sept. 9 response Comedy isn't a set Idea it Mixes with Everything

A response to The Difference Between Comedy and Seriousness

               There can be a difference between Comedy and serious but there doesn’t have to be.  There are many comedies that work because there is an overlap between these two “genre”.  They have either a serious main character, whose perspective we see the world through as weird stuff happens to and around them.   Another way they merge the line is to make everything so serious that it seems other worldly like in Deadliest prey (also the last ten minute of Faithful Findings but I’m pretty sure that falls more under Stockholm syndrome than comedy).  

The tendency for people to laugh at others pain is an age old phenomenon that cannot be measured because it is completely opinionated.  Also there isn’t fine universal line between comedy and serious, since it is based on people’s experiences and personalities.  Some people could find this scene over the top or not funny while others might be a sadist.  It is this range of tastes that change how people approach making a comedy they either target a vast audience with stuff like the Taser scene in the hangover or they target a niche audience.  The more niche of an audience a comedy targets, the more likely it is to go over the line between serious and not serious.  Comedy from pain is usually the lowest common denominator of comedy because it appeals to the masses.  This is why it is used in movies like The Hangover, because it is easy to set the scene or give the impression that stuff that is legitimately dangerous or harmful is funny.  This prefacing can make anything funny if done right, further destroying the idea that there is a line (if you don’t believe me about all the terrible event throughout history that people laugh at now.).