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Math and science are filed with theorums that tell you what any first grader knows. Things like the zero property of multiplication, which only states that any number times zero is zero. Our math teacher said that you can apply the same principles that form those blasted theorums to other things. I have.
Lava's Laws of Humor
Some words are funnier than others
If you begin a joke with "A lion walks into a bar..." it won't be half as funny as "A llama walked into a bar...". The reason for this is that the word llama is fundamentally more funny than lion. The word llama in the joke can be compared to a bright yellow banana peel. The peel is yellow, without scars, enticing a person to eat it. In the same way, the word llama hightens a person's eagerness to hear the joke. Their subconcious thinks "Wow, the word llama is in this joke. The joke is already funny! I wonder what happens next?" Lions, on the other hand, do not lend themselves to humor. Our proverbial funny bone is not tweaked when we mention the word. It does not conjure a funny image. The peel of this banana is overly ripe and scarred.
There are two types of funny words
The words monkey and slubberdegullion are both funny words, but funny in two very different ways. Monkey is funny because when we hear the word, it conjures up a picture of a monkey, a funny looking animal. Monkey is an example of a word that is funny by connotation or definition. If we look at the word itself, we see there are two parts: mon and key. Neither of these parts are funny, and when put together, they produce a rather mundane-sounding word. We laugh because of the meaning of the word, and not because of the actual word.
The second catagory consists of word that are funny by pronounciation, like slubberdegullion. The word itself sounds funny, it trips of the tongue. We do not know the meaning of the word, and it doesn't matter.(Incidentally, it is a noun meanin a dirty wretch or slob.)
Repetition is not always bad
Repetition of soemthing funny had traditionally been shied away from by funny people, buth the fact is that sometimes we need the repetition. If someone makes an amusing comment, it might take a little time to realize the humorousness of the comment. Repetition speeds up the process, and lends itself to the making of an inside joke. For example, someone says something silly about cows. Later on, when we see people who also heard about the cows, we can repeat some part of the cow comment, and evoke laughter. In longer pieces, say a short story or a wordy joke, it becomes easier to identify and anticipate the humor the secon time around. but beware: A little repetition goes a long way.
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