[00:01.080]--- lesson 29 Funny or not?
[00:06.000]--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
[00:11.640]--- What is the basis of 'sick' humour?
[00:16.840]Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.
[00:23.440]The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics.
[00:29.280]A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke.
[00:34.040]In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.
[00:42.320]Most funny stories are based on comic situations.
[00:46.360]In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal.
[00:53.200]No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films.
[01:00.560]However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from the U.S., has recently come into fashion.
[01:07.600]It is called 'sick humour'.
[01:10.080]Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents.
[01:17.200]Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. The following example of 'sick humour' will enable you to judge for yourself.
[01:25.200]A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.
[01:32.040]From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home.
[01:38.840]He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital.
[01:42.120]Though the doctors did his best, the patient's recovery was slow.
[01:46.760]On Christmas Day, the man still had his right leg in plaster.
[01:51.120]He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing.
[01:55.760]The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.
[02:04.600]The man took heart and, sure enough, on New Years' Eve he was able to hobble along to a party.
[02:11.160]To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than was good for him.
[02:18.400]In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.
[02:24.920]He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.