Humor

What makes people laugh. Different strokes for different folks. I was reading a book of comic verse. And realised that what made people laugh in 1500 is different to what makes people laugh today.
And it's a geographical thing as well.

But it occurred to me that there is a phenomena today called "Funniest Home Videos". This is a collection of the most unfunniest videos - where people are supposed to find a child falling out of a highchair, or a bride falling into her wedding cake, face first, or a woman emerging from a ladies room, skirt firmly tucked into panties to be screamingly funny.

But then thinking about it, I realised that we've always had a laugh at other people's expense. That is an essential basic element of humor. Just that some is more subtle than others. Charlie Chaplin bottled it.

Maybe there is no explanation for what makes one laugh. Example look at what makes me laugh.

SPRING IN THE BRONX

Spring is sprung,
Duh grass is riz
I wonder where dem boidies is.

Du little boids is on duh wing -
But dat's absoid:
Duh little wing is on duh boid.

(Anon)