What's so funny about farts?
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at 01:52PM
“Whatever you do, don’t pull Dad’s finger!” were the first words out of my then 6-year-old son’s mouth when being introduced to a friend of mine. Thankfully, she simply smiled and said, “Sounds like good advice.” A rather interesting way for a child to begin a relationship, I thought.
Attending Shrek: The Musical at a local community theater spurred this memory. In one of the scenes in the show that got the biggest laughs, Shrek and Fiona engage in a farting contest.
What is it exactly that makes farts so funny? We don’t necessarily laugh at sneezes, burbs, hiccups, coughs, or other bodily noises. But fart once and the world laughs with you - or at you.
I am not the first person to ask this question. Wikipedia has an entire entry devoted to “Flatulence humor.” In it you learn that there is a fart joke from 1900 BC recorded by the Sumerians. Aristophanes, Chaucer, and Franklin all got their audience chuckling using fart humor. Academicians have considered the question of why passing gas cracks us up to be a serious subject. And there is even an entire book on the subject: Jim Dawson's (2010) Did somebody step on a duck: A natural history of the fart. (OK, admit you just snickered when reading that title - and maybe went to see if it was still available.)
Other than confirming my solid belief that maturity is just an artifice for most of us, I have little to offer in the way of an answer to this question. But writing on the topic made me consider…
- How fortunate I am to have such a trouble-free life that I can spend time thinking and writing about such trivial matters.
- That you, dear readers, could be spending your time better as well. Check out Miguel Guhlin’s thoughtful blog instead.
- How it seems that nearly every question I can think of has already been asked and answered online and found with a 3 second Google search.
I have NOT searched YouTube for fart videos.
- I wonder if finding tooting hilarious is the common bond among all humankind. If so, what does it say about the necessity of our species in the grand order (or odor) of things?
Enjoy the rest of your day. And whatever you do, DON’T pull anyone’s finger.
Reader Comments (2)
Best article ever
Kenn,
I always knew you were a man of superior intellect.
Doug