Petrisin 1 Andrew Petrisin Dr.

Dietel-McLaughlin Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric 1 March 2013 Shit People Dont Say- And why its Funny Why does an audience find something funny? Is there a certain quality that makes someone laugh at a joke? Through a series of YouTube videos, generally referred to as Shit People Dont Say, an audience laughs at, simply put, things that people wouldnt say. Through the lens of humor theories an audience can begin to discover why they laugh. Are the Shit People Dont Say videos simply low forms of humor or do they contain a deeper meaning? Dr. David Hector Monro, a professor of philosophy from Australia provides us with the answer to why we laugh in the form of the incongruity theory of humor. At the University of Notre Dame one of the dorms, Keenan Hall, puts on a show every year called the Keenan Revue. Last year the hall released a video titled, Shit ND People Dont Say. This video follows the example of a long line of similarly themed shit people dont say videos on YouTube. Most of the comedy from these videos derives from, obviously, things that people dont say. An example of a funny line would be, Where is that dome that everyone is talking about? If you have visited the University of Notre Dame this comes across as funny because the golden dome represents one of the most iconic landmarks on our campus- everyone knows where to find it. Another good line, Youre from Chicago? How cool, references the fact that many Notre Dame students hail from the Chicagoland area and it actually really isnt that unique to both hail from Chicago and attend Notre Dame. Many other shit people dont say videos portray similar situations with topics ranging from baseball all the way to fraternities.

Petrisin 2 Almost all of these videos use sarcasm and wit to reveal stereotypes about major groups of people prominent in our culture and our social life. What makes these videos so funny when they seem so simple? Monros theories of humor, and specifically the theory of incongruity, explain why these videos make people laugh. The theory of incongruity states that the reason actions appear to be funny stems from the abrupt intrusion into the attitude of something that is felt not to belong there (Monro). An essential part of the incongruity theory states that that a joke contains the mingling of two ideas which are felt to be utterly disparate. Only when your perceived notion of the situation differs so vastly from actuality that something becomes comical. It seems simple enough- unexpected actions cause something to produce a comedic effect. Something as simple as watching someone kick a basketball, something completely unexpected, would prove to be funny. However, not only unexpected connections make actions funny, it also depends on the community-developed stereotypes and familiarity that evolve over time. Without a level of familiarity with the subject there would be nothing to expect. To use the golden dome example, if the person watching the video knows nothing about the University of Notre Dame, or even the golden dome, they would not find it funny because they lack a level of familiarity. You must be familiar enough with the subject to understand its relevance and how others treat it in order to key in when an action seems out of place. It now becomes easy to see the connection between the incongruity theory and the Shit People Dont Say videos. In each video, someone in the scene says something unexpected that derives form the social stereotypes about the group under scrutiny. However, what if the video, instead of the golden dome, asked, Where is that West Lake Hall that everyone is talking about? This exemplifies a very reasonable question; therefore, the joke would flat. Because

Petrisin 3 finding West Lake Hall on our campus can prove difficult, it does not fulfill the requirements of the incongruity theory. Furthermore, only because of familiarity with Notre Dame would you know that West Lake Hall is nearly unknown. Later in the video, a Notre Dame girl, says, Im totally going to invite that St. Marys girl to the party this weekend (Shit ND People Dont Say). Again, the incongruity theory speaks as it plays to the stereotype that Notre Dame girls dont like girls from St. Marys, and therefore would never invite a St. Marys girl to their dorm party. The extent of the joke depends on two things; the degree of contrast between the two elements, and the completeness with which they are made to fuse (Monro). Again, this phrase only comes across comically because of its unexpectedness while also playing the stereotypes of girls at both Notre Dame and St. Marys. This example confirms the correctness of the incongruity theory. Taking it a step further, what does the incongruity theory tell us about the people who laugh at the joke? It tell us that the situation that the people recognize differs from what they usually perceive (making it funny); however, it also tells us that the people themselves share similarities. To continue to use the Notre Dame example; people who understand and laugh at Shit ND People Dont Say are similar in the fact that they share ties to the university. Similarly, people who would laugh as someone kicking a basketball are tied together through their knowledge of sports. Therefore people who understand each others jokes easily relate to each other. Actions make us laugh because we dont expect them; and we dont expect them because they work against the cultural norms that we have developed- while simultaneously displaying a level of similarity with those around us. Another popular theory of humor is known as the Benign-Violation theory of humor. This theory of humor popularized by University of Colorado professor Peter McGraw and Ph.D. candidate Caleb Warren, states that funny situations arise when a situation is a violation, and a

Petrisin 4 situation is benign, and both of those appraisals occur simultaneously. It is similar to the incongruity theory in the fact that two things must come together at the same time; but that marks the end of the similarities. An example of the benign-violation theory explaining something that isnt funny is: tickling yourself - only benign, and a stranger tickling you- only a violation. However, if someone you know tickles you then it comes across as both a violation and benign thus making it funny. This theory makes sense under this context; unfortunately, this theory does not apply across the board. Let us take another quote from Shit ND People dont say: in a later scene, an older professor states, South Bend is a thriving metropolis. There is no easily recognizable violation or benign here, but a thriving metropolis probably isnt something you associate with South Bend, Indiana- which makes the joke again fit under the theory of incongruity. The benign-violation theory has merit, but does not explain all types of humor. What about the superiority theory? Could the audience laugh at the people in the video because the audience knows the location of the dome and only and idiot wouldnt know? The audience feels superior due to the fact that they have knowledge that the man in the video does not have. However, as the same thing happened to the benign-violation theory, the superiority theory does not hold true across all types of humor. Use for example another video that falls under the same shit people dont say category- a video titled Shit Frat Guys Say. One excerpt from the video displays a scene where the fraternity brother mandates that the fraternity has a strict no hazing policy; but in the following scene the same student holds alcohol and screams, time to get hazed pussies! In this event the audience doesnt laugh because they feel superior to this frat boy, they laugh because it the unexpectedness due to the previous scene while also knowing the stereotype of fraternity life. An example of a good use of the superiority

Petrisin 5 theory is laughing at someone who tripped down the stairs or someone who air-balled a free throw in basketball. Similar to the benign-violation theory, the superiority theory applies to some forms of humor but it does not describe humor across the board. Through the lens of incongruity, the viewer can fully understand why these types of videos seem funny. This theory allows for an analysis of the videos deeper than the usual surface level: the application of the lens of the incongruity theory tells us something about the lens, the videos themselves, our societal stereotypes, and even whom we associate with. Other than simply explaining the humor of the video series the lens of incongruity reveals that the incongruity theory not only applies to humor but also has a deeper meaning in the context of society. The incongruity theory shows the heightened extent that our culture looks upon things that are out of the societal norm. We can take the incongruity theory and not necessarily apply it to humor, but apply it to society as a whole: why do humans have a heightened recognition of things that seem out of place, and why do we have the reactions that we do? These videos serve as great examples using social stereotypes that we have come to know. The theory displays that, as we grow accustomed to the societal norms we find it comical to see something out of place. Incongruity also reveals more about our relationships with our peers; when two people find something funny they share a similar understanding of the subject matter. People who laugh together stay together? Laughing ultimately proves that people connect with one another and understand each other; it displays to the world a human relationship that is only explained through laughter in the lens of incongruity.

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Works Cited Monro, D. H. Theories of Humor. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum 3rd ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen, eds. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1988. Web. 20 February 2013. TheKeenanMisfits. Shit Notre Dame Students Dont Say. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 7 February 2012. Web. 20 February 2013. LifeAccordingToJimmy. Shit Frat Guys Say. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 21 January 2012. Web. 20 February 2013. ColoradoLeeds. The Benign Violation theory of Humor. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 26 August 2012. Web. 20 February 2013.