The Origin of Humor...and the Misunderstood Fart.

The simple fart...I’m not even going to search for this thread on ATS as I’m going to guess that it’s a first.

First of all, why even do a thread like this? To be honest, the idea didn’t start out as a fart thread but rather as a pondering of what the origins of humor might be. To be more exact, I was interested in what might have been the first joke or expression of humor that we as humans could have formulated.

Given that even a simple joke can utilize language skills, theory-of-mind, symbolism, abstract thinking, and social perception, humor may arguably be humankind’s most complex cognitive attribute. So thinking about this, I came to wonder how humor would have evolved among our species and what form the first joke might have taken.

Which brings me to...The Fart!

From humans to fleas, we all do it. Still not socially acceptable in many situations, the fart has been called embarrassing, Rude, Rank, Funky, Disgusting, Rotten, Juicy, Dry, Wet, Silent, Loud, Ripper and many more. From caves to mansions, we are still intrigued and entertained by this simple bodily function. It is only in recent times that we have come to accept it in our movies, our toys and animations. (Thank you Family Guy)

There is even a Fart Chart to go into more descriptions and *cough* detail:
forums.liveleak.com...

The Alarm Fart -This is a good fart for the beginner. It is easy to identify. It starts with a loud unnaturally high note, wavers like a siren, and ends with a quick downward note that stops before you expect it to. It sounds like something is wrong. If it happens to you, you will know right off why it is called the Alarm Fart. You will be alarmed.

The Amplified Fart - This is any fart that gets its power more from being amplified than from the fart itself. A metal porch swing will amplify a fart every time. So will a plywood table,and empty fifty gallon drum, a tin roof, or some empty cardboard boxes if they are strong through being amplified in this way can be called an Amplified Fart.

The Anticipated Fart -This one warns that it is back there waiting for some time before it arrives. A person who is uneasy for a time in a crowd and who later farts at a time when they think no one will notice has farted an Anticipated Fart

The Back Seat Fart -This is a fart that occurs only in automobiles. It is identified chiefly by odor. The Back Seat Fart can usually be concealed by traffic noise as it is an eased-out fart and not very loud. But its foul odor will give it away, due to the way air moves around in a car. It is often followed by someone saying, "Who farted in the back seat?"

The Barn Owl Fart -A familiarity with owl calls is helpful in identifying this fart. Almost any morning if you get up just before daybreak you can hear one of these birds talking to himself. It's a sort of a crazy laugh, particularly the way it ends. If you hear a fart that has about eight notes in it, ending on a couple of down notes, and it sounds maniacal, you have heard the rare Barn Owl Fart.

The Bathtub Fart - People who would never in their life know one fart from another, who would like to act like fart don't exist, will have to admit that a Bathtub Fart is something special. It is the only fart you can see! What you see is the bubbles. The Bathtub Fart can be either single or multiple noted and fair or foul as to odor. It makes no difference.

The Fart Fact Chart will help to answer all those questions about the common fart that we have all wanted to know but were too embarrassed (or more likely to busy with life) to ask.

Questions ranging from 'What is fart gas made of?' to 'Is it possible to capture a fart in a jar and save it for later use?' (Finally someone has delved into this age-old question)
Find these valuable answers here:
www.heptune.com...
A sample question and answer:

What color is a fart? (Question submitted by Stacey) Farts are, alas, colorless. All of the gases that make up farts have no inherent color. But just think of how interesting it would be if farts were bright orange like nitrogen dioxide gas! It would certainly take the mystery out of who farted. Never-the-less, a high-personality gas like fart gas suggests color to people. Some people envision farts as brown, others as green or yellow. I have always thought of farts as brown, presumably because poop is brown. When someone farts in our car, that person might say, "You better not breathe through your mouth for awhile, or your teeth will turn brown." I knew a toddler who used to draw pictures of farts as yellow rectangles full of holes, like a slice of Swiss cheese. She thought of farts as yellow, and said that she knew they were rectangular because she could feel the sharp corners scraping against her on the way out! Ernie C. suggests that if farts were visible, they would look like pork rinds. Helen says, "It always seemed to me like farts were lumps of coal, black in color and irregularly spherical in shape."

And even...An Ode to a Fart...

newsgroups.derkeiler.com...
A fart it is a pleasant thing,
It gives the belly ease,
It warms the bed in winter,
And suffocates the fleas

A fart can be quiet,
A fart can be loud,
Some leave a powerful,
Poisonous cloud.

A fart can be short,
Or a fart can be long,
Some farts have been known
To sound like a song......

A fart can create
A most curious medley,
A fart can be harmless,
Or silent , and deadly

A fart might not smell,
While others are vile,
A fart may pass quickly,
Or linger a while......

A fart can occur
In a number of places,
And leave everyone there,
With strange looks on their faces.

From wide-open prairie,
To small elevators,
A fart will find all of
Us sooner or later.

But farts are all bad,
Is simply not true-
We must never forget.......
Sweet old farts like you

So why have I included all this info and links in reference to farts? Quite simply to show our fascination and dedication to what I believe is the first form of human giggles.

But let me explain why I believe that the fart is the first joke form and how it might have come into being.

Imagine our ancestors sitting around a fire dressed in their finest animal skins and noshing on the catch of the day. One man (most likely a man) feels a rumbling in his belly and him being the medicine man decides to show off his great power over all things mysterious, comes up with the idea of showing how powerful his magic is.

With perfect timing and a stern expression on his face, leans over to the person sitting next to him and offers his index finger to be grabbed and pulled. The finger is pulled, the fart erupts in all its glory and the people are amazed! Until he starts to giggle and rejoice in this new found form of communication...the unanticipated and therefore humorous punchline. Crude as it may be.

Another day in the village and another opportunity for the budding comedian. This time, it's one of those SBD's (Silent but deadly) silently releasing but soon being obvious that it was of a particular rotten species. People turning away and complaining about this sudden invasion on their senses only to have the perpetrator of said fart shift himself away from his wife, holding his nose and pointing at her in accusation. The look on her face and emphatic denial of being the guilty party soon has her husband laughing at his own genius. Others catch on and follow suit with laughter and a star is born! He's suddenly elevated in popularity and thinking 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? I'm a genius!'

These scenarios would seem to be the first form of humor because it would be the easiest to formulate and even easier to carry out. No tools needed.

This would have of course led to the common practice of holding your loved one under the animal skin at night to trap them in a tear inducing haze. A classic still used to this day.

So in closing, I would just like to say that I have thought long and hard on this subject. It has consumed my thoughts and my time as well. I have had to carry out a few experiments of my own. My wife hasn't been such a willing participant even when I tried to assure her that it's in the interest of science. But after a long and exhaustive study, I have come to the conclusion that the lowly fart is most likely indeed, the first and purest form of humor.

And lastly, I will leave you with a video from Weird Al


Thank you.

Sorry Jude, but I'm not about to let you start a thread on this topic with out referencing this thread called " Pastor Gas"

Originally posted by TerryMcGuire
Sorry Jude, but I'm not about to let you start a thread on this topic with out referencing this thread called " Pastor Gas"

Funny stuff!

Yes, the lowly fart in all its glory.

Didn't see that thread.

Thanks

Good thread, and I think it's fair enough to say that man are closer to the humurous side of farts. The OP also pretty much made that point.

Originally posted by spaceshrimp
Good thread, and I think it's fair enough to say that man are closer to the humurous side of farts. The OP also pretty much made that point.

Yup!

Hoping that a few women will chime in and let us know their side of things with regards to...The Womanly Fart. (or 'Fluff' as my mom would call it)

Very valuable information potentially!

Thanks!

reply to post by jude11

From humans to fleas, we all do it.

Seriously? do fleas really fart?

Originally posted by IkNOwSTuff
reply to post by jude11

 

From humans to fleas, we all do it.

Seriously? do fleas really fart?

Actually not sure about fleas but termites do!

What kind of animal has the highest worldwide output of flatus?
www.heptune.com...
Believe it or not, the animal that wins this honor is the humble termite. Because of their diet and digestive processes (with more than the usual microbial assistance), they produce as much methane as human industry.

Ahem....... I'm a lady........ I do botty burps.....

thank you

Originally posted by sussy
Ahem....... I'm a lady........ I do botty burps.....

thank you

I don't think we meant to say, "Oh yeah us man think that ladies never fart".
It was refering to the fact that on rare occasions you will find girls who can laugh about farts as much as man do, and for the same reasons too.

If the posts weren't clear for you, I hope they are now. Because if it was clear, then I'm not quite sure I understand your post.

Originally posted by spaceshrimp

Originally posted by sussy
Ahem....... I'm a lady........ I do botty burps.....

thank you

I don't think we meant to say, "Oh yeah us man think that ladies never fart".
It was refering to the fact that on rare occasions you will find girls who can laugh about farts as much as man do, and for the same reasons too.

If the posts weren't clear for you, I hope they are now. Because if it was clear, then I'm not quite sure I understand your post.

Men do laugh more...

Let's face it, our bodily functions have fascinated us men from our beginnings. We teach our sons to write their name in the snow when we pee outside and we laugh at farts.

Women on the other hand have been taught that a fart is unladylike behavior and that has passed down from Mother to daughter as well.

On another note, my mom calls it a 'Fluff'...

Anyone that reads this thread, please contribute! I don't care about stars and flags...just light hearted humor.

Thanks!

It was a joke......gawd blimey.....
like...pull my finger......

Originally posted by sussy
It was a joke......gawd blimey.....
like...pull my finger......

Yup, I got it.

Someone else didn't tho.

Originally posted by sussy
It was a joke......gawd blimey.....
like...pull my finger......

=) I will remember this if I ever read any other posts you make. Thanks for pointing that out tho lol

I've always thought that practical jokes and pranks were the first form of humour. Nothing like pushing Ogg off of his rock and having a good ole laugh at his expense!

So, if you fart in front of someone, and they say "nice...", you should respond by saying:"Gaseous!"(a twist of 'gracias')