Fitting the Best


When I first began reading Katherine's post, the thought crossed my mind, "Can Jim Gaffigan's comedy act really be explained so easily by the Superiority Theory?" At the time, I was thinking, "If Gaffigan actively makes fun of himself is he really utilizing the Superiority Theory in his show?" After reading Katherine's post and understanding her claim, I realize that I was misunderstanding her point. It is the audience who feels superior to Gaffigan's jokes about himself and society, and this is why they are possibly laughing. Katherine makes a very interesting evaluation. I find no reason to disagree with the claim she makes. Obviously, Gaffigan's style of humor does not encompass Hutcheson's version of the Incongruity Theory where humor, a social tendency, attacks those in power over us, those who are in fact superior. No. Through his humor, Gaffigan attacks the ills of society, obesity, malnutrition, etc. Out of the four theories, it is only logical to assume the Superiority Theory best fits his humor style. He doesn't use any obvious forms of incongruity in the structures of his jokes. He isn't attacking those in a high place, and he most certainly, based on the clip Katherine provided us, doesn't make sexual innuendos to relief the audience from their stringent roles in society.

However, like all other examples of humor where there seems to always be an arguable alternative theory, I can see how someone could make a case for the Incongruity Theory. Maybe, Jim Gaffigan's actions, the use of many impersonations and poking fun at sensitive topics like obesity so publicly, are the opposite of what the audience expects. Just a thought...

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 28, 2018 at 9:10 AM

    Based on your final sentence regarding sensitive topics, maybe Gaffigan's techniques could imitate a form of benign violation theory? He mocks sensitive topics, which would be a violation due to its potential offense, but he is a member of the groups he mocks, so the offense becomes benign because the audience can perceive that it's not meant as an attack on a particular group.

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  2. Shane HerronSeptember 28, 2018 at 12:48 PM

    Yes, I think the incongruity theory would work in terms of the actions and the voices, not the content of the jokes. I think Hutcheson was more concerned with people who try to put themselves above the rest of us than who are really superior, but it amounts to the same thing. Certainly either way Gaffigan is not mocking any one else's pretensions. But I suppose you could argue that he is "cutting himself" down to size, which suggest an element of Hutcheson's social theory.

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