Response to Alyssa's Blog
Vines are, in a way, the simplest
form of comedy. Short, six second clips
that do not even allow time to set up a proper joke; they are often almost indescribably
funny. The vine of the little girl
falling off the swing and then rolling down the Wii bowling lane is one of my all-time
favorites. The surprise that accompanies
the girl’s trip down the lane is probably the best way to describe why most
vines are funny. The unexpectedness, or
incongruity, makes them true, goofy works of art. Richard’s misadventures while attempting to
play frisbee golf is another perfect example.
In the first second or two, we see him wind up to make the throw and
openly wonder where in the world the video, and indeed frisbee, are going. We obviously do not have to wait very long
for the legendary line. With both of
these vines we also see superiority come into play as we watch a small child
tumble helplessly toward animated pins or we laugh at Richard and his horrible
aim and execution. Another favorite of
mine is the umbrella video. You are one
hundred percent correct about the buildup of suspense leading to the inevitable
“run.” I think that this is a textbook
version of relief humor that has nothing to do with inappropriate or adult
jokes. Thanks to this video alone, I
will never see a beach umbrella in the same light again. I like the way that you wrote your blog because
it was not only interesting and fun but also quite hilarious. The minimal and at times sarcastic captions
added another level to the brilliance of these classics. Any excuse to re-watch old vines is a good
one as far as I am concerned. Thank you
for giving me that excuse (although to be honest I would have watched them with
no particular excuse at all because vines are the best).
I like that you suggest that perhaps relief theory explains more laughter at awkward or tense situations--so something like, Curb Your Enthusiasm, would maybe be a better example. It's not that we need to vent some repressed impulse, but simply cut the tension of a situation. That's compatible with Freud's theory in the sense that what is happening is not that we are dissipating some desire, but simply avoiding awkwardness.
ReplyDeleteI really love how you described the vines as funny because of their unexpectedness, since they're so short and so much is left unsaid the viewer is confused and laughs. I also agree that we feel superior and laugh at Richard when he fails epicly and chucks his friend's frisbee light years away.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you were able to connect the Vines we watched with the theories of humor. The incongruity of most of these videos really does make them a comedic masterpiece, despite the 6 second duration. The umbrella Vine was one of my favorites as well!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about how vines are so funny because it gives you no time to think. This allows for so many jokes to catch you off guard because it is hard to know what to expect at all when given such little time to predict. I also agree that all three theories are crucial to vines success. Depending on the vine, either incongruity, superiority, and or relief theory are used.
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