Humor, and All Its Incongruencies

For the sake of argument, let us assume there are three aspects of humor, and everything falls under one category or another: incongruity, superiority, and relief. Incongruity is defined as “the state of being incongruous, or out of keeping.” Superiority is defined as “the state of being higher in rank, status, or quality.” Relief is defined as “a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.” None of these definitions scream “funny” at us, so why divide the forms of comedy into these categories? All humor stems from some, if not all, of these tactics, placing the outside-viewer above those involved in the comedic situation, whether through their own knowledge, relief, or equally unexpected occurrences across universes.

I believe, when achieved properly, that incongruity is the funniest of the three forms. This is reflected fairly understandably when my sense of humor is revealed. My favorite comedic film is Ethan and Joel Coen’s 1998 masterpiece The Big Lebowski, the greatest comedy ever to grace television are the things borne from Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, particularly Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule, and the internet has provided me countless hours of laughter stemming from the Sleepycabin podcast, Too Many Cooks, and CollegeHumor’s Precious Plum series. All of these sources utilize the unexpected to achieve their humor; whether it is through lines delivered in a sense that would not be anticipated, or through the sheer bewilderment shown in the surreal settings or unconventional plot devices.

Superiority humor shines through when there is a character around to belittle. Michael Scott in the U.S. version of The Office is a perfect example of how this humor can be done right. Other series with eccentric and charismatic, yet deeply troubled and emotionally multifaceted, main characters such as Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman achieve this effect properly as well. Relief humor is probably the least effective form of humor on me, considering I find it to be the least defined of the three. Relief humor in the sense of the comics in the newspaper just really do not appeal to me nearly as much as the surrealism and absurdity of the other two forms, and even superiority humor pales in comparison to the absolute clusters of absurdity potentially provided by well-executed incongruous humor.