 

In Girl Code, a group of female comedians are given a topic to talk about, and each one of them gives their opinion and remarks. It follows the same style as Guy Code, which was a show that was popular for a long time without an equivalent for women. The first episode of Girl Code was released in April 2013, and it has been a hit among mainstream American audiences.

American shows and media that the rest of the world can access quite easily, are not completely representative of the whole nation in terms of humor. In fact, there are a lot of counter-culture television shows (and comedians, and movies...) which do not get much, if any, recognition across borders. Individuals in America vary a lot between one another, so it is almost impossible to brand one type of comedy as "American" without taking into consideration the different types of comedy the country produces. 

British Humor vs. American Humor

American and British humor are often compared to one another, most likely due to the fact that both cultures speak English...yet, as it has been pointed out the types of humor are quite different. Obviously, there are a number of cultural factors which influence humor, and since England and the United States clearly do not share all of the same cultural elements--there are bound to be differences in what each culture understands and recognizes as funny.

So, what are the differences? They have all been speculated, along with the reasons they exist. Taking television shows that are derived from the same idea, that exist in the United States and England in different versions- and comparing the two shows can give a pretty clear example of the differences. One good example of this is the television show The Office, which started out as a British show before an American version was made. The shows have the same premise, vaguely the same characters--however the humor is quite different. 

It has been pointed out that Michael Scott, as the leading character in the US office is first and foremost a nice guy...if he weren't he wouldn't have been a likable character in the United States and the show probably would not have had the same success rate that it did. In the UK, "niceness" is not as important of a quality. The culture in Britain revolves around banter and sarcasm. That is not as common in the United States--though sarcasm is still used occasionally, it is not the main source of humor, and it might be misconstrued as rudeness if used too much. 

This is one of the reasons British humor can have difficulty translating to Americans. They are not used to heavy doses of sarcasm and sometimes it can be viewed as snobbiness and/or rudeness. This is an example of where stereotypes come from. Brits are used to this type of humor and do not view it as rude. In fact, they view the niceties used by Americans, the constant "Have a good day!"'s as insincere. 

Ricky Gervais wrote an article for Time Magazine in 2011, “Is There a Difference Between British and American Humour”, in which he discusses what he considers to be the major differences between the two cultures’ humor.

“It’s often dangerous to generalize, but under threat, I would say that Americans are more “down the line.” They don’t hide their hopes and fears. They applaud ambition and openly reward success. Brits are more comfortable with life’s losers. We embrace the underdog until it’s no longer the underdog.We like to bring authority down a peg or two. Just for the hell of it.” (Gervais, 2011.) 

In his article, Gervais talks about the cultural differences in upbringing between Americans and Brits. He says that Americans are told from a young age that they can become anything, even the next president--while Brits are given a more realistic narrative at a young age. He mentions that Americans are more open, while British people tend to be more sarcastic in every day life. He states that there is a stereotype about Americans that we don’t understand irony, and he discredits this theory. Americans do use irony occasionally, however not nearly as much as it is used in British humor.

Gervais says that it is primarily used in "smarter" American comedies. He also discusses how his own comedy is misconstrued in the United States as being "mean", and this is due to cultural differences.

As Jack Whitehall points out in his comedy special, one of the major differences is the over-exaggerated friendliness vibe that people in the United Kingdom seem to get from Americans. Their outlook always seems to be too positive, positive to a fault. It is seen as unrealistic to be this happy all the time. It especially contrasts with the English demeanor he is joking about.

The video also illustrates the self-deprecating nature of British humor. Of course, he is mostly making fun of Americans with this routine, but he still never fails to make a couple jabs at the British. Perhaps as a way of suggesting that his jokes are good natured, even though they are sarcastic--and for American audiences that may not translate well.

But Brits are famously self-deprecating in their humor. Americans still have the tendency to mock their nation but it is done in a much more prideful way, and a way that is not so blunt and obvious. It is almost as though they exaggerate their greatness, and in turn it shows that this is mostly in their heads. Stan Smith from American Dad! is a great example of over-exaggerated patriotism because it contrasts with the stupidity of the character himself. 

What makes humor "American"?

Defining one culture’s type of humor is best done in contrast with other cultures, in order  to see the similarities and differences in what each group finds funny. Of course, individuals in different nations vary from one another in regards to their personal taste. Therefore, it can be difficult to analyze what makes a certain brand of humor, for example British, as opposed to American or Canadian... It can be argued that humor varies largely on a person to person basis. Whether or not somebody will find something funny depends on a number of aspects, including: culture, maturity level, education, geographic location, and the context of the humor.

An individual in a certain culture will be conditioned, however, to find certain things funny and certain things not funny. This happens through prolonged media exposure, and a sense of humor that is culturally relevant can greatly influence how an individual is perceived socially-- so this could also have an effect on what an individual finds humorous. Of course, some people within a culture will choose to venture into new territories in comedy. They may seek out comedy and other media which is not from their culture, specifically because they personally find it funny. There may be very popular media within their own culture that they do not respond to positively, yet everyone around them does. 

As a personal example, stand-up comedian Daniel Tosh (from the show Tosh.0) is very widely famous across the United States. Most people I know find him to be funny, and his show is constantly on television, illustrating this point. However, I fail to see the humor in any of his stand-up routines, and I think his show is obnoxious. It is not typically “American” of me to think of Daniel Tosh as un-funny, but that doesn’t dictate where I find humor. 

American humor has the tendency to be direct, whereas British humor is much more subtle and less likely to "hit you over the head" with a joke, so to speak. In some situations, I genuinely prefer British humor to American, though most of the comedy I watch tends to be American.

Daniel Tosh, of Tosh.0

Culture is one of the things that can make humor more specific. A group of people, typically in the same geographic location, have a collective culture which is easy for them to relate to. One of the outlets of the aspects of culture found in these groups is through humor. 

There are many themes that can be found in specifically American humor. Much of this humor is represented through stand-up--and through a specific type of individual, which the nation is collectively amused by. The character known as the “Yankee”, who is quite juvenile, sly and ingenious, who plays elaborate practical jokes, and is often uneducated, could be looked at as the voice of American comedy. 

The video below is a  stand-up comedian, Kyle Kinane, who had recently a special on comedy central. He is a good example of this sort of humor. As a thirty-five year old man, his jokes revolve around the silly things he does when he drinks, living alone, and in general, having a passive attitude about his life. 

This specific voice of comedy is very popular in American stand-up; Dave Chapelle, Louis C.K., and Kevin Hart are all good examples. Their humor tends to be mostly observational, finding the ludicrous in average, every day situations.

Aside from the somewhat "immature" voice, one thing these comedians all have in common are that they take otherwise serious situations (largely political or culture) and make jokes about them. The humor could be perceived as offensive to some who are not used to such brutally honest and up-front comedy, but this kind of humor is extremely well received by American audiences.
An example of this which is well known worldwide, is South Park, a show written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, which famously parodies situations in the media in an especially harsh and crude way. They have the reputation of taking jokes too far, making light of very sensitive issues
For example, in one episode of South Park about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they create a scenario where the conflict is resolved at a Van Halen concert- and they use footage of Israelis and Palestinians rioting to the tune of Van Halen.

This conflict, which began in the mid-twentieth century and has not yet been resolved, is a serious matter that South Park found humor in making light of--yet it would likely be extremely offensive to people in the Middle East.

In fact, one of the more popular themes in the United States when it comes to comedy is making jokes that aren't politically correct, and can often translate as entirely offensive. American humor tends to be crude and sometimes brutal. The “roast” phenomenon is very popular in the United States. A roast is an event which an individual is selected to be subject to a host of comedic insults geared towards him or her by other comedians. The idea of the roast is that the individual will be able to take the jokes aimed at them in good humor, and they will later be able to rebut and “roast” the guests in return. 

Comedy Central Roast of James Franco

Slapstick and physical comedy are very characteristic of American comedy. The humor in the United States is very rarely understated (this is one of the major differences between American and British comedy.)
America is a very large, very diverse nation--and in it there are many places from which to draw humor. Many groups contribute and form their own "brand" of American humor. During the 20th century, there was an influx of Jewish comedians, namely: The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce... and there still continue to be many today, including John Stewart, Seth Rogen, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. A large portion of American humor tends to be Jewish.
African American comedians came to the forefront in the later part of the 20th century. Comedians like Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy were popular in the 80's and 90's, and today there are still many popular black comedians. They offer a different voice than the white comedians in the United States, but it is still very much a part of the US culture.

Eddie Murphy

The American According to the Rest of the World

National identity is an interesting concept, because it needs to be viewed from multiple lenses. For every nation there are two perspectives: how they view themselves and how outsiders view them. Stereotypes have the tendency to be internalized by groups and they manifest themselves through media and other creative expressions. These notions are created in an endless loop- and therefore they are often impossible to break free of. Stereotypes influence self-concept, which then influences media, which reinforces previous stereotypes.  

Generalizations begin to become more apparent when a person travels outside of their nation and acts as a representative for their country. Having been an American abroad, I have come across a spectrum of opinions and preconceived notions about what I am like (or supposed to be like) as an American. I had never considered the stigma that follows that specific nationality until I was asked personal questions upon meeting Europeans (for example, whether I owned a gun) that I had never even considered to be associated with my identity.

My Super Sweet 16

Americans are largely thought to be materialists, obsessed with obtaining capital. Television shows such as "My Super Sweet 16", which  showcases fifteen year olds throwing extravagant birthday parties for themselves with their parent's money (often demanding things like Range Rovers and a thirty foot cake which Beyonce jumps out of) reinforces this stereotype to the rest of the world. 

Interestingly, upon searching "My Super Sweet 16" on Google, one of the first articles I found was an opinion piece entitled 'My Super Sweet 16' and Everything That's Wrong With America, which just goes to show how much media truly influences the perceptions of a nation. Of course all Americans aren't like this. The purpose of the show is essentially to laugh at the spoiled youths that are being followed around while they whine about not having enough diamonds in their tiaras. However, because this is the image American media is putting forward in the world, it is easy to use it to generalize the entirety of American people.

Another stereotype which is often associated with Americans is ignorance and/or lack of education. This is a stereotype which is reinforced possibly the most by the media. Specifically, news sources which are given the freedom to stretch the truth tend to broadcast groups of people which are not completely representative of the American population. 

The manifestation of these stereotypes can be observed in popular American cartoons, such as Family Guy, The Simpsons and American Dad! The premise of these shows are essentially that the central character (typically the father/husband figure) is not very intelligent. The central characters in these shows also often tend to be overweight, which is another stereotype that is associated with Americans. 

Family Guy


The central character of American Dad!, Stan Smith, holds very stereotypical "American" ideals. Often, America is associated with conservative view points, and American Dad! parodies this overly conservative stereotype through Stan Smith. In the show, his character is exaggerated in many of the stereotypes that are given to Americans, he is comically macho and is overly patriotic. 

"Stan Smith: Son, if you ever get captured by any terrorists in the neighborhood and end up on al-Jazeera, just blink you location in Morse code. I'll have a bomb dropped on your location immediately. 
Steve Smith: But, Dad, then I'd get killed too. 
Stan Smith: Ah, come on son, there are plenty of kids to play with in heaven. Your cousin Billy. That little girl from Poltergeist..." (IMDb, 2005.)

Over-emphasized patriotism is attributed to American culture often. One of the interesting things about shows such as American Dad! is that they are written by American writers. Often, American humor pokes fun at itself and at others. However, self deprecating humor is not the most characteristic of what is popular in the United States in comparison to other nations (such as England.) 

American comedy does have a knack for making light of dark situations. Comedians often take world issues into account, typically quite serious ones, and are able to make jokes about them which may come off as offensive. 

"Parody" news is another big phenomenon in the United States in terms of comedy. With websites, such as The Onion, "America's Finest News Source", and television shows such as The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, parody news has become widespread and well-known throughout the country. Unlike The Onion, these shows provide actual news stories with sarcastic input (yet, the facts are still there.) Another purpose for shows like this is to poke fun at actual newscasts across the United States. 

Famously, American broadcasted news has the tendency to be incredibly inaccurate... Comically so. It is either targeted at left wing audiences or right wing audiences, and it is almost impossible to find non-biased news. It is almost ironic that a newscast that strives to be sarcastic in nature is actually more un-biased and truthful than the actual newscasts across the United States.

Much of recent American humor is political. Even in shows such as Family Guy and South Park, one can find relevant political commentary--albeit sometimes offensive and rude.