Volume 5　ユーモアは国境を越える？


A Sense of Humor

Michael Rhys: Hello everyone and welcome to the August edition of Cultural Crossroads. I'm Mike Rhys.

Ann Slater: And this is Ann Slater.

Michael: And today we are going to be talking about humor. What is the definition of humor?

Ann: Well, yeah, you know, I suppose, well, there are, ha-ha, again, many ways to look at it. One is, you know, when we say someone has a good sense of humor, it means that they are funny.

Michael: Right. 

Ann: They make you laugh.

Michael: Exactly. So it's about making people laugh essentially - is what humor's all about, I guess.

Ann: And it can also be about being able to laugh at yourself . . .

Michael: Of course. 

Ann: . . . I suppose, right, people make fun of you and you don't get angry but you just kind of take it in stride.

Michael: Right, yeah. Humor though, I mean, when we look at humor across borders and from different cultures, humor tends to differ quite, quite a lot. American humor, what is it essentially based on, would you say?

Ann: I think one thing often, so Americans like to tell jokes.

Michael: Yes. Ann: Um, do British like to tell jokes? 

Michael: Oh yes, yes.

Ann: Yeah, right. Whereas I find in Japan in my years here, I don't see that as much.

Michael: Right. 

Ann: Do you, I mean that Japanese people, don't tend to tell jokes as much, as a kind of entertainment.

Michael: They don't and it, but it doesn't mean they don't have a sense of humor. Quite the opposite, but, but . . .

Ann: No, no. It's different.

Michael: It's very, very different. Ann: Yeah, whereas Americans love to kind of hold court . . .

Michael: Right.

Ann: By telling jokes, ha-ha, you know, and, and every . . . And then the other thing I notice is that Americans like to laugh at their own jokes often, whereas British I notice more often, don't. There's a more dry . . .

Michael: I was going to say, we would call that dry . . .

Ann: . . . kind of delivery, right? 

Michael: . . . delivery, humor, right.

Ann: So a lot of the humor lies in the fact that you are not laughing and everyone else is.

Michael: Yes. Yes.

Ann: And then, another interesting difference is that I think sometimes, for example, in Japan in formal situations, like, let's say, a president is giving a speech, is not considered that appropriate to make jokes.

Michael: Right. 

Ann: Whereas in the States, you do see that.

Michael: Yes.

Ann: It's kind of that I think Americans do it as a way to, kind of, break the ice . . .

Michael: Right. 

Ann: . . . put people at ease or maybe put themselves more at ease, and, uh, not worrying so much, you know, "Is this a formal occasion, or is this an informal occasion?" How about in England?

Michael: Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing in the UK. Even in the most formal situations you can at times find, you know, elements of humor in there.