Response to Walker’s Blog

In Walker’s blog this week he did something a little different than usual. While normally we analyze a clip that is a skit or an acted out scene, Walker analyzed a series of jokes from a stand up comedian named Anthony Jeselnik. The jokes he made were on controversial topics and each joke had a clear punch line. Walker claims his humor aligns well with superiority theory because Jeselnik acts as if he is superior to the audience. He acts very cocky, which I believe is probably an act and he talks down to the audience. The superior theory claims something is funny to someone when they feel superior to them in a situation, like when someone falls down and you laugh at them because they are inferior to you for falling. Walker describes the theory in almost the opposite sense. According to Walker, Jeselnik does this one bit where he called out an audience member for their loud laugh. He asks her what she does for a living and she claims she is handicapped and does not work. Jeselnik replies with “I knew it.” Walker does not specify if the woman he called out laughs. If the woman does laugh, then this would possibly be an example of “Inferiority theory.” Just like we have decided there is a counterpart to incongruity theory – congruity theory – there might be an inferiority theory, which acts as opposite to superiority theory. Inferiority theory entails laughing when you feel inferior to someone in a situation. This would apply when you fall down and laugh at yourself.