h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Except for a temporary glut of guffaws during the
Clinton-Lewinsky affair, the USA has a desperate need
to import its humor from the UK and Canada.

I disagree, they have Humor Simpson to provide their humour

Have you guys ever seen US TV? Its full of British comedy. Fawlty Towers, Monty P., AbFab.
The public demand it to compensate for all the re-runs of CHIPS with Scary Eric Estrada.

HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT MY COUNTRY!!!! We're plenty funny! We have a wonderful sense of humor (especially me), and I have enough insults hurled at me today that I don't need this kind of BLASPHEMY against my country!!!
P.S.-It's Homer Simpson, not Humor Simpson.

Homer/humor/humour.

just a bit of fun

or didn't you understand the point

I take it your funny bone is the size of Wisconson.

As big as who?
please leave Bill Clintons foibles out of this

AG

Wisconison is a state in America (the country that, supposedly, needs to import humor). No Clinton pun intended.

I disagreed about the need of the USA for foreign humour!
Jay Leno has some good ones on occasionally don't you think?

underscoring the need for a good sense of humour, eh?

The United States has plenty of humor. However, there are those among us we refer to as the ultra-conservatives whose mission in life is to ensure that no one has any fun at any point in time in their lives. These people's views may originate from a politcal standpoint, a religious standpoint, or just plain grumpiness. There is an incredible number of these people in America and they tend to have a fair amount of money and power with which to weild their views. The FCC is comprised of these people. Yet, there are still pockets of americans who have not been hunted down and brainwashed by these individuals.

Some pretty good humor has already been imported form the UK in the form of "Whose Line Is It Anyway", "Mr. Bean", etc. I am stumped, however, as to what Canada might have to offer us. The only comical thing from Canada that I can think up is Pamela Anderson.

The USA has/had some of the world's finest funny men;
Charlie Chaplin, Stanley Laurel and Bob Hope to name a few.

AG

Except Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin were both British.

Well spotted.

Bob Hope is too an englishman.

AG

I feel I'm being mocked.

And I don't really care for turtlenecks.

And why did you go and mention Stan Laurel without mentioning Oliver Hardy? I'm not related to Laurel. I feel I'm being mocked.

And I don't really care for turtlenecks.

And why did you go and mention Stan Laurel without mentioning Oliver Hardy? I'm not related to Laurel.

^-.-^

You've got Matt Groening, Trey Parker, Jim Abrahams, David Zuckers, Jerry Zucker and Matt Stone. That's it. In a country of (how many? about 300million?) people, six people with a genuine sense of irony isn't a great deal. Seeing as Steve Martin stopped being funny years ago, I have a theory that there are a limited number of souls available in the US for both creating and appreciating humour. My flatmate for one hasn't the slightest idea of what constitutes humour, though a few months ago she used the words "I have a lot of anger within me" in a converstion. She'll be sending out love and keeping it there next.

I never mentioned Ollie cos I was being a cocky clever dick and only wrote the names of english born blokes!

AG

We love CHIPS here.
With a bit of cod in batter, salt and vinegar.
When mushy peas and a pickled onion are provided too it is almost an orgasmic experience. Especially eaten from a newspaper wrapping - on the way home from the pub.

AG

Tom Lehr. Steve Allan. Forgive me if I'm wrong (because I don't give two whits about what people from a country who still thinks it's a world power have to say about a culture they know very little about -- now that's funny -- so I haven't been pouring my life's blood into following this kind of thing), but these people are American and continue to be at least amusing to this day. Elaine Boosler's pretty funny. I've always liked Lilly Tomlin, too. Anyone who dons a large costume covered in yellow feathers and calls themselves "Big Bird" for the amusement of children and isn't considered a pediphile must have some kind of charm.

I, too, can make fun of the people in charge sleeping around and lieing and cheating, the backwards nature of the inbreds living in the armpit of the country, and the ability to lose complete grasp of an empire and become laughing stock of the international community. But this isn't about England, so I'll stick to something I actually know something about.

I never thought Laurel or Hardy were funny, anyhow. Nor Bob Hope's stand up, though I liked "Road to Rio". Not because of their place of origin. But because I have a different sense of humour than the British. Hard fact to imagine, sure, but work at it and you'll get there.

We import humor here on a regular basis. We also export it in the form of Baywatch.