We've all heard our share of bad jokes before – in fact, we've probably told quite a few of them ourselves. But after hearing such a joke, we often force ourselves to laugh half-heartedly anyway.
But then there's those jokes that are so awful, you can't even pretend to laugh. A stifling, awkward silence takes over the room as people try to figure out how to respond.
While Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (from Jersey Shore) attempted to exercise his funny bone on Comedy Central's The Roast of Donald Trump, he failed miserably with not only one, but a four minute string, of terrible, painful jokes.
A few chuckles could be heard after the first few jokes – they certainly weren't going to get The Situation requested anywhere as a stand-up comedian, but they weren't particularly offensive or awkward. As the jokes progressed, however, the crowd's response transformed from silence lasting 4 or 5 seconds to booing and groans. One particularly awful joke The Situation's observation that "People are always hatin' on him because Trump's always firing people, but it's kinda ok because he completely let himself go anyway." Not only did deafening silence overtake the room, but a panning camera revealed two other celebrity guests, one with her hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide with shock, the other with his head down, shaking it slowly in disbelief.
What did The Situation say that turned his joke into such an awkward, horrible situation? In order for a joke that's intended to mock another person to be found funny, it needs to draw on a trait or action of that person that is true to life. People may be unconsciously aware of this quirk, but the comedian is able to showcase it: this becomes the laughable element. While Mike did accurately reference the fact that Trump is known for firing people on "The Apprentice," the second half of his statement, which was intended to elicit laughter, just didn't make sense. Because it failed to make reference to reality, the audience was wrenched from their enjoyment of the joke. His statement was so at odds with the widely held perception of Trump that people were forced to think about what The Situation was even referring to. Lacking a clear relation to how we perceive Trump, The Situation's joke lacked any funny element.
This idea leads to another element of comedy: too much thinking can spoil a joke. As Bergson claims, "laughter is incompatible with emotion." While I don't agree with this idea completely, I do think that having to think too hard about a joke makes its lose its ability to extract laughter. Part of the hilarity of a joke comes from the quick delivery of the punch line, or funny element. You don't have to process it for subtle meaning or read-between-the-lines for deeper suggestions. The message is right there – you hear it and laugh. Mike's joke lacked this completely, because when he did deliver what was to be his punch line, it forced people to analyze what he was saying. With heightened levels of thinking, the audience was more likely to critique other flaws that they may have previously overlooked. As a result, no detail of Mike's performance was accepted without being judged.
So even though Mike's joke failed to amuse, it inadvertently demonstrated a lot about what it takes to be funny! The Situation certainly has gym, tan, and laundry down, but he has a lot to work on when it comes to comedy.
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