Americana
According to Merriam Webster, Americana is defined as “materials concerning or characteristic of America, its civilization, or its culture.” Prominent symbols such as apple pie, baseball, Coca Cola, and the American flag may come to mind. But what does humor have to do with American culture?
An Extremely General History:
DISCLAIMER: Although humor has a longer, more complex history, I will only mention more recent events in order to contextualize humor in the U.S.
Before the 18th century, laughter was seen as negative, as it was associated with ridicule. Aristotle and Hobbes influenced this notion, believing that laughter was the reaction to ugliness or a feeling of superiority. In European society, the concept of ridicule (which expressed this more aggressive sentiment) eventually branched off into wit and humor, a split between the view of laughter as aggressive (wit) and how it was evolving to become sympathetic (humor). Wit was associated with sarcasm, intelligence, and the aristocracy, a conversational art form used to attack others while showing off cleverness. Meanwhile, humor was more associated with democracy, the middle-class, and seen as more desirable.
But how does the U.S. factor into this?
Especially after the Civil War, the U.S. began to hold humor in a positive regard, due to the democratic values that became associated with it in Europe.
American attitudes towards humor specifically changed with the publication of Puck Magazine, a student humor magazine, which was believed to be the beginning of political satire. Other student humor magazines from Yale, Stanford, and Harvard would pave the way for humor in the U.S.
Early American humor was, unsurprisingly, plagued with racism. Blackface became the most popular form of entertainment in the Pre-Civil War era, making it so that black entertainers had to play stereotypes in order to make a living. With the birth of vaudeville and burlesque, Jewish, Irish, German, and Scottish stereotypes were also commonplace. Despite racist stereotypes, comedy was generally open to marginalized groups, and was historically democratic. Some comedians even debunked the stereotypes that were prevalent in the industry.
As the 20th century progressed, humor and wit became indistinguishable, turning into the umbrella term “humor”. Even though humor came to encompass all things that caused laughter, including more aggressive forms, it maintained its positive connotation. Because of its association with democracy, humor was also used for propaganda, becoming seen as an “American” trait. Nazis, Communists, and Al Qaeda terrorists were seen as lacking in humor, and humor even became a valued trait for politicians and presidential candidates (in the 19th century, an excess of humor would’ve been considered a setback to anyone running for president). Today, humor is treated as not only a sought after trait in social settings, but is valued in mental and physical health.
Personally, I never knew how much we value humor today until I looked at the history surrounding it. If you would like to share any feedback or possible ideas for the next blog, feel free to email me. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for next month!
Sources:
The Psychology of Humor: An Integrative Approach by Rod A. Martin
https://libraries.indiana.edu/hah-history-american-humor-part-1
