The Importance of Humour
This post is about humour. A subject that is very dependent on one’s personal tastes. I consider humour to be an extremely important facet of the human condition. I personally use humour as both a sword and a shield in my day to day life. I find such an approach invaluable to maintaining my sanity and a positive disposition. It is also a means of circumnavigating obvious disparities in power, be it social, economic or political. I also consider humour to be an important measure of a person. All the people that I’ve encountered in my life who have been bullies, intransigent, obtuse, cruel, bigoted and superior have lacked a sense of humour. If they ever claimed to have one, it has always been very much a one way street. Hence, humour is an important social tool. Something that I keep an eye out for during the course of my social interactions.
Blackadder (1983 - 1989)
This post is about humour. A subject that is very dependent on one’s personal tastes. I consider humour to be an extremely important facet of the human condition. I personally use humour as both a sword and a shield in my day to day life. I find such an approach invaluable to maintaining my sanity and a positive disposition. It is also a means of circumnavigating obvious disparities in power, be it social, economic or political. I also consider humour to be an important measure of a person. All the people that I’ve encountered in my life who have been bullies, intransigent, obtuse, cruel, bigoted and superior have lacked a sense of humour. If they ever claimed to have one, it has always been very much a one way street. Hence, humour is an important social tool. Something that I keep an eye out for during the course of my social interactions.
Life is filled with social situations of varying degrees of significance. I have a hospital appointment coming up soon in which I’ll have to meet different people in an environment I’m unfamiliar with. I will also undergo some tests which may be a little uncomfortable. Humour is a means to navigate such a socially complex situation. Self deprecating humour or a simple joke about the circumstances can put all parties at ease and make the matter more palatable. Humour is great for breaking the ice at parties, extending an olive branch and making up after arguments. As I said earlier, it is a social tool. One that you can learn quite early in life. Every class at school often has a clown. Sometimes these can be people who quickly become adept at using humour to socialise and establish their identity.
Something, something, pubs, beer and mates
Later in life, you soon realise that if you’re not what society deems to be “good looking”, then be funny instead. Teenage years are often quite traumatic and being the funny one in your peer group has advantages. Ricky Gervais states that there’s nothing funnier than your own group of friends and the humour that arises when you get together is contextually funnier than any material that he can write. However, being funny is not always easy. Sometimes you can try too hard or fail to read the room, so to speak. Where we all know someone who is genuinely witty, we similarly often know someone who never shuts up, can’t take anything seriously and ultimately is very wearing. Social media often flirts with a philosophy that evangelises presenting your “best self”. You can see this on YouTube videos and Twitch Streams. People striving to be a raconteur, or a quick fire comedian. Sadly too many fail, because humour is more than just telling a joke. It requires mastering techniques, reading situations and people.
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of humour, comedy and jokes is as a means of speaking truth to power. As a weapon against pomposity, mendacity and hatred. The venal are often thin skinned and hate being ridiculed or mocked. Humour in that sense is the great leveller. Even the Kings or the middle ages had a fool who was given free reign to mock all regardless of status. But humour comes with responsibility. Words have power and can hurt despite what the old adage says. Hence there is the ongoing debate about whether comedians should “ punch up or down”. Is humour disposed towards specific world views, political positions and ethics by default? Does humour always need a victim or something or someone to be the butt of the joke? Is there always some form of collateral damage in the wake of a joke. Humour is not a black and white issue these days and is subject to a lot of scrutiny from various quarters. The veracity of their scrutiny is questionable at times but it exists no less.
Taskmaster like many other UK comedy shows, has been “re-imagined” for US TV
Humour varies around the world with different cultures focusing on different aspects of the human condition. I see clear differences in humour between the UK and US. These differences often stem from how a nation perceives itself. American humour can be loud, brash and at times very pleased with itself. British humour is often self deprecating, passive aggressive and sarcastic. There are also boundaries that some styles of comedy will not go beyond. This raises questions such as “is there humour in anything”? I believe there is and that it comes down to context . You can use an appalling situation to be a vehicle for humour, without mocking the said situation. And then there is the perceived get out of jail card that if an alleged humorous remark is not well received, you simply say “it’s just a joke” and you are absolved of any fallout. This is a myth and a spurious licence for bullies.
Humour brings happiness. It is an incredibly restorative social construct. Laughter may not be the best medicine as the old saying states, but it does bring other rewards. Mark Twain said that “humour is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place”. I certainly wouldn’t contradict him. Humour may very well be the great thing. It can be found in nearly every facet of life. 90% of men and 81% of women claim that a sense of humour is the most important quality to have in a partner. It is a skill used by all of society. From great leaders to those just trying to get by. Mel Brooks claimed that “humour is just another defence against the universe”. But for me personally, Simon Wiesenthal summed up humour’s finest quality. “It is the weapon of unarmed people: it helps people who are oppressed to smile at the situation that pains them”.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Humour
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not a game that strikes you as being light hearted at first glance. The plot is dour and brooding, set in a world of human (and non-human) misery and suffering. In many respects this is one of the game’s greatest assets because it’s all so worryingly plausible. The rich and powerful pursue their own goals, heedless of the cost to the rest the kingdom. Those at the very lowest strata of society live a precarious existence. Despite its fantasy setting the world of the Witcher is not that different from our own.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not a game that strikes you as being light hearted at first glance. The plot is dour and brooding, set in a world of human (and non-human) misery and suffering. In many respects this is one of the game’s greatest assets because it’s all so worryingly plausible. The rich and powerful pursue their own goals, heedless of the cost to the rest the kingdom. Those at the very lowest strata of society live a precarious existence. Despite its fantasy setting the world of the Witcher is not that different from our own.
However despite the overall tone of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there are instances of humour to be found. Often these are discretely integrated in to the game via snatches of incidental dialogue, cryptic entries in the games bestiary or via the village notice boards. As ever with these sorts of things, the writers reference popular culture. However in this instance, CD Projekt RED proves to be more scholarly than other developers. Many of the quips, asides and homages refer to classical literature and scientific theory.
So here are four examples that I’ve found so far during my play though. I’m sure there are many more. All raised a wry smile when discovered and I now make it my business to trawl through all aspects of the game in pursuit of further hidden gems. Its embellishments such as these that add further depth and character to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If only other developers took such time and care as CD Projekt RED.
A droll reference toErwin Schrödinger's famous thought experiment
Someone obviously likes the work of Herman Mellville
Star Wars. It permeates everything
A scholarly homage to Homer (not Simpson)