A Bowl Full of Chowder and a Happy Heart: A Moment of Uncontrollable Laughter
- A couple of months ago I was
asked to describe what humor is. I recorded different friend’s opinions and
meshed them together into a film using iMovie. Well, one thing I believe that
description left out is that I used the word “humor” as a blanket term. Humor
itself encompasses so many circumstances of ‘what people find funny.” I believe
that the funniest moments sometimes can’t even be described into words. Often,
the humor in a situation occurs from being there. Whether it’s the look in
someone’s face when telling a joke or the comfort you feel with your companions
that just results in a not-so-funny situation transforming into something
hilarious. Humor often results from awkward situations, nervous giggling, and
forced laughter upon yourself to hide your own embarrassment. Humor in its
purest form, I believe, is that uncontrollable laughter one has for unexplained
reasons. The situation, the atmosphere, and the attitude just all work in the
person’s favor to result in irrepressible giggles. Well, the following story
may not make much sense to anyone else. It’s another one of those “you had to
be there” type of stories. But it’s an instance of that uncontainable humor. A
couple of years ago, during the blissful high school days when I was still a
teenager, back when feathers and colored streaks in the hair were still cool
and before One Direction stole the hearts of preteen girls. Good old 2009 – or
something like that. My friends and I were sitting in the cafeteria. I was
eating a grilled cheese and some assortment of fruit. My friend Katie sits down,
slams her tray on the table and places her spoon in the Chef’s special “Enchilada
Chowder.” Scooping up a large spoonful, she inverts her spoon and watches the
cheesy concoction slowly plop back down in the bowl, in one large conglomerate
in the shape of a spoon. “Well that’s appetizing” she said. At that moment, across
the table my friend Giselle spits out the gulp of Diet Coke she just gulped and
continues to burst out laughing. As Giselle continued to laugh hysterically,
the rest of the table joined in the chorus of chuckling. As I had warned,
probably anyone who is reading this is thinking something along the lines “this
isn’t funny, I thought she was writing something about humor?” Well something
about that moment, and the unappetizing goop fueled Giselle’s uncontrollable
laughter. And when that happens, you can’t help but to join in.
Hahahaha, I actually can picture this happening! Honestly, I think most uncontrollable laughter situations sprout from events that once retold don't seem funny. There's just something about the emotional states of the people involved and the atmosphere they are in that makes it perfect for a "not funny" event, to have people rolling on the floor. I look forward to reading the rest of your posts in the future!
ReplyDeleteThat is one of those "you had to be there" moments. I've had many of those myself, and I definitely understand how moments like that make you laugh hysterically. But I agree with you that humor comes from being in the situation. It has a lot do with circumstances of the situation. Humor is uncontrollable laughter shared with those who understand why you are laughing and can join in. I think you described your humorous situation clearly and I can picture it as if it is happening presently.
ReplyDeleteAllison,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of breaking a complicated term into simpler words, so that people can understand it. I agree that when you use big word, people have a perception that their response has to be something as big as the word itself. The definition has to cover everything and correct enough to be written in a dictionary. By breaking a complicated / abstract term into normal words, you actually encourage people to interact with you and answer your question because it sounds less serious than the original term. As an international student, I understand how people can explain a word by giving me other more complicated words that I don't understand. What's the point of it? Therefore, I appreciate your idea to break it down and beat it up by small pieces.