British Humour vs. American Humor
There
is a famous quote credited to playwright George Bernard Shaw: "England and America are two countries divided
by a common language."[1]
It is often argued that one of the most common
differences between the British and American sense of humor, is that Americans
don’t understand irony. In an illuminating article entitled “What are you
laughing at?”[2] British actor Simon Pegg explores this topic in depth
and concludes that this statement, simply, is not true.
After analyzing the most famous (as well as the most unknown) British and American sitcoms of the flashy 1980s, I am inclined to agree with him. Otherwise it would be impossible to explain how certain American comedies have gained huge success in Britain and vice versa.
I am not
saying that the two kinds of humor are identical. Although there are differences between both comic styles, there
is still an appreciation and understanding of the other sense of humor. For
example, American comedy is generally more
slapstick, more crass and all “in your face”. Their
jokes are more obvious and forward, a bit like Americans themselves. People are more open minded, loud and it all goes with
their style of comedy. To say it in few words: in the U.S. comedy is fairly
simple and funny[3]. The jokes are often easy to translate in other
languages and this is probably why the American sitcoms are widely famous and
appreciated around the world.
On the other hand British humour seems to be held in
reserve. Jokes tend to be more subtle but with a dark, sarcastic undertone,
their gags are often full of sophisticated irony, mockery and some surrealism
thrown in for good measure. Also, the British sitcoms often make references to
the English culture, government and society, making comprehension outside the
country rather difficult.
Still, what I
have noticed is that the major difference is not irony per se but how often
both nations use it.
Americans
understand British irony, what they don’t get is the need to use it so
frequently.
The only unknown form of irony for Americans is Self-Deprecation, a form of comedy that exist when a person says something about themselves that is nearly always true and horrible and it only works well when combined with sarcasm.
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