Faking laughter to blend with Canadian humour
Jan 31st 2013, 7:48 pm
#106
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: currently in Ireland, originally from Wales.
Posts: 132
Re: Faking laughter to blend with Canadian humour
I've been here (Southern Ontario) for 4 months now and I love the weather, the vast open spaces and huge amount of water...
BUT I am finding the sense of humour here very basic and comparable to a child's humour. When I make jokes or funny statements that my friends and random people would find hilarious back home, the people here either don't think it's funny or more often don't realise I have made a joke and just give me a puzzled expression.
And what's more tiresome is I find myself having to fake laughter all the time so I don't look like a grumpy numptie in a group while everyone around me is having a seizure from laughing at a fart joke someone just made. Fart and poo jokes are something I laughed at when I was 9. Now I'm 31 I find it awkward when everyone around me still uses such a childish and basic kind of humour. Once my partner's brother made a joke about buying a wheelchair on Kijiji and putting alloy wheels on it. The entire family (aged 24-58) laughed uncontrollably for 4 minutes. After about 2 minutes of faking a laugh my face began to hurt and I felt silly. "ahahah you're hilarious!!!" everyone said to the guy. Meanwhile anytime I make a joke I have to then say "no, it was a joke" and then slowly explain the whole thing to them until they say "ohh I get it" or they give up and start taking over me.
Also, sarcasm? The best way to get a confused look from someone is to use humourous sarcasm.
Let's go see a comedy show. Oh will Ferrel is on! He is SO funny! Do you remember that one time he made that joke about the doctor who couldn't stop farting? Oh man that was SO FREAKIN' AWESOME!
I used to be hilarious in the UK. My friends relied on my humour to brighten up any situation. Here I just confuse people and have to explain my (super simple) jokes and feel like I am ruining the mood if I don't pretend to laugh at every fart or poo joke that is told. And so I find myself dumbing myself down and also telling fart and poop jokes and abandoning any form of witty humour.
BUT I am finding the sense of humour here very basic and comparable to a child's humour. When I make jokes or funny statements that my friends and random people would find hilarious back home, the people here either don't think it's funny or more often don't realise I have made a joke and just give me a puzzled expression.
And what's more tiresome is I find myself having to fake laughter all the time so I don't look like a grumpy numptie in a group while everyone around me is having a seizure from laughing at a fart joke someone just made. Fart and poo jokes are something I laughed at when I was 9. Now I'm 31 I find it awkward when everyone around me still uses such a childish and basic kind of humour. Once my partner's brother made a joke about buying a wheelchair on Kijiji and putting alloy wheels on it. The entire family (aged 24-58) laughed uncontrollably for 4 minutes. After about 2 minutes of faking a laugh my face began to hurt and I felt silly. "ahahah you're hilarious!!!" everyone said to the guy. Meanwhile anytime I make a joke I have to then say "no, it was a joke" and then slowly explain the whole thing to them until they say "ohh I get it" or they give up and start taking over me.
Also, sarcasm? The best way to get a confused look from someone is to use humourous sarcasm.
Let's go see a comedy show. Oh will Ferrel is on! He is SO funny! Do you remember that one time he made that joke about the doctor who couldn't stop farting? Oh man that was SO FREAKIN' AWESOME!
I used to be hilarious in the UK. My friends relied on my humour to brighten up any situation. Here I just confuse people and have to explain my (super simple) jokes and feel like I am ruining the mood if I don't pretend to laugh at every fart or poo joke that is told. And so I find myself dumbing myself down and also telling fart and poop jokes and abandoning any form of witty humour.
but I have to point out that it's not a continental issue at all. When I went to Exeter, Devon in 2004 to do my degree, i had only really traveled from Wrexham, North Wales...but the locals, after sampling my sense of humour, thought that I had just arrived from Mars!!! It's not just humour that is diffderent...if I walked into a shop in Wrexham and bumped into someone...even if it were their fault they would say "hey!, watch where you're going mate!!". But if walked into a shop in Exeter and bumped into someone and it was actually my fault...they would say..."oh, I'm awfully sorry!!".
i don't get it myself either! there must be a professor somewhere who has the answer
