June 22, 2017 in Dag

Even my humour is introverted

I’m an introvert. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m loud and proud about it. Okay, so I’m not exactly loud about it – after all I am an introvert. But I’m definitely proud about it. I reckon it’s one of the qualities that most influences the person that I am. I feel no need to be embarrassed by it, or to play it down.

I’m also funny. Okay, maybe I don’t want to say this quite so loudly. It’s a bit of a risky thing for someone to claim that they’re funny – it really should be something that comes from other people. But given the feedback I have received over many years, I think it’s reasonable to say that I do have some capacity to amuse people and even at times to make them laugh (mind you, I suspect there’s more groaning than laughing most of the time).

Introverted and funny. Seems like an odd sort of combination. I think this is one of the things that makes me interesting, and helps to define the kind of humour that I create.

Now this may be a highly biased viewpoint, but the impression I get is that most humour, particularly in the media today, is of a highly extroverted kind. When I think of the popular sorts of humour, I think of loud and garrulous stand-up comedians.  I think of television sitcoms with blaring laugh tracks. I think of movies with lots of in-your-face antics, or animations full of zap-kapow wisecracks.

Everything’s loud. Everything’s in your face. Everything’s fast moving, as if we have to have the jokes thrust on us before we have time to think. It’s almost as if they don’t trust us to recognise the humour unless they make it all larger than larger than life.

Personally, I find it exhausting. I find it overwhelming. It’s all far too…extroverted for my tastes.

The sort of humour I try to do isn’t like that. It’s quieter. It’s a bit slower, not racing past at a hundred miles an hour, in a hurry to get to the next gag. It tries to spin things out slowly, allowing you to see the build up and think about what’s happening. It’s – dare I say it – a more introverted type of humour.

I’m not saying my humour is better than this other type of humour. I’m not saying it’s the only humour with any value. Of course there’s a place for that fast and loud humour. It’s just that sometimes we introverts need a break, and we need to find a slower and more reflective way to find a laugh.

Maybe there’s a few extroverts who might enjoy the change as well.

 

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Rahel June 22, 2017 at 7:06 am

From one introvert to another, beautifully put!

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Jonathan Gould June 22, 2017 at 11:10 pm

From an introvert back – thank you Rahel.

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