コメディは好きですか？他の国のコメディを見て、なんでこれが面白いのか、不思議に思った事は有りませんか？本当とは思えないかもしれませんが、英語を話す様々な国の間でもあることなんです。
Two types of comedy
Even though American and British people speak the same language, they find humor in different ways.
A brilliant description can be found in an interview of British comedian Stephen Fry. He outlines a famous scene in the classic American comedy film Animal House, starring John Belushi.
A person is playing soft folk music on the guitar, and John Belushi is annoyed by the song, so he grabs the guitar and destroys it:
American comedy is about winning; British comedy is about losing.
Everyone in the cinema laughs, this is classic American humor. It's big, it's active, and the comedian has the power. In general, American comedy is about winning.
Stephen Fry points out that British humor is the opposite. If the Animal House scene was from a British comedy, the comedian would be the person playing guitar. British comedy is more tragic, it's usually about losing. In general, the comedian loses.
How about your country?
Imagine the guitar scene. Which person is the main character? Is the comedian alone, or is he with a partner? Is he angry, or is he silly? Is he intelligent or not? Is he active and moving around, or is he focused on talking?
Understanding humor from other countries is a complex task. But if we consider what other people find funny, we will be one step closer to enjoying a world of comedy.
