photograph...

[Arkteia]

I hope people will be able to get to this link.

The heading is, "Putin has met with Russian spies deported from the US"

I don't know if people will understand the humor of this picture... Russians have weird sense of humor

http://www.gazeta.ru/

And just in case someone will be watching it tomorrow... because it is today's link

http://gazeta.ru/news/lastnews/2010/07/ ... 4789.shtml

 

[kenny]

I... Russians have weird sense of humor

I am fascinated by how humor varies with culture/country.

Could you share some things that Russians would find funny that Americans would not "get"?
Also what Americans would get that Russians may not?

When I arrived in the Philippines long ago the Navy immediately put us through cultural sensitivity training.
That's where I heard that humor at the expense of a person which would be funny to many Americans would be insulting to many Philippinos.

On the other hand sometimes I've see Japanese humor (whose TV game shows) and it just strikes me as making fools of people, the more foolish, absurd and ridiculous the better.

Humor is a funny thing.

 

[Porridge]

Sometimes I'll see Japanese humor and it just strikes me as making fools of people, the more foolish, absurd and ridiculous the better.

Their game shows are a perfect example! Totally absurd and ridiculous!

I quite often find Japanese humour hilarious. There are some videos on YouTube that have me rolling on the floor. Like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB9mKwIz ... tube_gdata
it's funny all the way through but the hilarious part starts 1min 35seconds in. Oh man, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Oh and this one is hysterical too, in the same vein. This ones a slow starter, it gets really hilarious starting at about 3mins 30secs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSCOOOri ... tube_gdata

Sorry Crasru, /threadjack!

ETA edited to fix links. Also Crasru, my old roommate was Serbian, she used to say she had Slavic humour. It was very dry, ironic humour. Is Russian humour like that? I find it very funny.

ETA2 Sorry Crasru, I don't get it! Maybe I'm slow tonight...explain?

 

[Autumnovember]

I'm Russian! I read all of it too...but I don't get it

 

[kenny]

OMG, Porridge I'm blowing white wine out my nose all over my keyboard.

Wiki has an entry on Russian humor that I found interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_jokes

 

[danners84]

Heh, he kinda looks rather spy-like himself in that pic.

 

[yssie]

OMG... Porridge... jetski... I'm in tears!!

 

[Arkteia]

Heh, he kinda looks rather spy-like himself in that pic.

I have to think of a difference between Russian and American humor. American humor was very funny in the times of Mark Twain or O'Henry. But these days so many things may be considered "incorrect" or "offensive" that you really have to think twice before you tell a joke. Even in its most generic form (example, a boss and a secretary, a son-in-law and a mother-in-law) a Russian joke may be considered offensive or inappropriate. If I tell a joke about a drunkard, for sure, there will be an AA member in the group... So I end up telling only one joke, because I know it won't rub anyone the wrong way.

- One flower says to another flower, "I love you",
- The other flower replies, "I love you, too",

Then both of them raise their heads to the sky and sigh, "Now, where are the bees?"

And in general, there is one thing in Russian humor which is very typical. Jokes an the expence of another person are, naturally, OK. But people like to joke at themselves. For a Russian, in is very unusual to take offence when someone else is joking at him; he may even add to the joke. And it is very dry.

Fortunately, life here is such a vast soil for jokes. Especially during election campaigns...

And this photo was funny from the Russian standpoint. Putin used to be a spy working as a diplomat in West Germany. So a photograph where he meeds a group of Russian spies standing behind iron bars, in dark eyeglasses and holding flowers, looks hilarious to a Russian.

Strangely enough, I found Australian or British humor very close to mine. It is not a coincidence that jokes about Sherlock Holmes or a series of jokes about English gentlemen are so popular in Russia.

 

[Jennifer W]

Is humour very important in Russia? I know that sounds like an odd question, but I've noticed that in some parts of the world, it is applauded and enjoyed, while in others it's less important. It sounds a lot like Glasgow humour! Stuff that no one else, not even a lot of other Scottish people would get. When I lived in Glasgow, my cousins and their SOs from the US (NYC and Mid west) visited and just did not find us funny. I think they found us rude, incorrect, cruel and mostly just a bit frightening, but not funny. I have so many jokes that can only raise a smile within a 30 mile radius.

My husband is from the south of England and has lived in Scotland long enough to get the humour. His sister visits and um, is offended and bewildered for two weeks at a time...

Jen

 

[Cehrabehra]

The chinese don't understand being facetious. They get sarcasm a little bit but if your sarcasm runs the sort where you are saying the opposite of what is real with that special tone - they don't get it. Like if they ask if they can have something which they obviously can have and you say no - they take it as no. I just laugh and say, "american humor - of course you can have it"

 

[Porridge]

And in general, there is one thing in Russian humor which is very typical. Jokes an the expence of another person are, naturally, OK. But people like to joke at themselves. For a Russian, in is very unusual to take offence when someone else is joking at him; he may even add to the joke.

This is very typical in Irish humour also. People don't think much of someone who can't make fun of themselves, or who get offended easily. We're very self-deprecating in general, we don't like boasting at all and are usually uncomfortable with flattery.

I don't get your flower joke Crasru!!

 

[GliderPoss]

Ha ha interesting thread. Australian humour is very self-depreciating and usually very "dry" humour.

I have lots of issues with my sisters Dutch in-law family who don't understand that calling each other bl**dy di*kheads etc all the time is a form of affection. It's very common to rag on each other but it's not considered rude here. (Obviously not to strangers!)

Also our humour is more subtle than American - less HA HA obvious style, here the punchline or point is not always pointed out - it's often delivered with a straight face so you have to figure it out yourself. (AKA "Dry" humour)

 

[Arkteia]

Is humour very important in Russia? I know that sounds like an odd question, but I've noticed that in some parts of the world, it is applauded and enjoyed, while in others it's less important. It sounds a lot like Glasgow humour! Stuff that no one else, not even a lot of other Scottish people would get. When I lived in Glasgow, my cousins and their SOs from the US (NYC and Mid west) visited and just did not find us funny. I think they found us rude, incorrect, cruel and mostly just a bit frightening, but not funny. I have so many jokes that can only raise a smile within a 30 mile radius.

My husband is from the south of England and has lived in Scotland long enough to get the humour. His sister visits and um, is offended and bewildered for two weeks at a time...

Jen

Yes, jokes are very important in Russia. If you can not appreciate a joke, you can not survive in Russian socium. Many of them, naturally, are tied up to place and situation, but some are very generic. Small wonder that P.G. Wodehouse is much liked, Evelyn Waugh was always very popular, and many people liked Mark Twain.

We do not like "practical jokes", such as placing a piece of chewed chewing gum on someone's char, etc. Also, in Russian humor, no one would make elaborate contraptions to make a "toilet joke" (Japanese humor). In Russia, a "toilet joke" would be tied around someone using the toilet and finding out that there was no "toilet paper" left...

 

[Arkteia]

And in general, there is one thing in Russian humor which is very typical. Jokes an the expence of another person are, naturally, OK. But people like to joke at themselves. For a Russian, in is very unusual to take offence when someone else is joking at him; he may even add to the joke.

This is very typical in Irish humour also. People don't think much of someone who can't make fun of themselves, or who get offended easily. We're very self-deprecating in general, we don't like boasting at all and are usually uncomfortable with flattery.

I don't get your flower joke Crasru!!

Er... you must be joking! Cross-pollination (flowers' way of lovemaking) and bees. You must have sucked at botanics, Porrige!

To prove my point: a joke that is devoid of anything "salty", sex, booze or politics - flowers are still politically correct - is not funny!

And re. Irish and Russian humor - yes, I found many similarities between Irish and Russian characters. I think it has to do with centuries of life in poor countries, with poor crop, gloomy climate and not much hope ahead... You either learn to laugh at life or you die! The biggest difference because Irish and Russians is that Irish are entreprenerial people and Russians are not.

 

[Porridge]

And in general, there is one thing in Russian humor which is very typical. Jokes an the expence of another person are, naturally, OK. But people like to joke at themselves. For a Russian, in is very unusual to take offence when someone else is joking at him; he may even add to the joke.

This is very typical in Irish humour also. People don't think much of someone who can't make fun of themselves, or who get offended easily. We're very self-deprecating in general, we don't like boasting at all and are usually uncomfortable with flattery.

I don't get your flower joke Crasru!!

Er... you must be joking! Cross-pollination (flowers' way of lovemaking) and bees. You must have sucked at botanics, Porrige!

To prove my point: a joke that is devoid of anything "salty", sex, booze or politics - flowers are still politically correct - is not funny!

And re. Irish and Russian humor - yes, I found many similarities between Irish and Russian characters. I think it has to do with centuries of life in poor countries, with poor crop, gloomy climate and not much hope ahead... You either learn to laugh at life or you die! The biggest difference because Irish and Russians is that Irish are entreprenerial people and Russians are not.

Aaaah, I see. I knew not studying botany would come back to bite me eventually

But you're right. It's not funny

Agree with all the rest, although given the state of our economy I can't comment on the benefits of our entrepreneurial inclinations, and I must admit to knowing next to nothing about Russian business mentality!

 

[Arkteia]

Porridge - sorry, a typo. I wanted to type "between" not "because".

When I first came to Boston, I used to work at an (American) Irish company, lived in American-Irish community and loved "Black Rose", an Irish-American pub. So I guess I got my measure of Irish humor and Irish curiousity. And you know what really opened my heart for things Irish? How easily people cry when you tell them a sad story. Or when they talk about Ireland, their "motherland" (many of them never went there, or were just planning a visit, or blked through it once). It is touching how people manage to keep an image of something they never saw in their hearts!

 

[Porridge]

Haha, that motherland thing is so true! I tell ya, all we do here is moan and complain about the crappy weather and crappier politicians. But as soon as the plane lifts off the runway, we come over all misty eyed, start singing "the green green grass of home" and nostalgically recount things that never even happened! It's an interesting phenomenon, and one that I have long advocated requires further study.

It would seem Ireland or being Irish is more a state of mind than anything else

 

[Arkteia]

State of soul, you mean?