As a person who is relatively knowledgeable about the world of comedy, I take a sort of personal, debilitating offense when people laugh at unfunny things. Now, I know that comedy, like all other art forms, is subjective. But we're not talking about whether you prefer Eric Idle to Mel Brooks here. No, we're talking about Dane Cook and $#!* My Dad Says, about Epic Movie and 90% of internet memes. For example, have you ever told a five minute story with a somewhat amusing conclusion, and the person you tell it to laughs and says you should do stand-up? That person is part of the problem that I am trying to fix here tonight. Funny is a sacred thing, and I refuse to have it sullied by the following ten items.
Anything You Say "That's Funny" To
If you say "That's Funny", you aren't laughing. I don't see how that point can be any more salient. But I yam what I yam, so I'll try.
I am not saying you have to be laughing for something to be funny. Nor am I saying that anything that you laugh at is funny. Funny is a beautiful, ephemeral thing that can't quite be pinned down. Despite that, if you had to think about it so long the timing is off, and you no longer have that guttural reaction, but simply an awareness of it's potential for amusement, that's bullshit. That isn't funny. That's interesting. Funny hits you in the stomach and you curl over.
Exception: You may say "That's funny." with that stress, in that context, when trying to convince someone that something is funny. I obviously don't mean that. I mean instead of laughing. Jerk.
