Response #2

Short Writing Assignment #2

Laughing is something that everyone does every single day. It has grown into an extremely important part of society because it is so widely used. There are obviously many reasons that people laugh and the book gives a lot of good reasons as to why people laugh. But, there are also some reasons that are listed that I have never laughed because of. Just to give you an example, I have never really laughed because I feel superior and that is one of the top two reasons people laugh. Then again, maybe that is a reason that I laugh, and I just do not know it but I have a feeling that is not the reason that I laugh. The top reason that we laugh, given in the book, is that we laugh out of surprise and I do have to agree with that one, sort of; we laugh if we are surprised only if the information that we hear or the act that we see is just a little bit funny.
One thing that bothers me about the reasons that we laugh is that we laugh when we feel superior. The reason that it confounds me is that when people laugh out of superiority then it is sending a strong message the person or group of people that are deemed as inferior; and that message is not one that anyone would like to endure. If you were the inferior party would you like it if people were laughing at you just because you were looked at as inferior. This just bothers me because that there are a whole lot of poor and starving people in the world that have no opportunities for success or no opportunities for a high quality of life and to know that people are laughing because they feel superior; not necessarily towards them but just because they feel superior in general. Even if they are not making fun of the under privileged it is an indirect shot at them. And it is completely reasonable to assume that if people laugh because they feel superior then they are subject to make fun of the inferior and laugh about it.
Another thing that surprises me about the list of reasons that we laugh is that there is nothing saying that we laugh because we are either amused of entertained. These seem like the top two reasons that most people laugh. When someone gives a little chuckle then obviously they have to be somewhat amused of their would have really no reason to laugh. And secondly I would think that people also laugh because they are entertained. If someone is laughing at any kind of show or just laughing in general usually they are enjoying the show or enjoying whatever it is that is making them laugh, and by enjoying something you are entertained. These are probably the top two reasons that I laugh and I can’t really speak for everyone but I can assure you that laughing out of feeling superior is not a reason that I laugh.
The reason that this subject interests me is because I spend the majority of my time laughing. I am easily amused and entertained and feel like I am a funny guy. When something like laughing, that is so widely used, then I feel that it is important for everyone to understand why it is that they are laughing. And if people feel that they are laughing for the wrong reasons then it could raise some sense of awareness and make people stop and think about how it would feel to be on the other end of “joke”. My example of all this nonsense would have to be the jokes that everyone makes about the homeless and the jokes that people make about the starving people in Ethiopia. The main joke would be the one about the person in Ethiopia chasing a doughnut down a hill and I’m sure that everyone has heard it.