My Comic Causology II; Life's Labors Loved
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My Explanation of Comedy in Life is Simple; good celebration! Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes named it "the roar of the victor ". In their formulation comedy is what the upper levels of society would use to assert their dominance. While dominance is not unusual, bosses are generally not so numerous as the rest of society, so I think what the upper levels of civilization would be about would not be as important. No problems, more solutions. The middle and lower classes are the ones who are the power of a healthy civilization like the Dutch in the 17th century or The US in the early 20th Century, the Older Reader's Digest says research shows why the the rich can't pay all the taxes, there just aren't enough of them. If all their money was divided up among the rest most would be poor. While I would say there is "good" comedy (like of employees) and "bad" humor (bosses, or humor used more at the expense of others) it would just be what was more of value to most that would be most of worth, good comics, not comedy of this type.
And the idea that humor is "The Roar Of the Victor" has a sort of limited worth because while it would be about the good side of life, "The Roar" is just mostly about the good side of the triumphant. This causology (which most of the ancients believed in up to more recent times, even when they weren't ancients, But hey! They were live in 208 BC!) doesn't explain many other types of humor including puns and incongruity.
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. Another doxology of geolo"jests!" who dig the subconscious explanation of life somewhat too deep it would seem is about comedy being a way to release suppressed emotions; this subconscious explanation of life (except more superficial events like lips ink unlink softwear, this has been proven in some situations) seems in default because like a building and evolution, life is built from the foundation up. There are some errors and blind alleys in evolution, but there had to be more worth than not to stay in business for a living and to stay alive is good for you! I consider the idea of a subconscious like a sort of a gremlin hoping to put errors in the foundation or throw a wrench in the machinery of our life where otherwise would win. So the subconscious explanation would be against life and would reduce survival fitness with millions of years of evolution. (Evolution would have stopped this sort of motif with more proofreading and levelling of the foundation over millions of years.)
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In visual myth generally it seems some good surrealist paintings are actually of worth, being aware is how I'm a painter also. (Click Here to see some of my own illustrations.) Too bad Picasso lost most of his skill when he was 14. It wasn't all bad though. With all of the millions per painting they paid and them praising him he may have been aware!
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Another subconscious explanation of comedy is about its economy of means, so Freud believed we laugh at what is just well achieved because it's an easy way to win. If this were true, an invention if simple and unique would always be a Saturday Night Live and we would laugh at inventions and this is not always so. So too, wars have been often simple and straightforward but they aren't just for laughs, no tanks to the heat in the shade. There are many skilled aspects of life that are simple and brilliant like inventions that we don't laugh at and therefore I think Freud's Economy of Means is an uncomprehensive way to explain comedy well.
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So these three explanations of comics, that they're the Roar of the Victor, or the Subconcious, or Economy of Means lack proof or evidence. I'd rather it was when it's so hot in June, I was in 20 swim fins-in the waves, coincidence? No!
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..Another explanation for humor is about the unforeseen and the Professor R. C. Solomon (U. T.) has added what he hopes is a way out way out for the world of comedy via his causology, he says it's not so important what is agreed on, just that it's an unexpected find and a boost to the Mother In Laws chosen to be praised in perfume filled rooms by fathers who aren't out. Comic life in Solomon's view is just a way evolution made group cohesion strong. I believe the essence of what's good cheer is unexpected good. Jumping of a cliff is suprising, but it's usually not lots of laughs. It's a shock, but not a good shock. A good shock would be two teens about to jump off lover's leap, and he says, "Wait a minute Betsy Lu. Are those atom powered boosters you put in your flip flops?" Solomon believes it's not of most import what is agreed on just that it's unexpected that boosted group status in evolution. So in his explanation sinking in a ship and finding what's comic about the event would be just as good. An engineer and a Rock n Roll Diva were on a sinking ship and the diva says, "Help! I can't swim! and The software engineer says, Don't Worry! Just Dream of Exerci-sing!" Is comedy unexpected good and not just what's unexpected? This may be proven or dis proven by showing healthy persons clips with just suprises and not good surprises and comparing the results. (The volunteers would be healthy people who they've found live in the country or the suburbs most often, since comedy is what's most healthy and so the most healthy persons would be the most qualified to say what's most comic.). I think humor has a foundation in the simple idea of shocks of worth (good shocks). All there is in life has a good and bad side. If a suprise is a change by definition, I think it's more of value if it's good than bad, This is why I agree with what it sez in my Humor and Comic's audio market by Author's Digest (I read boom boxes more than most!). Those who know comics and comediennes well say they're naturally moral. If the humorists feel like a risk, it's good to win with the risk also!
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The most comprehensive form of humor I've found is W -W or What's Non What, that is a surprise based on incongruity between two W's that have not much in common, and it also includes the unchanging, somewhat important type of comedy like with the efficiency expert saying, "Avoid redundancy! I repeat, Avoid redundancy!" or where the sage says "War is War, And Peace Is Peace, And Science Is Science." That we often find this "calm unchanging" form of humor ridiculous is more proof that W -W is a comic source of laughter because it's of the same form, comic here because of being more the same where it wasn't (as in W=W) so it's in motion even when stopped and this is evidence the incongruity is what's important even with the opposite of the W -W because either way it changes what wasn't changed otherwise, anything good and unusual if it's unusual enough is comic! When you zonk out is unusual sometimes even if it's restful, if you fall asleep in the bed showroom you'll wake up watching business infomercials on the Big Box for cinemas! This idea of W -W and W=W is not described as the Roar of The Victor so the "Roar" is Comic, but Comedy is not always the Roar of The Victor in many types of cheer.
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..Studies have shown that your chance of being saved if in an unsafe situation is opposite in ratio vs the number of people with you (you're most likely to be saved if just you and one person are in the room). In my site, I discuss how the American Indians had no war before about 1000 AD, and this was about the time of the Maya decline, now thought by many of the ancient archaeologists to be because of overpopulation (Click Here for My Complete Causology.) with increased Competition for reduced Resources. It would seem large numbers are not how we evolved and bonding may not be what was common in evolution and not much beyond, and may be just conducive to survival at a definite level, no higher or lower.
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There's a more earthy side of some comedy like the Roar of The Victor or Bosses and humor of this sort is a considerable percentage of the zoom. Because it's not of the most value, I believe the best comedy of most worth is neither humor at other's expense or that of the the subconscious causology, at least in situations where evolution wins and life without evolution seems too distant to believe as a way of life. I would say why let it be the option of the external add on of others in a group that may not be as high in moral value? "If It Is To Be It's Up To Me." If comedy or cheer was something added on by others from the outside of our own realm it would be not of as much value. If you go out to milk a cow, you wouldn't put your cushion in the field and wait for the cow to walk within your reach. The crowds who were unheeding of what they were being amazed and wild about in evolution may have been selected out of 1 million BC more than others. So I think humor is not just about cohesion, it's a way to earn triumph with skill. It's about how to be good and great that may be learned. It's more moral to laugh at life than lament it. I'm a comic, no, I just think of what Amy B. will spell when she wins the world championship!
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What's the most cheap and fast way to salvage your heat pump? A flip of the fuse box saved mine this month!
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What does a dog do when he catches a bus? Where I live a dog Saves Saves Saves! Just two bits and he's on the sofa at the wheel!
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This Causology is a extension and elaboration of MY COMEDY SOUND MACHINE Click Here.
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