RW and sense of humor

[JayH]

I've managed to get FSUW to laugh fairly frequently (even off the cuff)
usually using more situational type humor like Sandro said.
I often tell stories, using various expressions, arm waving, faces and
sound effects that reduce them to complaining that their faces hurt
from the laughter and smiling.
It's difficult to explain how to do this.
As Lilly said different things will cause a huge laugh where other jokes
will leave them scratching their heads.
Just my two kopecks,
Bill

I agree with you on this Bill. Being animated and expressive wins people over to open a little to you and show more of themselves.
It is world wide phenomena called having fun!! ( as in laughs).

[2tallbill]

To illustrate,  farting is funny from American perspective but disgusting and revolting from Russian perspective. A person having his or her ways sexually with another person and referring to it as "rape" is funny from Russian perspective but disgusting from American perspective.

I think farting / fart jokes is funny to 8 year old boys more than adults.
My nephew who was maybe 8 or 9 at the time would tell his joke,


He would say "Do you know what?" 
I would say "no, what?"
then he would say "chicken butt"


and then he would laugh hysterically, finding the joke just as
funny the 20th time he told it and the first through fourth telling
of his joke. 


FSUW and 9 year old boys aren't even remotely similar in what they
find as funny. However the discovery process is the same. In spending
hours with my nephew, telling jokes and stories that would send him
laughing with wild abandon is a similar process in finding out what FSUW
will find funny.


For example, teasing an FSUW is totally different than teasing an AW.
An FSUW will become offended very easily and that is where Patagonia
correctly said that you are walking through a minefield.


If you want to tease her, accuse her of being a secret agent.
I would say "Ah ha! I knew it!"
Her "knew what?"
"You are a secret agent!"
"Where is your microphone?!"
"I must search you immediately for secrets and contraband!"
Into her wrist you can say "hello, hello I know your in there"
"You can't fool me so easily!"


Holding an FSUW shoe up to my ear like Maxwell Smart, I'll 
demand to speak directly with Putin, or the KGB officer in charge.


[NOTE] if your not a guy who can pull off something like that
then don't try it. Remember Patagonia's mine field analogy.


Many times I've asked my GFs daughter to take a photo of us
together, then after a photo or two said "STOP! it's the paparazzi!"
Where the daughter would start laughing and snap photos at an
alarming rate. 


Using word associations commonly understood by Americans 
will not translate the same.


Example 1 "I found it difficult to tell knock knock
jokes while attending the school of hard knocks."


Example 2 "follow your dreams except for the dream where
you show up naked to work."


Example 3 "My father always said "fight fire with fire!" which is
probably why things didn't work out with his job at the fire department.


Probably none of these would translate well at all. The first probably
would make zero sense as they probably don't have either knock knock
jokes or the phrase the school of hard knocks.

[Chicagoguy]

My wife and I were discussing this just this week. She admits she is not big on jokes or slapstick. But she will laugh if I fall or food falls off my fork onto my lap. The part of the jokes is probably the translation.
I have found the men to be different. Ready to laugh most of the time. Twice I took whoope cushions and cigarette loads and they about fell off their chairs laughing so hard. They had never seen what we call "practical jokes" before.

[Anotherkiwi]

...My nephew who was maybe 8 or 9 at the time would tell his joke,


He would say "Do you know what?" 
I would say "no, what?"
then he would say "chicken butt"


and then he would laugh hysterically, finding the joke just as
funny the 20th time he told it and the first through fourth telling
of his joke.

Sorry, Bill, but this doesn't even translate into Kiwi-speak - I have absolutely no idea what's supposed to be funny about this. 

[ghost of moon goddess]

....
Using word associations commonly understood by Americans 
will not translate the same.


Example 1 "I found it difficult to tell knock knock
jokes while attending the school of hard knocks."


Example 2 "follow your dreams except for the dream where
you show up naked to work."


Example 3 "My father always said "fight fire with fire!" which is
probably why things didn't work out with his job at the fire department.

Probably none of these would translate well at all. The first probably
would make zero sense as they probably don't have either knock knock
jokes or the phrase the school of hard knocks.

Actually, they all translate well. The first definitely makes sense as we do have both тук-тук! кто там? jokes and the phrase "суровая школа жизни".

And when AM ask us, "Why did the chicken cross the road"? we usually answer, "Because of his desperate need for change" 

[2tallbill]

Sorry, Bill, but this doesn't even translate into Kiwi-speak - I have absolutely no idea what's supposed to be funny about this. 

It was funny only to him. I only enjoyed his obvious joy and laughter.

[2tallbill]

Actually, they all translate well. The first definitely makes sense as we do have both тук-тук! кто там? jokes and the phrase "суровая школа жизни".

And when AM ask us, "Why did the chicken cross the road"? we usually answer, "Because of his desperate need for change" 

I long for the day when chickens motives are no longer questioned.

[mendeleyev]

Bill, I understand what you're saying and have found as have you, that if we make ourselves the point of the joke that Russians enjoy the humour even more. 

[JayH]

For example, teasing an FSUW is totally different than teasing an AW.
An FSUW will become offended very easily and that is where Patagonia
correctly said that you are walking through a minefield.

[NOTE] if your not a guy who can pull off something like that
then don't try it. Remember Patagonia's mine field analogy.

Probably none of these would translate well at all.

Bill, I understand what you're saying and have found as have you, that if we make ourselves the point of the joke that Russians enjoy the humour even more. 

The points made by Bill, Pat and Mende should be up in lights-- really important in getting to understand and relate to fsuw.
Making  yourself the butt of the joke is fine as is self-depracating humour attempts  is fine !!
Any attempt at making her the subject can easily cause offense and with the problem of language it is all to easy to be misunderstood-- and then spend hours trying to unravel oneself!! Even when someone has good English--often the nuances and the way a natural English speaker uses the words in a sentence to alter the intent of the sentence does not translate very well!!
The point made above about smiling and being expressive with facial & hand expressions goes a long way-- a little like playing charades.
 

[Jumper]

I long for the day when chickens motives are no longer questioned.

I thought it was to show the possum , that it could be done?

[Jumper]

My wife and I have no problem with humor.  Never really have.  Sure, we've had some delayed response laughs and rolls of the eyes when something finally sank in but it's never been a problem for us ... because ... wait for it...  we're compatible that way.

While humor is cultural to an extent, I firmly assert that it is mostly a issue of compatibility. Some couples naturally get each other.

Same here, we got each others humor from initial phone conversation, certainly in email as well.
In person was no different, we shared a lot of laughs from the first day.Still do.


If a woman doesn't have an incredible sense of humor, she will certainly not want anything to do with me !    [size=78%](all kinds of implications there =P   )[/size]




I've always found that to be a very natural filter,and a very good one regardless culture.
 It's fairly immediate, someone either gets you, or they don't. If they don't there seems little reason to adapt, you arnt naturally  compatible.A good grasp of a common language is of course a big part of that.
She almost always got if i was playing, or being sarcastic or what ever.
[/size][size=78%]I do remember an instance where I got a very serious  *[/size][/size][size=78%]you[/size][/size][size=78%] are NOT , funny*.[/size]
Which in turn, was quite hysterical.[/size][size=78%]Humor of course is  very contextual.[/size]
[/size][size=78%]Personally I can't deal with someone who is too serious, life is far too short for that.[/size]
I'm sure a very serious person couldn't deal with me either, so it all works out!


I wouldn't have any idea what the average FSU sense of humor is,
 since i'd naturally gravitate to those who shared my own.
So in that context, I've found Russians to have a fantastic great sense of humor!