So you want to be funny!!

 

I have found this...

I am ONLY funny when I am not trying to be.

When I try to be funny..it’s absolutely AWFUL!

TERRIBLE!

 Quite frankly...for everyone around..IT IS PAINFUL!

As silly as this may sound (especially to people who are naturally funny), I would LOVE to, intentionally, be able to tell a joke at a gathering of friends and have the whole group laughing..

Even if it was just one joke.

So I asked myself..who is the wittiest person I know..

Ahhhhh...there it is!

My brother!

Recently, on my birthday, I decided to have a conversation with him.

“Brother, how does someone become funny?”

He told me that there were different types of satire and that I should look them up.

Basically...

 Do your research.

Understand the topic.

Apply.

Here are my findings:

There are 3 types of Satire.

Types of Satire: Horatian, Juvenalien, and Mennipean.

1. Horatian (Named after Horace, the Roman satirist): short version- the tone is tolerant, amusing, and witty. It is gently mocking human behavior. The intention is to not create the feelings of an angry teenager..it is focused on a “wry smile”.

2.) Juvenalian- Has a bitter criticism of contemporary person/institution. This type of humor is negative, pessimistic, and shows the unfair treatment of things.

3.) Mennipean- This form of satire is usually written in prose. It’s pretty lengthy when someone is trying to get to the point/punchline. It’s structure is that of a novel. It attacks mental attitudes instead of people/institutions.

After learning the different types of satire..I came up with more questions. Who are some of my favorite comedians? What is their style? How do they tell jokes?

I can say for certain that I do not like Juvenalian humor. 

Horatian satire makes me giggle(which means the comedian has done their job.)

My most favorite of the 3 types of satire is completely, 💯%, Mennipean!

So in learning this information..I’ve realized that Dane Cook and Tommy Tiernan totally use Mennipean satire as their platform.

In the past, I have resorted to telling terrible bad dad jokes and while some people did giggle/chuckle..

I think my next objective is to learn the art of being witty and comical..

While I have absolutely NO INTENTION of ever trying to be a comedian..

I definitely do want to spread some joy in my friends lives.

Who knows?

Maybe I’ll write attempt to write a blog about actual jokes..

Again. The sky is the limit!

Cheers,

Alison

P.S. In short..

Figure out what type of satire you like, do your research, understand the topic, and apply it!