Thai Sense Of Humor

[ColPyat]

Thai sense of humour isn't very sophisticated. A Thai comedy show featuring eg; a fat katoey tripping on a banana skin would send yer average room full of Thai viewers into hysterics.

Don't say you've never laughed before at violent humour? Three Stooges; Road Runner; Young Ones; etc?

Not very sophisticated?!

I would suggest going to a live comedy show, and try to decipher the many layered jokes playing with rather complex and very subtle plays with Thai language - makes your head spin. Thai humor may be different, and also because the complex language difficult to understand - but unsophisticated it is definitely not.

[Cobalt60]

I would laugh myself into an early grave if it was Mr Bean

[Payboy]

Laughing at other people's/animals' misfortunes is yet another example of the lack of moral principles here.

100% bang on.

Only those with an extremely low IQ watch similar shows in the West. You can tell by the format and presentation of a program which sections of the population it is aimed at.

Thai humour is slapstick, low brow, adolescent and sometimes extremely offensive to people with half a brain.

Allowing the deliberate mocking of afflicted people such as mongoloids on national TV prime time says a lot about this nation's people (note - it is NEVER acceptable to mock, especially in public, those that are probably not capable to realise they are being made fun of. NEVER IMO).

but its always okay if it can be passed-off as another peoples culture....

[chinthee]

You know, I've also noticed that Thai people feel free to pointedly tease family members or anybody about being fat, or employees at being "too dark" from Isaan, etc.. They don't seem to have the same sense of political correctness as westerners.

[adjan jb]

political correctness

I hate those two words when they are put together.

[steveromagnino]

Allowing the deliberate mocking of afflicted people such as mongoloids on national TV prime time says a lot about this nation's people (note - it is NEVER acceptable to mock, especially in public, those that are probably not capable to realise they are being made fun of. NEVER IMO).

The Mongoloid you are referring to makes a sizeable income and is MUCH loved in the comic world; he plays the role of the seemingly foolish straight man, but will have some great lines and it is clear he is anything but the butt of all jokes; in fact he gives as good as he gets.

Perhaps, though, you are right - he would be better earning less and working in some menial job hidden from the customers, stacking shelves or the like, rather than being loved, famous and even having the chance to play the son of Taksin in a movie banned a while back - sometimes making fun of himself and sometimes making fun of others.

If anything, he has brought the topic of being physically/mentally challenged to the fore, and shown that even the challenged can do anything. He is fully aware that sometimes he is being mocked, and sometimes he is doing the mocking - at least in the short conversation I have had the honour to have with him.

Incidentally, I've briefly been a part of a few comic sketches - those guys are way quicker than anything I can think of; unless you speak Thai at a pretty high level, I doubt most foreign educated Thais even could follow some of the wordplays and jokes one can see everynight at Rama 9 cafe. A mix of crude, funny, slapstick and so on; first person to claim they can follow all the jokes and still finds it stupid and infantile...well you understand a lot more about Thai language and Thailand than I do.

[WaiWai]

The OP was not talking about a comedy show, though :

Whilst waiting for the school bus to arrive thismorning, My G/F, her two children 14 & 10 and i were watching the news. There was a graphic report showing a man in india being kicked, beaten, and dragged through the street on his back, by a motorbike.

Our two children found this highly amusing.

[Gravelrash]

I think many aspects of humour are universal. Slapstick has always been a popular form of humouur in the west from the days od the three stooges to Jim Carry.

I don't find any major differences in humour, Thais love to laugh, and if you can change your comment from English into Thai you generally get the same response.

[jaiyenyen]

The OP was not talking about a comedy show, though.

Exactly, This was no comedy show, it was a breakfast time news programme.

We all like a good laugh at slapstick comedy, but hopefully we all understand that it is just that, comedy, and not real life.

I shudder to think what the reaction would be if they started to show public executions, in all their gory details, on prime time TV.

Come to think of it, the ratings would probably go through the roof.

Regards

Jaiyenyen

[Valjean]

First a little rant…WOW just when I think I have read some really myopic comments without the slightest sense of personal cultural awareness you get a topic like that that just astounds me. There are some people here who not only seem to be clueless they seem to lack a sense of humor. One wonders if wearing the forum equivalent of condoms would protect me from whatever it is they have. Anyway that’s not funny, just sad.

OK end rant I feel better now…

I was talking to my GF over dinner about this and what’s funny on TV. She was telling me about a show that had difference characters that looked like Taskin, anther PM, Taskin’s secretary and others. So first off to get this humor you needed to be clued in to who everyone was. Then of course the jokes couldn’t be direct so it was all indirect and word play. She can’t even explain it to me. I’d be amazed if there are 1 in 10,000 in forum who could get and follow the jokes in a simple skit like this – it takes so much inside cultural knowledge and an incredible fluency of language.

We talked about Seinfeld the US comedy show which I have DVDs of – and laugh at shows I’ve seen 20 times. She doesn’t find it at all funny. Of course not and I bet most people outside of the US don’t either. You just need the context to get the joke.

Speaking of context someone in some thread the other day posted a comment about Thailand being a High Context culture versus the US beng Low Context. I went to Wikipedia and to read up on this. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_context_culture) The example used to understand the difference was humor;

“High context cultures (and co-cultures) provide many opportunities for humor. However, a high context culture’s jokes will not translate well to someone of a different culture. An example comes from Star Trek jokes: “Why did LT Worf change his hair color? Because it was a good day to dye.” To an outsider, the language is grammatically coherent, but the humor is lost. LT Worf hails from the Klingon alien society, and often repeats a Klingon proverb: “It is a good day to die.” The pun goes unrecognized by those unfamiliar with Star Trek.

A lower context joke comes from a (possibly apocryphal) interaction between IBM and a Japanese hardware manufacturer. IBM requested parts from a trial project, with the specification “We will accept three defective parts per ten thousand.” The Japanese manufactured the parts, and sent them with a note: “We, the Japanese people, had a hard time understanding North American business practices. But the three defective parts per 10,000 have been separately manufactured and have been included in the consignment. Hope this pleases you.” The humor is inherent in the narrative, instead of from a common background.”

As to humor at the things “wrong” or different about other people. Today I was having lunch with someone on my team and we were talking about my GF who is 30 years younger than me and he said “I think it’s just fate so I don’t worry about it”. Being dark, fat, ugly, rich or whatever when viewed as fate carries a lot less baggage of responsibility, fault, victims, and all other sorts of value judgments that might be common in the west and make the comments feel more hurtful. I’m not saying either way of viewing or feeling existence is better – west or east the play out different ways for good or bad (from my own lens). But here there is a frankness about things here that at least in politically correct US would be 100% noticed but not said. In fact one of the funny things, in an uncomfortable way, in Seinfeld are the politically incorrect references. But of course if you don’t understand that what they are saying shouldn’t be said and that the joke is on the society as well as the archetype making the comment you don’t understand the humor or worse think the subject IN the joke is the subject OF the joke. If this also involves a colloquial or idiomatic language reference there is no way you get the joke.

Lastly I clearly don’t understand Thai humor at all. It’s beyond me. But for sure I see that Thai’s love a good laugh, having fun, and humor. Tonight leaving work a group was crowed around a magazine with pictures of our office – and they were having so much fun looking at each picture and having fun with everyone in a picture. I’ve never worked with people who have so much fun and find a good laugh in everything around them – except perhaps my jokes!!!

[JetsetBkk]

Seinfeld the US comedy show

- one of the funniest shows on UBC/True - it's on in 2 minutes!

The other is "Maximum Exposure" - the comments of the presenter as skateboarders crush their nuts is hilarious.

[Valjean]

Seinfeld the US comedy show

- one of the funniest shows on UBC/True - it's on in 2 minutes!

The other is "Maximum Exposure" - the comments of the presenter as skateboarders crush their nuts is hilarious.

Dang you - I got all excited and then found out because I'm cheap it's scrambled. Need to step up to whatever level that gets me Jerry. :-)

[gbt71fa]

Laughing at other people's/animals' misfortunes is yet another example of the lack of moral principles here. I am sure that this is due to reliance on making merit instead of Buddhist teachings. In particular the need to respect ALL life.

You obviously haven't a clue about Thai's or their way of life.

YOU have formed your own concept of how one should behave in this situation.

1/ Thais laugh at the action , not at the person.

2/ They mean absolutely no harm whatsoever (unlike some vindictive Westerners).

3/ They would be the first to offer assistance to the person in question.

Most Westerners could really learn a thing or two from these character traits.

They are living the Dhamma..

Life's to short, lighten up a little.

Dharma and Gregg? And no I won't.

[jasreeve17]

Whilst waiting for the school bus to arrive thismorning, My G/F, her two children 14 & 10 and i were watching the news. There was a graphic report showing a man in india being kicked, beaten, and dragged through the street on his back, by a motorbike.

Our two children found this highly amusing.

I asked G/F why they found it funny, and she just said, "we are Thai, everything funny honey"

I know Thais will often smile and laugh during conversation, but laughing at someone being phisically abused was something i found quite disturbing.

Are my G/F's children normal, or could they be Devil Spawn?

Regards

Jaiyenyen

I don't think that it's very funny either, and there's no excuse for laughing at it.

Excuses such as; keep the spirits away, we're laughing with him, we're shy, we are being kind... are not true in this case (may be so in other cases though). There is no reason to laugh at another person in pain ("Oh but we laugh because we are nice and care" Fark off...).

Edited August 29, 2007 by jasreeve17

[AlexLah]

An example,

Today my Product manager Joy came to me about 20 times to ask me several questions which I all answered and helped her.

Then an hour later my phone rings.

Hi, this is Joy

I know I answer, then I keep listening.

Why you not talk she asks me.

I am waiting for your question I answered.

She was on the floor laughing out loud.

You are so funny she told me.

I am just doing my job I tell her.

Haaaaa haaaaa haaaaaa Joy responds.

I am really having a great time at the office here in Thailand, so funny

[Upcountry]

As for Bendix, well, the two of us were having a good laugh at, or rather WITH this beggar the other day. I told my driver to stop the chariot (that's what I call my imported 1940s Citroen, brought in direct from germany after the war, used by the SS supposedly, i think that means it is lucky, I like the letter S, and with this car the embroidery gives me 2 of them!) and we decided to see how the other half live.

There was once a snail who was sick and tired of his reputation for being so slow.

He decided to get some fast wheels to make up the difference. After shopping around a while, he decided that the Datson 240-Z

was the car to get. So the snail went to the nearest Datsun dealer and asked to buy the 240-Z.

The salesman was taken back by the snail wanting to buy a car. But before he could recover from that, the snail said,

I want it repainted and re-badged to be "240-S".

The dealer asked, "Why 'S'?"

The snail replied, "'S' stands for snail. I want everybody who sees me roaring past to know who's driving."

Well, the dealer didn't want to lose the unique opportunity to sell a car to a snail, so he agreed to have the car repainted for a small fee.

The snail got his new car and spent the rest of his days roaring happily down the highway at top speed. And whenever anyone would see him zooming by, they'd say ...

"Wow! Look at that S-car go!"

[JohnnyThai]

i saw the same video on the news and my thai friend was disturbed by it.

[tracer5050]

Thais do have a different way of looking at things. If in rome they say. I love these people here.

[macular]

If you say someone is like a pig in LOS, it is taken as a cute/funny/joking statement.

If you say someone is like a pig in China, you're offensive and rude.

If you say someone (a man) is like a buffalo in China, you're complimenting that he is strong.

If you say someone is like a buffalo in LOS, you're unbelievably offensive and rude.

Interesting difference in culture and perception although in the same region of Asia.

"...children 14 & 10 and i were watching the news. There was a graphic report showing a man in india being kicked, beaten, and dragged through the street on his back, by a motorbike.

Our two children found this highly amusing."

Fat katoey tripping on a banana skin on television makes viewer laugh because they thought it is not real life situation and it doesn't hurt, even if the katoey is shouting: "jep! jep! jep!"

Do we know what are these children perceiving?

Do they know that this is a real life situation and not a comedy?

Are most of the comedy that they've watched consist of these "jep" scene?

I'm not giving the kids any excuse to laugh the matter away. We have to know the kids' perception before we can give them the correct education.

America's Funniest Home Video has some of the worst and most painful mishap captured on video. Millions find it funny and millions find it not funny.

It's just a matter of perception. It all depends of who is watching it, what they are thinking about and how they felt about it.

As for: "we are Thai, everything funny honey"; did it come across your mind that "face" is coming into play? Did she try to give excuse for her children? Or did she think that it is just another "mai pben rai" question and gave a quick answer from further questions? What was in her mind during that moment? Guess you'll have to find out yourself...

Again, it's just my personal perception and thoughts...

Cheers!

[jaiyenyen]

Hi Macular

You may be right about my G/F wanting to save face for her children, with her comment, because she was not laughing at the news report.

BTW, when we are in the company of Thai friends, she likes to tell them all that i am her "white pig". They all find this very funny, however, being English, i just cringe I have tried to tell her many times that i find it a bit offensive, but she just say's " Oh no no honey, is good thing. You lubbly boy" (i'm 50) , my heart melts again, and i get over it.

Funny old thing, humour.

[Andrew Hicks]

Whilst waiting for the school bus to arrive thismorning, My G/F, her two children 14 & 10 and i were watching the news. There was a graphic report showing a man in india being kicked, beaten, and dragged through the street on his back, by a motorbike.

Our two children found this highly amusing.

I asked G/F why they found it funny, and she just said, "we are Thai, everything funny honey"

I know Thais will often smile and laugh during conversation, but laughing at someone being phisically abused was something i found quite disturbing.

Are my G/F's children normal, or could they be Devil Spawn?

Regards

Jaiyenyen

Of course children just don't understand, but it's more troublesome with adults.

Laughter is sometimes a way of expressing embarrassment, though I agree that reactions to horrible situations can be strange. Asians generally love a farcical situation and an accident can be such.

But then in UK, a TV programme of 'funny' home videos usually features kids falling off things and people crashing their bicycles.

[steveromagnino]

"Wow! Look at that S-car go!"

Nice build up, great punchline - this one I am keeping :_) Great stuff

Emperor Tud -

NO I am not a mental professional, professionally mental perhaps. I was unaware you have to be a psychiatrist to have a discussion with someone and ask them whether they know and understand the jokes, whether they mind being the butt of some and the punchline in others, whether they give as good as they get.

Nah, better to plonk all those people into an institute so the rest of us never have to see them...?!

As for the original - lots of potential reasons, but sounds completely odd to me; the other jokes at accidents and so forth tend to be a sympathy share the joke kind of situation, but I bow to others' knowledge of how Thais think in making sweeping generalisations, I sadly do not know enough for that.

[WaiWai]

BTW, when we are in the company of Thai friends, she likes to tell them all that i am her "white pig". They all find this very funny, however, being English, i just cringe I have tried to tell her many times that i find it a bit offensive, but she just say's " Oh no no honey, is good thing. You lubbly boy" (i'm 50) , my heart melts again, and i get over it.

Hmmm ... perhaps you are telling PORKIES then ?

[kmart]

Thai sense of humour isn't very sophisticated. A Thai comedy show featuring eg; a fat katoey tripping on a banana skin would send yer average room full of Thai viewers into hysterics.

Don't say you've never laughed before at violent humour? Three Stooges; Road Runner; Young Ones; etc?

Not very sophisticated?!

I would suggest going to a live comedy show, and try to decipher the many layered jokes playing with rather complex and very subtle plays with Thai language - makes your head spin. Thai humor may be different, and also because the complex language difficult to understand - but unsophisticated it is definitely not.

I take your point. My spoken Thai is pretty fluent, and I used to enjoy going to the "Dice Club" in Pattaya. Some of the comics / performers there were superb.

The average fodder on national telly is pretty lame though. Same as any country I suppose.

Thailand has also won a few international awards with some brilliant and very funny advertisements, too.

[teatree]

Not knocking Thailand but the humour here is rather basic. Just an observation.

People have said that the word play is something that would go over the heads of 99% of Farangs. Well, this may be true but I would hardly call puns great comedy. Puns are only one level up from custard pies in the face. Are you saying local radio DJ's in the UK or wherever are great comics because they use puns???

"The time's coming up to 8.43 and news just in of a man from Texas who bought a 60 year old tin of baked beans from his local shop.......I guess you could call them HAS BEANS.......I wonder if his favourite actor is SEAN BEAN......etc etc"

Not exactly Bill Hicks is it?

Anyway, like I said not complaing just an observation, I do love the Thai people's thirst for "sanook".

[DirkGently]

With Thais I feel it is a case of 'small things amuse small minds'.

Edited August 31, 2007 by DirkGently

[ColPyat]

Thai sense of humour isn't very sophisticated. A Thai comedy show featuring eg; a fat katoey tripping on a banana skin would send yer average room full of Thai viewers into hysterics.

Don't say you've never laughed before at violent humour? Three Stooges; Road Runner; Young Ones; etc?

Not very sophisticated?!

I would suggest going to a live comedy show, and try to decipher the many layered jokes playing with rather complex and very subtle plays with Thai language - makes your head spin. Thai humor may be different, and also because the complex language difficult to understand - but unsophisticated it is definitely not.

I take your point. My spoken Thai is pretty fluent, and I used to enjoy going to the "Dice Club" in Pattaya. Some of the comics / performers there were superb.

The average fodder on national telly is pretty lame though. Same as any country I suppose.

Thailand has also won a few international awards with some brilliant and very funny advertisements, too.

I guess only the Brits come out with one great comedy after the other. But regarding humor and comedies the Brits are undisputed leaders in the world.

[ColPyat]

Not knocking Thailand but the humour here is rather basic. Just an observation.

People have said that the word play is something that would go over the heads of 99% of Farangs. Well, this may be true but I would hardly call puns great comedy. Puns are only one level up from custard pies in the face. Are you saying local radio DJ's in the UK or wherever are great comics because they use puns???

"The time's coming up to 8.43 and news just in of a man from Texas who bought a 60 year old tin of baked beans from his local shop.......I guess you could call them HAS BEANS.......I wonder if his favourite actor is SEAN BEAN......etc etc"

Not exactly Bill Hicks is it?

Anyway, like I said not complaing just an observation, I do love the Thai people's thirst for "sanook".

Comedy shows, especially life, are a lot more elaborate - there is political and social satire hidden in the every complex word plays as well. If you watch magnificent British comedy shows such as 'Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister' you will find for example that they live from properly timed "puns" based on wordplay, and are some of the most difficult things to achieve.

Or look at one of the most classic moments of British comedy, a seemingly simple scene where we laugh about the painful misfortune of another - in "Only Fools and Horses" when Delboy is in the Yuppy bar and falls. It's all the right timing.

Thai humor can only be experienced when one speaks Thai well. To get all the subtleties, one has to speak Thai like a native (which is beyond me). Go to a life comedy show, they are much better than what you see on TV.

[TexasRanger]

Thai humor can only be experienced when one speaks Thai well. To get all the subtleties, one has to speak Thai like a native (which is beyond me). Go to a life comedy show, they are much better than what you see on TV.

Trust me, speaking that level of Thai does not reveal any hidden subtleties, it is still slapstick crapola.

[ColPyat]

Thai humor can only be experienced when one speaks Thai well. To get all the subtleties, one has to speak Thai like a native (which is beyond me). Go to a life comedy show, they are much better than what you see on TV.

Trust me, speaking that level of Thai does not reveal any hidden subtleties, it is still slapstick crapola.

I speak enough Thai to understand that much is not just "slapstick crapola", but satire on politics, current affairs, etc.

When i see and understand some of my Thai friends taking the piss out of each other, then i see and understand extremely quick witted humor.