Posted on 04.19.09 to British Comedy by Joey Camire

Comedy Doesn’t Need A Prefix

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For as long as there has been civilization there has been segmenting and grouping of like things with other like things. As a species we’ve grouped things based on their color, size and shape. We’ve grouped people based on their ethnicity, race, language, intelligence, religion and sexuality. We divided continents into fragmented slabs of land in some constant quest for clear definition and differentiation of the people residing on those slabs. A quest for a truth that may not exist. Constantly creating barriers based on differences. In some cases it has brought us good things but in a great number of other situations it has done nothing but harm. I think comedy is one of those cases.

The goal of any comedian is to make people laugh. Now, the methods they choose to achieve this goal are varied, but their intentions are all the same. Laughter. Think about it. As a comedian your success is measured by the number of people you make happy! Is there any more noble a profession than that of the bringer of laughter and happiness? I would argue that there is not.

All of that said, does comedy need any other label other than “Funny” or “Un-Funny”? Does it make a difference if the comedy is British or American as long as it makes you laugh? Granted the Brits have an easier go at it seeing as everything they say sounds funny. All that you really care about at the end of the show is whether it made you laugh or not.

By labeling comedy I’m afraid that we might infer that there is a better type of comedy than any other type. Think about the implications if that were the case and there were a better type of comedy. If we start to make assumptions like that we would end up with every comedian telling the same types of jokes with the same types of punch-lines. The question is not whether there are different types of comedy, the question should be is there a better way to laugh than another? Is there a more valuable laugh? A more satisfying laugh? I don’t have the answer to that, but I don’t think there is.

I know this week is about “British Comedy” and this isn’t exactly hilarious, some might argue I’m not funny regardless of what I’m speaking about, but I saw an opportunity to take a moral stand and I’m not the type to pass that up. From now on I am going to make a concerted effort not to label comedy or humor in any form. There are so few opportunities to smile sometimes that when one presents itself, there is no need to over analyze it, because there is nothing as lucky/easy/free as laughter. From this day forward I am going to make a point to ask only one question when it comes to comedy, did it make me laugh? If the answer is yes, then there is no reason to think about it any longer.