Thai Sense Of Humor

[mahtin]

How come nobody mentioned Morlam shows, apart from an earlier poster suggesting that most comics are from Isaan?

The sketch with the pantomime buffalo really cuts me up.

Some of those katoeys can actually act and sing.

[tw25rw]

I notice that Mr Bean goes down well, a personal pet hate of mine, just dont find it/him funny at all.

You're right, most seem to love it and I think that in itself speak volumes.

I put Seinfeld on of an evening and my Thai missus can understand the English just fine but sits there utterly lost as to why I'm chortling away.

Sorry, but Mr Bean is far far funnier than Seinfeld.

[tw25rw]

Beny Hill is very funny for Thais

Only because of his physical antics. They wouldn't understand a word of what he says.

He's huge in Europe for some reason.. I doubt they get Martin, Barton and Fargo, or the Chinese bloke (interviewer: it's the way you roll your Rs. BH as Chinaman: but you haven't seen me walk yet)

I wonder how Morcambe and Wise would go down.

[Cobalt60]

I inadvertently walked into a tree branch, caught me a light blow across the forehead, I over reacted on purpose, made out I was dying, pulling faces and holding my head etc, well bloody hel_l, it was the funniest thing I have ever done judging the reaction from someone I was hoping would be overcome with sympathy not bloody body disabling hysterics.

[Boo]

My husbands finds the simpson, futurama & south park funny (In english not thai) & we recently watched the Jackasss 2 movie with another thai/english couple & all 4 of us were doubled up laughing.

There is a comedy tv show called "Dinnerladies" on in the UK with victoria woods, which has very subltle humour in it that he also gets but it is the cartoons aimed at adults (South park, simpsons, team america) that get the belly laughs. Thankfully, like me, he finds Mr Bean not funny

[aries27]

Crank Yankers, love it!

my nieces grew up on "rugrats" and fast graduated to adult comedies. they still don't like my seinfeld though... :-)

[Datsun240Z]

Try Johny English haha

[scotbeve]

I notice that Mr Bean goes down well, a personal pet hate of mine, just dont find it/him funny at all.

What about Black Adder then?? BTW - I'm an American, don't have too much time for US humo(u)r. Case of: been away too long I guess

[Steve2UK]

Beny Hill is very funny for Thais

............ and for Americans

To show off my Dolby-audio home cinema set-up, I played the DVD of "Saving Private Ryan". The opening 15 minutes of limbs being blown off etc had my Thai visitors rolling around in hysterics...........

Edited April 26, 2008 by Steve2UK

[Cobalt60]

I notice that Mr Bean goes down well, a personal pet hate of mine, just dont find it/him funny at all.

What about Black Adder then?? BTW - I'm an American, don't have too much time for US humo(u)r. Case of: been away too long I guess

Same man, but totally different acting> Blackadder is very good, if you are from a culture that understands the irony and sarcasm, but as Bean he makes me embarrased to watch, just infantile in my opinion, but there you are, as the saying goes, good job we aint all alike.

[pliny]

Anyone remember the OTOP promotion advert featuring the Isaan artisan presented with a huge block of wood from which he was to produce an engaging Thai artefact? Eventually, after much whittling,chiselling and conflabs with his peers he proudly flourished an exquisitely fashioned but ever so modest toothpick.

Absolutely priceless and demonstrated a finely honed sophisticated sense of humour that works on so many levels.

Unfortunately, I think it was pulled because the ' authorities ' failed to see the joke and concluded it only portrayed the Thai as stupid. I always thought it was the Sino-Thai influence at work there, the same clodhopping stupidity that considered it appropriate to feature the same animals on the Chiang Mai Safari Park restaurant menu as those held captive.

Edited April 26, 2008 by pliny

[Ulysses G.]

I notice that Mr Bean goes down well, a personal pet hate of mine, just dont find it/him funny at all.

You're right, most seem to love it and I think that in itself speak volumes.

I put Seinfeld on of an evening and my Thai missus can understand the English just fine but sits there utterly lost as to why I'm chortling away.

Sorry, but Mr Bean is far far funnier than Seinfeld.

In your very humble opinion...

[geriatrickid]

Black Adder is great because it is ageless, brilliantly written and set in a long gone era so it does not appear dated as would a Gleason or Seinfeld episode which was contemporary. The Jeeves & Wooster series which pokes fun of hi so folks requires a bit of thinking on the part of the viewer and that would be difficult for a Thai not used to such pokes let alone the historical context. All about the age one first watches the series I reckon. Used to catch reruns of the 2 Ronnies and found it to be retarded but loved Red Dwarf. Used to love South Park but now am a devotee of Family Guy. As we age we think differently I guess. Unless of course the physical comedy was brilliant. C'mon what guy can't still bust a gut over the 3 Stooges or classic Lucy? Have yet to see that quality level on Thai shows. My friends laugh at idiots in katoey drag and for the life of me, I can't find it funny. I've seen reruns of Milton Berle in drag and thought the skits were stupid. On the other hand the reruns of Carol Burnett's show with Harvey Korman as an old pushy lady in drag are hilarious. Maybe those of us raised on the Andy Griffith show reruns or some of the British greats learned the concept of subtlety and how to poke fun at the foibles of humanity without pandering to ignorance as many Thai comedy shows seem to do. I can still watch old Louis de Funes (french) movies and have a laugh despite their outdated lines because Louis had timing and facial expressions down pat. I think Thai comedy is based on laughing at people rather than laughing with people.

Edited April 26, 2008 by geriatrickid

[Andrew Hicks]

I've noticed too some pretty primitive humor, like people dressed up as clowns and just doing physical humor, and it's intended for an adult aduience (like those awful shows they run on thai buses). I think it might seem entertaining to Thais and not westerners because westerner's already have a highly stimulative environment, an Isaan farmer living out in the wilds for months on end would be entertained by anything.

But I've noticed too a highly sophisticated, playful wit in Isaan people and in the Khmer, who seem to have more liberal socities than the uptight, conservative Bangkokians (and other East Asians). Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the majority of comedians in thai cinema from Isaan? You ain't gonna find much comic creativity stemming from the hi-so chinese-thais in bkk...

Sadly I think that Isaan comedians are there to be laughed at as comic clodhoppers, not because they have some special and sophisticated handle on contemporary humour. Some of them are talented performers but primarily they're funny because they're Lao.

Thailand ruthlessly exploits the cheap migrant workers from Isaan to maintain comfortable lifestyles and they laugh at them too... and it makes me mad!

Andrew

[meandwi]

Pure curiousity...what makes the ordinary Thai laugh? What kind of jokes, gestures, situations, etc. tickles the funny bone of Thais?

Am asking this as someone who also comes from a Southeast Asian nation which I know has its peculiar humor. Correct me if I am wrong but compared to the Western humor, I have observed that Asians are more visually entertained or humored (than by stand-up jokes or dry wit?). That they like slapstick, funny or exaggerated gestures and even find some minor physical deformity as something to be laughed at? Sometimes, just having a funny or an "ugly" face can be a passport to being a comedian (never mind if he can't deliver a line)? At least in the PH it happens. Sarcasm is also not easily understood. Am I right?

But I also noted the funny commercials in Thailand, ok BTS/Skytrain variety which really cut across cultures I think. Visually entertaining and intelligent too. But is this the regular, common Thai humor one can also encounters in the farms or off-city areas?

Case in point, my father understands what Jay Leno is saying but he doesn't understand why it is funny.

So just curious if native Thai humor falls in the "Asian category"

mods, don't know if I posted in the right forum... was thinking about Farang Pub again but I still have two OPs running there... Please move where appropriate! Thanks for all your replies!

This comedian gets the Thai people to laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yocz4G6fcxI...feature=related

Edited April 26, 2008 by meandwi

[gwynt]

My wife loves 'Fawlty Towers' - lost track of the number of times she has watched it. Sometimes she even calls me Basil.

RusticCharm & OpenGoal - take a look at America's Funniest Home Videos & all it's offshoots.

These are top rating shows in a lot of western countries so it's not saying much about the superior 'cerebal' humour of westerners.

Personally, I don't think seeing kids fall off pushbikes & people getting hit by <insert fast moving object> is very funny.

It's probably better not to judge a nation's 'sense of humour' by what you see on tv.

My wife the same Fawlty Towers and old Fools and Horses, but again from issan she has good sense of humor.

Gwynt

[SamuiJens]

As for the above list...Jackie Gleason???! A fair few of the others I wouldn't really rate along side Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, Murphy, Pryer,

I threw one in for the living fossils.

The Young Ones where funny as H!

[mahtin]

I've noticed too some pretty primitive humor, like people dressed up as clowns and just doing physical humor, and it's intended for an adult aduience (like those awful shows they run on thai buses). I think it might seem entertaining to Thais and not westerners because westerner's already have a highly stimulative environment, an Isaan farmer living out in the wilds for months on end would be entertained by anything.

But I've noticed too a highly sophisticated, playful wit in Isaan people and in the Khmer, who seem to have more liberal socities than the uptight, conservative Bangkokians (and other East Asians). Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the majority of comedians in thai cinema from Isaan? You ain't gonna find much comic creativity stemming from the hi-so chinese-thais in bkk...

Sadly I think that Isaan comedians are there to be laughed at as comic clodhoppers, not because they have some special and sophisticated handle on contemporary humour. Some of them are talented performers but primarily they're funny because they're Lao.

Thailand ruthlessly exploits the cheap migrant workers from Isaan to maintain comfortable lifestyles and they laugh at them too... and it makes me mad!

Andrew

OK. Thai laugh at Lao condescendingly, but Morlam shows' principle audience is ordinary Isaan people... are they laughing at the kratoeys condescendingly?

Sometimes even the performers can't keep a "straight" face.

Mostly everyone is having a good time (and the Chinese who run it are getting richer, but there you go).

[lostworm]

BENNY HILL

FAULTY TOWERS

MR BEAN

CHARLIE CHAPLIN

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES

ANYTHING SLAPSTICK

ANY SHIT AMERICAN COMEDY ALSO

[kowneeoh]

Case in point, my father understands what Jay Leno is saying but he doesn't understand why it is funny.

Neither do I

[TheDon]

Thai's have green blood also

[kolasaab]

My tgf likes to watch football and she laughs and cheers when players argue and push each other around not when a goal is scored

[guava]

However, another source of jokes and humorous jibs are feau pas drawing on the myriad opportunities to transgress cultural rules.

Is mispelling faux pas like misspelling mispelling?

Even Thais who speak quite fluent English will rarely speak it to the same level of a native speaker, especially to the point of understanding the subtle (or not even subtle sometimes) innuendos, double entrendres, satire, sarcasm, irony etc that makes most comedy hilarious. Native English speaking comedy writers put the B in subtle. Sorry.....

Thai has nowhere near the same level of complexity as a language, so the avenues for "clever" humour are much more limited. So many words in English mean different things, and some many things/objects etc can be descibed by different words.

Simpsons and similar shows are funny on 2 levels - many people who never got into them see see them as simple kids cartoons, and there's no doubt kids enjoy them, but there's a level of humour that goes over kids heads thanks to writers like Conan etc. There's some truly magic lines in Simpsons episodes, and many of them wouldn't be obvious to most Thais, even educated fluent speakers. If translated, that whole level of comedy is lost for good. Simpsons is but one example, just an obvious one.

I like clever comedy, but I still love the situational, slapstick stuff as well - timing helps.... I do cringe when people laugh at truly tragic situations, fat people, retarded people etc etc, and the near constant canned laughter, whistles, whoops, bells, and boinnnnnngs on Thai telly are enough to make anyone with an IQ weep. Then again soapies where it's ok to rape someone if you later marry them annoy me somewhat more.

[moo9]

Ionly know that Thai's do not like Irony or Sarcasm. All other things make them laugh. Not too complicated jokes though. Just watch Thai TV, you'll get it.

[coventry]

Telling them that the farang has no money and they'll all have to go work the rice fields tomorrow. It always gets the family laughing.

[scotbeve]

Telling them that the farang has no money and they'll all have to go work the rice fields tomorrow. It always gets the family laughing.

Bril!!!

[qwertz]

From my experiences there, I think the Thais find the visual funnier than the audible.

They laugh at fat people, ugly people, accidents and blunders much more than a farang attempt at joking.

Nevertheless, they're not as po faced as many Europeans of my acquaintance.

[scotbeve]

From my experiences there, I think the Thais find the visual funnier than the audible.

They laugh at fat people, ugly people, accidents and blunders much more than a farang attempt at joking.

Nevertheless, they're not as po faced as many Europeans of my acquaintance.

And they'll laugh even more at fat, ugly, blundering foreigners are in an accident or slip up...

[cymruambyth1]

If any of you saw the golf from Ireland on Sunday night - the part where the eventual winner swuing his club and fell into the river - that almost put Mrs Cymruambyth into an Anaphylactic Fit.

She nearly pi$$ed herself and could not stop belly-laughing for about 30 minutes.

[TheDon]

I think our humour is pretty much the same. We all love visual humour and laugh at fat people etc.