What do Singaporeans find funny – or not? Here’s a handy guide
It might seem like a well-accepted fact that Singaporeans are a pretty dour agglomeration – pessimistic virtually life, unhappy with work, and ever complaining. After all, every time of those "happiness" surveys come up out, there's the Lion Urban center, moping away downwardly at the considerably less-happy terminate of the list, dark deject hanging over our heads.
Only patently that'south not 100 per cent true. A National Values Assessment survey recently revealed that Singaporeans practice value humour and fun – the first time these results accept shown in this study, which had been conducted twice before.
Then it does seem like Singaporeans have a lighter, funny, non-complainy side. But what exactly is it? What practice Singaporeans find funny – and how would y'all draw this particular sense of humor?
To get to the bottom of things, we asked some folks who might have an inkling.
Our expert console: Stand-up comedian Sharul Channa, who'll be performing next at The Esplanade's Kalaa Utsavam festival; author Suffian Hakim, who has written for shows like The Noose and has authored satire reads like Haris Bin Potter And The Stoned Philosopher; Oak 3 creative manager Michael Tay, who has written for shows on Toggle and Mediacorp TV, including the new comedy FAM!; Facebook and YouTube awareness (and part-fourth dimension 987FM DJ Preeti Nair, aka Preetipls; and author-critic-expert-at-all-things-Singlish Gwee Li Sui.
Here's what CNA Lifestyle found out.
***
i. THE FUNNIEST THINGS ARE Nearly OUR DIFFERENCES
What's a surefire style to crack up Singaporeans? Bring upwardly the melting pot.
"Our situation is foreign, y'all meet. To take these many races together – that strange mix contributes to our situation a lot," said Suffian.
"Information technology can be a sticky state of affairs, and so humour is our way of coming to terms with it. People like Kumar, Rishi Budhrani, Fakkah Fuzz – their material is generally race-related, and the fact that they are successful suggests we're hungry for information technology."
And that includes stereotypes – precisely because it's a way of navigating around the pitfalls, Suffian added. He cited one popular joke in his spoof book Harris Bin Potter about why Santa Claus is Malay. (If you must know, information technology's because he works i twenty-four hour period the entire year, lives in a corner of the North Pole and when he works… he does deliveries. His joke, non ours.)
Even so, be prepared that some might non get certain cultural references. In her contempo music video, Thicc, Preetipls recalled how 1 item verse of mainly Indian references flew over nigh viewers' heads. "I rhymed Thali, Kali, Deepavali and a majority didn't get that, except for maybe two or three Indian people in the comments."
2. We Beloved TO Complain ABOUT ANYTHING 'POLITICS'
"Singaporeans find funny things that are said by our politicians or when the MRT breaks downward and someone comes out to say something 'intelligent'," observed Sharul.
But bringing up something that'southward related to politics isn't enough – complaining about it is what brings on the giggles.
"When information technology comes to Singapore humour, it's unremarkably about how they creatively disguise their complaints as a joke or a remark," said Michael Tay, who cited that as the reason they created the character Ah Gong in FAM!, an Uber driver who loves to share his complaints with passengers.
Information technology's usually most how they creatively disguise their complaints as a joke or a remark
That said, Suffian reckoned that while there's a hunger for political satire, information technology hasn't quite reached the level of satirists like Trevor Noah or Jon Stewart. "At that place are people who bear upon political issues – Preetipls is doing an amazing job and The Noose was trying to arroyo that in a sense, merely I don't think we're at that place yet."
3. Organized religion AND SPIRITUALITY ISN'T THAT FUNNY
In the, erm, holy grail of comedy, you might desire to recall twice about this 1.
"I'd say Singaporeans are still very scared to laugh at faith – even if they might notice something funny, they'd probably avoid laughing at it," said Sharul.
Singaporeans are nevertheless very scared to laugh at religion
In one segment of his book Minorities, Suffian mentioned how the ancient Egyptians believed the Sun God Amun Ra created the world past, well, canoodling himself. "When I shared it with my family unit and some relatives, they were unable to find it funny. I idea it was hilarious…"
4. JUST SAY 'LAH'
Equally for how to piece of work your one-act magic, you tin't become wrong with some slapstick and Singlish wordplay.
"I do detect on Facebook feeds that many Singaporeans find puns funny – like the ones almost Thor and how information technology rhymes with paktor (dating in Hokkien)," said Michael Tay.
And don't forget to up your Singlish. "It's central to the evolution of Singaporean humour," explained Gwee Li Sui. "It'due south sense of humor reaching by the physical to the cognitive, where the performance of words, not and so much bodies, occurs in the head." So how? Can or not?
five. IF It'S SLAPSTICK, IT'LL PROBABLY Piece of work
Of grade, while your friends' brains are going into overdrive with all that cerebral Singlish, a petty slapstick won't hurt – in fact, information technology'll do you good.
"I haven't seen us grow much across enjoying physical comedy over the decades. We notwithstanding adore slapstick and laugh at social manners and behaviours. All platforms using functioning – from phase to screen, be it film or YouTube – stress the physical torso and exploit this form of humour. The recent S-hook Ah Lian videos are classic examples," observed Gwee.
I think we just like things in our face
But it might also depend on which demographic yous're talking to. This might piece of work with what Sharul considers the "older generation" of audiences – "people who are about 50 and to a higher place like the slightly slapstick, race-based, loud and expressive kind of humour."
She calls this kind of "in-your-face up" humour an "Asian" one. "Nosotros act out our wit – if you lot're talking virtually the character, nosotros'll act it out. I call up nosotros just like things in our face – that's why we have veterans Kumar, Hossan Leong and Irene Ang doing so well."
6. SINGAPOREANS Also Love LISTICLES ABOUT THEMSELVES
Yes, listicles are still popular, especially for online videos, where it has proven to be a formula that still works. "Ten types of people – that does actually well," said Preetipls. "JianHao Tan recently posted a video nearly 10 types of students before exams and that hit more than one million views. I thought information technology was an old video just it was posted on the kickoff week of October. Singaporean beloved these types of relatable content."
7. DON'T BE Roughshod, Rough OR RUDE – THEY'LL GET TURNED OFF
That said, in that location are limits to what nosotros can have. Much like how religion is often comedian's no human being's country, humour that's also crude can be a hard pill to swallow for Singaporeans, said Michael Tay. "I don't foresee we can ever do a Sacha Baron-Cohen kind of a comic skit. I find him funny simply a lot of local audiences might find his pranks getting a bit besides far."
Ditto roasts. "You will rarely find the level of flaming sense of humour you lot encounter from America'due south One-act Cardinal Roast in local sense of humor. Singaporeans still hold dorsum when making fun of others."
8. IF THE PUNCHLINE IS TOO COMPLICATED, THEY'LL Laissez passer
In that location are a few other things that might wing over a lot of people's heads. Things like irony, dry out wit or the more "intellectual" type of humour.
"We aren't large on the mere enjoyment of words, wit and life because, I recall, we don't know what to do with that," said Gwee, who said that in general the humour that Singaporeans collectively find entertaining ranges from "buffoonery to sarcasm".
Many Singaporeans would find challenging humour that requires a bit more critical cocky-sensation
He added: "Many Singaporeans would observe challenging sense of humour that requires a bit more critical self-awareness. The immediate reaction is to take offence. It's why sarcasm is enjoyed more than irony."
Nevertheless, Sharul added that in contrast to the older generation, younger people are also being exposed to other comedies thanks to platforms like Netflix. "They're open up to different types, like dark humour or storytelling."
9. NO REACTION? It TAKES Fourth dimension FOR THEM TO WARM Upward
Not everyone'southward a stand-upwards comedian performing to an audience, but if you're getting silence from a friend after a joke, it might just be because he or she is waiting for someone to laugh commencement.
"You need fifteen minutes for them to warm up," quipped Sharul. "Singaporeans take time to express mirth, it'south the process. Possibly they're scared to express mirth and they're request themselves, tin I laugh at this?"
x. EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING ONLINE
Boob tube shows, movies, books and live performances have long been the criterion for Singaporean comedy – from Jack Neo's movies to Nether One Roof, Phua Chu Kang and The Noose, from The Teenage Textbook to Army Daze, Chestnuts and Dream Academy'south shows – but the online world could very well exist where a lot of the laughs are taking place.
Mean meme car SGAG, satirical news site New Nation ("fifty% Real News"), and YouTubers similar Mr Brown and Wah Assistant are offering up a agglomeration of laughs by the clicks and hits.
I call up Singapore humour is in a transitional phase
Preetipls agreed that the online world has opened upwards things to humourists. "At that place'southward no strict format compared to TV, and then a lot of parody and satire can only exist online. There's a lot of content yous can get away with saying and doing."
"A few YouTubers accept followed what Buzzfeed, CollegeHumor and Cracked have done, in terms of parodying popular culture or listicle-style videos," said Suffian. "I think Singapore humour is in a transitional phase, and in the coming years, there will be a more solid stamp on what it is – nosotros're moving abroad from cheap humour and audiences are wanting humour that's smarter, that pays off in punchlines that are earned."
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/what-do-singaporeans-find-funny-sense-of-humour-258116
0 Response to "What do Singaporeans find funny – or not? Here’s a handy guide"
Post a Comment