Are the Groen Brothers right? Is there such a big difference between the Dutch and American sense of humor? "The Dutch tend to make jokes like, 'Oh well, that's just the way it is,' " one American student says. "I once translated a KLM cartoon where a passenger complains to a stewardess about his broken headphones. She's wearing carpenter's belt around her waist and says, 'Who cares, everything in this country breaks down anyway.' I didn't think it was funny," the student says. The Groen Brothers, in turn, don't "get" jokes about the lousy service in Dutch restaurants—the same jokes that make Americans and Brits roar with laughter. "In my experience Dutch people and Americans are often stressed out by—or amused by—completely different things. And it really shows up in their humor," says the American-born Lisa, who has lived in the Netherlands for nearly a decade.
Despite differences, everyone agrees that humor can be universal and that a sense of humor can be developed. Lisa explains, "People are so focused on talent, but writing comedy and humor is all about practice, practice, and practice." Rob adds, "The trick is not to write the perfect joke, but to be open to what comes up from your unconscious." This sounds great in theory, but there's no denying that some people have a better sense of humor than others. Take Holland's right-wing prime minister, Jan-Peter Balkenende. Lisa comments, "He's probably the only person in Holland who we can safely say has no future in store as a professional comedian."
<
|
