Whats so funny?

Laughter is the best medicine. But, for which disease? Surely laughter doesn't cure cancer or the flu. How about we examine some of the things that make us laugh in the hope of identifying the disease for which laughter is the best medicine.

Why is the clown funny?
A clown can be consider a sure shot recipe for a good laugh. The clown is person dressed in fashionably incorrect bright colored clothes, ridiculous shoes, puffy nose, and a funky hair do. He is not an intelligent person and does not possess the ability to speak. No clown is complete without a tear drop; a clown is a sad person. A clown is a representation of what anyone would not like to be and that is apparently funny.

Why are Irish jokes funny?
Irish jokes are one example of humor found between nations. The English have jokes for Irish, the French for Belgians, Australians for New Zelanders, etc. This humor is prejorative in nature and its source is to belittle the other country.

Why are dirty jokes funny?
Sexuality is always present but seldom spoken of. It has the potential to cause major conflicts and turmoil within a society. Discussions regarding sexuality are difficult and full of disagreements. The funny-factor in dirty jokes dependent on how troubled a society is with sexual practices.

Why do people laugh at people with disabilities?
A disability of any sort cannot be found on anyone's Christmas list. Still, people tend to giggle or laugh at a person with a disability and events associated with it.

Why does one group of people find something funny, while others find it offensive?
"This is no laughing matter." There is a fine line between humor and a serious matter. Often 'the matter' is a problem facing a society. People who find it funny are the ones who have decided to place it in the too-hard basket. People who wish to address the matter find it serious.

In summary, we laugh at the clown who is a sad, socially inept, mute person. We get laughs from ridiculing our neighboring country, talking about social taboos, observing a person with a disability, and difficult problems we need to face.

Laughter is the medicine for the disease that plague our everyday life: sadness, quarrels, social issues, disabilities, difficult problems. In a perfect world we will not have any disease, we will not need medicine. In a perfect world there will be no laughter.