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

Hear hear indeed - well said and well written piece.

Interesting about the 'joke' from 1890 - sounds very like some of the stuff from the 1980s, where people would laugh just because of gratuitously strong language, and any other humour was all about laughing at people rather than with them...

One of my favourite comedians is Laurence Clark, as he is disabled, and when he makes jokes and humorous observations about his life as a disabled person, I can really identify with that and laugh along with him. I was made uncomfortable by one of his jokes, though, where he ventured into the territory of another disability that he had no personal experience of (but which I do) so that came across as him laughing at people rather than with them then. I also like his style because he was influenced by Dave Gorman, through the use of PowerPoint presentations.

Dave Gorman is another great comedian (in my opinion) as he creates humour from the everyday, so it is relatively easy to find something to identify with and laugh about with him

I appreciate that comment, Sasha. That's a really good point! If we break the humour up into enclaves, and still make fun of people we don't have as much in common with, it's not getting any better. The message isn't, 'This group good, that group bad,' but 'we're all in this together, mistakes and all.'

I was annoyed at Stephen Colbert during the Democratic Convention last year. He made a ridiculous joke about there being a gluten-free food stand at the convention centre. Something about its being pretentious.

Delegates with celiac disease probably appreciated not having to search around a strange city for a hot meal that wouldn't make them be in pain all week, not to mention increase their chances of intestinal cancer...they might also get tired of living off the rice crackers they brought in their luggage. I know I do. Considering what a foodie Colbert is, you think he'd sympathise.

I cut him some slack because I knew the poor man wasn't getting any sleep that week.

But yeah - laugh with, not at. Always.