Comparison of British and American Humor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKda79DSQH0&NR=1

YouTube is a modem to reach an international audience. Here, we can see how YouTube lends itself to a comparison of humor between different cultures. In this case, Aishwariya Rai, who was crowned Miss World in 1994, a Bollywood actress and international superstar, appears on the David Letterman show. Known to be a humorous, informal, interview show, Letterman and Rai bring different styles of humor to the scene.

Letterman is what some people take to be the epitome of American humor, some slapstick, not always serious, sometimes mocking humor. Meanwhile, Rai, hailing from India, has a very British sense of humor which is more witty, fast, quick, and refuting. Thus, in a scene where they are meant to have a friendly, funny, entertaining conversation, the crossover and comparison of the American and British styles of humor become apparent.

Letterman garners most of his humor from subtle mockery. For example, after asking Rai which languages she can speak (all of which are Indian languages), he proudly states something to the effect of, “Well in America, we speak English”. This statement discreetly mocks India’s diversity as well as America’s universality. Most important to note though, is that Letterman’s declaration gets a great laugh from the audience who find this exclamation hilarious. Letterman’s simple statement is pithy and funny because of its statement of the obvious; Letterman states the obvious as if it is a novel declaration, thereby mocking Rai by implicitly claiming she is unaware of the fact that English is spoken in America.

While Letterman creates humor through mockery, Rai is funny by way of her quick retorts. She turns a negative situation into a positive one extremely easily. At about the 3:00 mark in the video, Letterman asks Rai if she is an international superstar and is recognized globally for her stardom. She responds by saying something similar to, “Well, I just got a [makes a mocking, negative face] from you, so….” Presumably, Rai was mildly offended by Letterman making this face at her at a previous point during the show, and quickly turns it against him by retorting to his question with a sentiment he himself previously expressed. This answer, also garnering laughs from the audience, is smart, quick, and clever. The clever wit which goes along with this situation is characteristic of British humor, and is starkly contrasted from the type of humor exhibited by Letterman.

YouTube brings this video and the consequent comparison of different styles of humor to the international eye by placing an excerpt of the American show in the international eye. YouTube, a means of promoting communication between cultures, plays a critical role in facilitating intercultural connections and essentially allows the comparison of different styles of humor.