It’s been a while since India has almost gotten used to comedians facing the brunt for hurting the sentiments of certain groups. The lines are blurry which makes it hard to judge when comedians cross them. Is it okay to crack a joke on the physically impaired, the malnutrioned, the downtrodden or the poverty stricken? Perhaps, no.
However, we use the word “perhaps” because there have been a lot of us who seem to enjoy utterly dark humorous content made at the expense of the above mentioned – we even appreciate rape jokes, for God’s sake and our defense in this particular interest may or may not be irrebuttable in a debate.
However, the fact remains that when it comes to comedy, nothing or no one really manages to secure a pedestal where humor can’t touch them. Let’s take a look at the different kinds of comedy that comedians often resort to – an objective study of humor that should let us accept the fact that there will always be takers for certain jokes no matter how obnoxious they may seem to us.
1. Burlesque humor
Best humorist: Charlie Chaplin (A Burlesque on Carmen)
Such a humor can take a serious, well revered styles body art (literature, music, art) and turns into something so ridiculous or foolish that it would seem funny. The hugely successful mock-heroic poem by Alexander Pope called The Rape of the Lock is one of the biggest examples of Burlesque comedy that took a parodical approach of epic poems.
2. Dark, Gallows and Morbid humor
Best humorist: Irwincardozo Comics., Joan cornella
This one’s grim and depressing and there’d be nothing considered a taboo in such humor. Such humorists generally dwell on subjects like death, misfortune and crime and the utter pessimism in their humor actually turns out to be funny but can be easily debated as inappropriate.
An excruciatingly morbid joke on the recent death of Muhammad Ali and the incident of Zoo Gorilla being shot dead was posted by the popular entertainment page, Irwincardozo Comics:
“Doesn’t seem like a great week for the black community. First the gorilla now Mohammad Ali.”
3. Farcical humor
Best Humorist: Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde.
Farcial comedy generates humor by taking the audience through improbable, extravagant and highly exaggerated situations. In most cases, farcial humor will have numerous plot twists that are utterly incomprehensible and audiences are not really encouraged to follow the plot too closely if they don’t want to be confused.
Although, farcical humor may remind you of comedy movies such as Sajid Khan’s Houseful series, there have been artists like Charles Dickens as well, who has made use of the genre in much better taste in The Lamplighter (1879).
4. High Brow humor
Best Humorist:Â Stewart Lee
The more sophisticated the joke is, the more high brow it would be regarded. The humor is derived from literary, artistic or philosophical references which demands for a well-read intellect to understand and appreciate the joke. Here’s a high brow joke on the most pondered upon existentialist question by philosophers, Free Will:
“We must believe in Free Will. We have no choice.”
It’s alright if you don’t get it. Nobody likes a comedy prude, anyway.
5. Self-deprecating humor
Best Humorist:Â Louis C.K.
The kind of humor where the comedian generates laughter by belittling or undervaluing himself is called self-deprecating humor. Woody Allen, John Stewart, Amy Schumer, Bo Burnham are some finest comedians in the world who resort to self-deprecating humor every now and then. If cracked right, self-deprecating jokes are easy crowd-pleasers. Here’s an example:
“Someone asked if I knew a good plastic surgeon? Would I look like this if I did?”
6. Slapstick humor
Best humorist: Charlie Chaplin.
Such humor will involve exaggerated physical activity. The term Slap Stick comes from the sound that comes when one actor hits another with a wooden stick in a technique that hardly hurts. Although, most people associate slapstick comedy to mindless, crass and distasteful humorous content, literary geniuses like William Shakespeare had incorporated slapstick comedy quite well in his works such as The Comedy of Errors. Another comic legend who was a master of slapstick was Charlie Chaplin.
7. Toilet humor
Best humorist: Jim Carrey
Also known as scatological humor, this one deals with everything gross. With recurring themes such as urination, defecation, flatulence and even vomit, Toilet humor is probably the lowest form of low blow humor. Nevertheless, finest literary personalities such as Geoffery Chaucher, J.D Salinger, Dante Aligheri, Mark Twain, James Joyce, William Shakespeare and many more have made good use of toilet humor in their work.
Therefore, if you thought toilet humor is something that just today’s teenagers would enjoy you should read the 16th century literary work called 1001 Arabian Nights – In the story “The Tale of Abu Hassan”, the protagonist flees his homeland out of embarrassment after farting in his own wedding.
8. Surreal humor
Best humorist: Chris Morris
Not the kind of joke that stand-up comedians would rely on because these jokes don’t go by any logic and they’re not even required to be funny by normal standards. What may instigate the humor is the utter unpredictability of the punchline that is not only unlikely but downright ridiculous.
Here’s an example and also one of the most favorite jokes among surrealists:
Q: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: A fish.
Don’t get it? Better stay out of the surrealists’ club.
9. Satirical humor
Best humorist: John Oliver
This is probably one of the most controversial genres of humor for it aims at shaming individuals, organisations or the society by drawing humor out of the vices, follies and shortcomings of the targets. Satirical humor thrives to serve a greater purpose which is a constructive social criticism.
It is the kind of comedy that is most prone to face government regulations or banning because the content is directed as a challenge to the establishment.
10. Serio-comic humor
Best humorist: Bo Burnham
This is one of the most interesting genres of humor which although is intended to be humorous, takes a drastic turn towards something gravely serious. Artists often heighten the audience’s emotion by suddenly breaking into an emotionally charged sketch, often tragic from something that’d seem purely funny at the beginning. Check out this incredibly original and alternative serio-comic skit by Bo Burnham if you haven’t already.