funny and not so funny

It's said that comedy depends on context. If a well dressed, dignified man slips on a banana skin it's funny, but it's not so funny if a tramp does it. But what if the rich guy fractures his skull, gets brain damage and becomes a vegetable? Is that funny? It depends on the vegetable. Some vegetables are funnier than others. A cucumber is funnier than a potato but a potato is funnier than a mushroom. But what if the tramp fractures his skull, receives compensation from the shop that sold the banana, buys some fine clothes, gets drunk on champagne, slips on another banana skin, fractures his skull again, loses his short term memory and wakes up wondering where all the fine clothes came from? That could be pretty funny, if it was in a film and the tramp was played by almost anyone except Adam Sandler. But when did you last see a banana skin lying in the street, unless you put it there because you're a comedy writer who's run out of ideas?

So, something can be funny in one context and not in another. It's charming if your kid has an imaginary friend, but not so great if your heart surgeon has one. Try this test. In the following list of examples one is funny and one is not so funny. See if you can tell which is which, and then come up with some of your own.

CLOWNS

1. A clown in a circus.

2. A clown outside your bedroom window at 4AM.

YOUR MOTHER

1. You discover that your mother once wrote fan letters to Michael Jackson.

2. You discover that your mother still writes fan letters to Michael Jackson.

POULTRY

1. A headless chicken runs around a farmyard.

2. A headless chicken runs around your kitchen.

YOUR CAR

1. No sooner do you wash your car than a bird defecates on it.

2. No sooner do you wash your car than your neighbour defecates on it.

DOGS

1. A dog chases its tail.

2. A dog chases its tail, catches it and eats it.

FLATULENCE

1. At a funeral the priest farts.

2. At a funeral the corpse farts.

BABIES

1. A tiny baby sneezes and looks surprised.

2. A tiny baby sneezes, looks surprised and curses, invoking Satan.

OBESITY

1. A very fat man gets stuck in the doorway of a fancy restaurant.

2. A very fat man gets stuck in the doorway of a burning restaurant.

AIRCRAFT

1. The person next to you on a plane laughs while reading a book.

2. The person next to you on a plane laughs while reading the safety instructions.

HANGOVERS

1. You wake up and can't remember where you left your car.

2. You wake up and can't remember where you left your kids.

TRAINS

1. A priest runs for a train, his suitcase flies open and female underwear falls out.

2. A priest runs for a train, his suitcase flies open and female body parts fall out.

TV

1. You start laughing at a character in a TV show.

2. A character in a TV show starts laughing at you.

HEALTH

1. A doctor tells a patient, "I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that you have a week to live. The good news is  that I finally screwed the receptionist last night!"

2. The patient is you.

           

I'll be adding to these periodically. Come up with your own examples. And please post them here.