Incongruity Theory Of Humor

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Humor is a seemingly simple, enjoyable construct in life shared and valued by many. Traditionally, humor has been viewed as trivial and lacking substance from an academic and scholarly standpoint. However, humor can be objective in analyzing and answering the same questions philosophers ask, ones that question widely accepted everyday concepts and ideals. The Incongruity Theory reveals the affinity between philosophy and comedy and rebukes the argument that humor is “hostile and irresponsible” (Morreall) in academics.
There are many theories when it comes to humor. The superiority theory of humor argues that people laugh at other’s misfortunes and shortcomings to assert their own superiority (Morreall). Additionally, in the Relief Theory, humor …show more content…

Humor is appreciated and accepted when it’s controversial topics and questions are delivered abstractly. This compels an audience to consider thoughts, otherwise overlooked or unaccepted without being directly confronted with them and therefore, more likely to accept and acknowledge these thoughts. Nate Bargatze, a stand-up comic, displays this theory by taking a philosophical stand with a humorous story in many of his stand-ups. In one example from a bit on childhood toys, Bargatze brings up the question of why girls are given toys that imitate household objects and values, such as vacuum cleaners, dolls, and houses, while boys are given unrealistic toys that embody aggression and dominance. While Bargatze makes jokes about the matter, his way of questioning mimics philosophical thinking. Bargatze delivers the concept through a series of jokes that ridicule the toys given to girls; for instance, Bargatze teases “girls would play house, they would fake vacuum. When I see my wife vacuum now, I’m like she is living her childhood dream” (Comedy). Bargatze's satirical tone reveals the irony in providing mundane toys to girls which unintentionally reinforce an aspiration for traditional and rather insignificant goals. Through satire, Bargatze intertwines humor with the philosophical notion that women should not be constrained to the domestic sphere, even through seemingly passive and trivial things such as childhood toys. By ridiculing the concept, the philosophical argument that these such toys promote sexism becomes less forward, thus, the audience doesn’t reject it and instead laughs at it. Therefore, in both comedy and philosophy, ideas are presented to a larger audience for consideration and evaluation; the only difference is the means of which the message is

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