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The German Sense Of Humor
By Patrick Follow Fri, 3 Feb 2012, 10:07am 6,014 views 42 comments
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Patrick says
What's gotten into you Patrick? This is over the top and not funny. I'm not even Jewish, but this is too much.
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Patrick says
Those are instinctive defensive poses, not waving.
"The appearance and nature of the wound varies with the type of weapon used and the location of the injury, and may present as a laceration, abrasion, contusion or bone fracture.[6][7] Where a victim has time to raise hands or arms before being shot by an assailant, the injury may also present as a gunshot wound."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_wound
Not really very funny.
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lurking says
My sense of humour is all over the place and I especially like dark, non pc as well. But I have to agree. This crapola of a 'joke' is offensive at best. Perhaps I'm in the wrong place?
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No Patrick, on second thought, VILE is a better descriptor.
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lurking says
I have to agree. Not funny. Down right insensitive and counter to everything I have read from Patrick. You just used up your one "bad joke" care with me. ;)
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Nomograph says
No way. This one guy was mocking the people who were about to shoot him, no doubt at all. Most specifically, he was mocking the guy with the camera for taking pictures.
He won, in a way. It really is a very funny picture, exactly because of the utter grimness of the situation. That picture summarizes a whole culture and philsophy which the Germans just don't get.
BTW, my mom was Jewish. I know that attitude from birth, and that one photo expresses it perfectly.
One more example: When my mom was dying of a brain tumor in 2008, lying in the hospital bed (again, utterly grim serious situation), a doctor wanted to check how far gone she was, and so asked her who was the current president. "Eisenhower" she said. There was a moment of silence as it sunk in to us that she thought it was the 1950's, so she must be losing her grip. Than after another moment of getting to enjoy our shock, she said "Just kidding, it's Bush!"
Proved she was still all there, and she got a little jab of revenge at the doctor for asking the question too. I still laugh about it.
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Patrick says
Wow. That's a pretty ignorant statement, brotha.
So you have lived in germany for years and have met/interacted with 100's of germans to know that germans are not funny ??? I have lots of german business partners and have spent significant time over there and I have made quite the opposite experience. Ever heard of comedians Loriot, Karl Valentin, Gerhard Polt? I bet not. And those are just a few. Friggin' hilarious though. (you do have to speak the language very well to get it).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Valentin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Polt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicco_von_Bülow
If you are judging the housing market like you judge people we know that its pointless to listen to you.
General statements about people are wrong by default and ignorant.
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SubOink says
Yes, I lived in Germany for two years and interacted with hundreds of Germans at least. Probably a few thousand. Had a German girlfriend, got to know her family.
There is a distinct German culture, and it's just not funny. Germans say what they mean and they mean what they say, leaving little room for the irony, surprises, and double-meanings inherent in humor. Sorry if that's not PC. No, I take it back. I'm not sorry it's not PC. I studied German literature, and boy, if there was ever a downer of a whole literature, that's it.
SubOink says
No. Why is that?
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Another example, which a Japanese guy confirmed to me is accurate. I know about the German and American parts:
The Hamburger Theory of Management:
In America, if you screw up at work, the boss calls you into his office. First he asks how you are (bottom bun), then he gets to the issue at hand, telling you you screwed up (the meat), then he chats about what you're going to do this weekend (top bun).
So you've got a hamburger.
In Germany, if you screw up at work, the boss calls you into his office and tells you you screwed up. Done. (All meat, no bun.)
In Japan, if you screw up at work, the boss calls you into his office. First he asks how you are (bottom bun), then he chats about what you're going to do this weekend (top bun). Then you leave his office. (No meat!) It's up to YOU to figure out how you screwed up.
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Patrick says
Because then you wouldn't say that there is no humor in german culture. Karl Valentin and Loriot are especially dry humor aka irony, sarcasm. The epitomy of it actually.
Patrick says
Exactly. And just because they say it with a straight face doesn't mean they actually mean it. That's how sarcasm works.
The german language actually allows for much deeper double sense than our english language. But its hard to understand for most foreigners.
Check out those comedians for your own expansion of horizon.
Or maybe you stayed in the north of germany were humor is much much dryer than in the south - bavaria. People are funny as hell.
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Patrick says
LOL.
What does that have to do with sense of humor? You are talking about the differences in courtesy in different cultures. The way germans feel american culture is that its full of BS. Telling a guy you are about to fire how great he really is. That's what we do. Sugar coat everything not to hurt our precious feelings. What difference does it make if your boss asks you how you are before he lays into you?
Meanwhile, the japanese boss bows 10 times as he reaches for his sword...:)
Anyways, that has nothing to do with a sense of humor...
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_humour
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I think it does have something to do with the sense of humor. German culture values clarity and directness. You ask a question, you get an answer.
Contrast with an old joke originally in Yiddish:
Q: Why does a Jew answer a question with another question?
A: Why not?
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Jewish culture and german culture actually have a lot in common. Given on the historic events that is not something you hear very often of course. And quite understandably so. The jews in germany were integrated like in no other country (before wwII), in wwI they fought as "germans". And yiddish has so many german words in it.
I personally enjoy the directness a lot. It's a pleasure doing business with germans. A handshake counts. It's done as its said. No BS. And I am quite embarrassed when I am over there and realize that the average person on the street is more educated than some of our college grads. There is a reason why that country is where it is 70 years after being completely destroyed from a lost war. Impressive, I think. Now they are the ones bailing everyone out.
Maybe the german way gets better results than our way :) No more "how are you" from now on...:)
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SubOink says
Yes, but the German Jews were unusual. I think they were only about 0.5% of the German population, and yes, very assimilated. Most of them escaped.
The people who really got wiped out were the Polish and other Eastern European Jews. They were more than 10% of the population of Poland before the war. And not at all assimilated.
SubOink says
Yiddish actually is German. Put a German speaker and a Yiddish speaker in a room together, and they can speak quite well to each other. It's just a matter of accent and some vocabulary differences, and writing with the Hebrew alphabet. I took a term of Yiddish. The difference is on the order of American English and Jamaican English. Maybe you have to listen hard, but it's definitely the same language.
SubOink says
Yes, they are very good at making things. Smart and hard-working.
The largest single population group by total immigrants to the US over time is German BTW. Irish is second, and English is third.
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Patrick says
didn't know that - interesting
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Patrick is right. Jewish people have a great sense of humor, which is why they dominate comedy writing for Hollywood. The Germans aren't funny at all. My brother married a German woman so one time our families were watching a "German comedy" together and there wasn't a single joke in it.
Germans are great engineers and make excellent ice cream. But they can't do comedy. It may be a stereotype, but some stereotypes are based on real culture, and culture affects how people develop.
Here's an old joke, but it's true.
In Heaven:
The French are the cooks,
The English are the police,
The Germans are the mechanics,
The Italians are the lovers and
The Swiss organize everything.
In Hell:
The English are the cooks,
The Germans are the police,
The French are the mechanics,
The Swiss are the lovers and
The Italians organize everything.
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cab says
No, it's not people being shot to death that's funny, it's one guy's very unexpected reaction to it. And he definitely meant it to be funny. And it's noble too.
It's exactly the horror of the situation that creates the tension necessary for the humor to work. Given that hopeless situation, moments before your death, what to do? Nothing?
Better answer: silly wave at the camera, which actually came through time and space down to the present moment like a bit of starlight from far away, while all the others are dark, invisible.
Sheer brilliance and presence of mind. I'm really sorry the guy was shot, because he was a comedic genius.
Why does the movie "Life Is Beautiful" work? Exactly the same reason, and about the same subject:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_Beautiful
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I didn't say all Germans were humorless, just that humor as we know it in America, Britain, and Yiddishland is not part of German culture.
I knew a Swiss German guy who lived here for 10 years. When he first arrived, Calvin and Hobbes was an utter mystery to him. He just didn't get it. by the time he left, he was a raving fan.
And BTW, the joke voted funniest in the world is this one:
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_funniest_joke
Now why is that funny? Because of human suffering? No, exactly because that reality of shooting someone would not be funny. It's shocking, unexpected, a sudden shift in perspective, a kind of enlightenment.
I think my introspection is working just fine thank you. Maybe you need to think a bit outside the box. It's a lot of fun out here!
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Wow, cab seems to have been infected with the politically correct virus. You know, the one that causes people to become so fearful of racism and prejudice that they see bigotry everywhere, especially where there is none. This, of course, is merely a form of bigotry itself.
No one has said Germans are horrible people. The vast majority of Germans alive today weren't around during the 1930s or WWII. No one has said that no German has a sense of humor. No one has said Germans are bad people.
What has been said is that Germany doesn't have a culture that produces a lot of good comedy. Some cultures produce lots of talented comedians and others produce lots of good engineers. As an engineer and a smart-ass, I have the background to talk about both!
If you have never sat through a German comedy -- and I use that term loosely -- then you have no say in this matter.
And don't even think about attacking me as anti-German. My brother got married in Germany last summer to a German native. And I had a great time in Germany.
Never let political correctness cause you to become the bigot. True solidarity with other peoples and cultures require honest conversation and honest conversation cannot happen if you promote a culture of fear of being called racist if you say anything that a dumb ass might misinterpret.
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Patrick says
Not only did he get the last laugh, but he turned himself from a victim to a hero defying evil. He is now immortalized.
The Jewish culture has produced many talented comedians. That's what we mean when we say something like "Jews are funny.".
Now I don't know exactly why Jews are funny, but I suspect that if a people go through as much shit as the Jews have throughout history, you have to develop a good sense of humor to survive.
So when I say Jews are funny, that's a compliment and a strength. And I respect Jews for their sense of humor just like I respect Germans for their good engineering.
When I say Germans aren't, it's not an insult but rather an observation and perhaps an indication of what they should work on. It is rather ironic that the Germans have a lot to learn from the Jews.
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This actually explains everything:
Calvin's mother is horrified.
Calvin is mystified.
You, the viewer outside the frame, are amused. Hopefully.
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I like how happy Calvin is in the first panel. It's the kind of complete happiness that only kids, cats, and dogs seem to be capable of having. I wish I could do that.
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Patrick says
I am not sure if tragedy is a necessity in all humor, but the greater the tragedy the greater the release.
A favorite.
A guy shows up at the Doctors office. Doc says, we got some bad news and some worse news. The guy says gimme the bad news. Doc says we finally got your lab reports back , they show you only have 24 hours to live. ................. The Guy clutches his head and his chest, moans for a moment and says,,,,,, hey Doc what could be worse than that ????? the Doctor replies,
We tried to get a hold of you ALL DAY yesterday.
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Listening to NPR . Europe is described as a dysfunctional family, where France, Greece & Italy are the party types. Drank there fill of wine & spirits, took the Ferrari out and crashed it. Now they want to borrow more money from there prudential, boring old Father Germany.
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I think they just now are beginning to "get" all the "Downfall" videos,
Like this one:
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I didn't see the OP, so I don't know what it was. I do know that I'm super sensitive when it comes to the holocaust, seeing as how my relatives were victims. I don't think I would have found it funny.
But I have friends with vicious senses of humor - went to the this german restaurant several years ago and when we were seated, Jim looked at me and said, "no where near the ovens, please..." LMAO!
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elliemae says
Exactly. Thanks for my good laugh of the morning!
Now the reason that is funny is exactly the horror of the real situation. It's just like the guy who was waving at the German cameraman.
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TMAC54 says
Totally correct! You can put Ireland in that group too. They have been known to party sometimes...
It's totally about these subconscious archetypes, and so is the left-right split in the US.
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GEEZ Sillymae ! Sorry for the cookie joke.
But keep in mind I try to refer to "The Stanford Prison Experiment" and "The Milgram Experiment" Because history IS repeating itself.
Does Nancy have to return those Ill Gotten gains ? I was thinking of running for congress but if the insider trading benefit has been omitted, To hell with them.
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German's wouldn't find this pic to be funny like Americans would:
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Speaking of the German sense of humor, can someone explain this?
http://blog.beliefnet.com/watchwomanonthewall/2011/09/hum%E2%98%BAr-from-german-parades-floats-and-balloons-in-carnival-parade.html
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zzyzzx says
They would probably ask whats the fuss all about ?
No biggie! the whole world was seeing the SS over the past 40 years now..did anyone complain ? Anyone ???
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Dan8267 says
They should have a little more respect for our political hierarchy !
It's a good thing this jpg never got out.
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TMAC54 says
Now, that's hilarious!
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TMAC54 says
You have just ruined sex for all of us.
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TMAC54 says
That sums up the EU perfectly! +1.
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elliemae says
Hilarious. In a dark way.
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