"Friends": Ross Geller without laugh track = psychopath

submitted by [deleted] from (youtube.com)

all 16 comments
sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun

[–][deleted] 9 insightful - 2 fun9 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 2 fun -  (11 children)

It's not funny without the soundtrack letting you know it should be. Realizing that pretty much ruined comedies for me.

[–][deleted] 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

It's not funny without the soundtrack letting you know it should be.

and that's the part I find hilarious and ironic!

[–][deleted] 9 insightful - 4 fun9 insightful - 3 fun10 insightful - 4 fun -  (2 children)

I can see that. You might want to check out Big Bang Theory without a soundtrack. That's another big one that isn't funny. I'd say it mostly makes me sad though. So much media depends on psychological tricks to get us to consume it, and it represents so much wasted time.

I was surprised when the new generations "found" Friends and Full House. I don't think they've aged well at all. Seinfeld was a little more understandable, there are genuinely funny and interesting parts although Jerry Seinfeld was dating a 15yr old at the time and nobody cared. What's the deal with that?

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

although Jerry Seinfeld was dating a 15yr old at the time and nobody cared. What's the deal with that?

She was 17 when they started dating, and that's perfectly legal in New York.

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

That's been retconned.

[–]madcow-5 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

IT Crowd still makes me laugh some, but yeah, this killed sitcoms.

[–]jet199 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

It's not that it's necessarily not funny.

People simply laugh more when they are with other people as its a form of communication. This is especially true for men. So having an audience watch the episode and recording their reactions puts you more in the mindspace you would be in a crowded theater rather than alone in your room.

The recorded laughter isn't there to let you know which bits should be funny but to make you feel less alone.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Okay, that's a valid point, but quite a bit of shows aren't funny without the laugh tracks.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Exactly.

And you touching on Jerry Seinfeld’s relationship, and us discussing how they have to use psychological tricks to prompt us to laugh (a laughter track is the equivalent of a “laugh now” sign being held up) at things that really aren't funny while mixing in other behavioral and social programming, is only the tip of the iceberg.

A lot of these shows are made to seem like benign comedy’s to release stress, but they aren’t funny, and they contain “programming” in the program itself as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQTNZRmJdg

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Great clip

[–]Tom_Bombadil 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's not funny without the soundtrack letting you know it should be.

The laugh track is a subtle form of mind control.

[–]3MistersAndAMissy 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The laugh track is to help improve the funniness of the scene.

It’s a sad reminder that humans aren’t meant to be laughing alone on our couches. We are supposed to be in groups.

Media is a mixed bag. I used to be such a social person who sometimes got lonely. Then I got into media and am never lonely but am much less social.

I think it was healthier the other way tbh

[–]copenseethe 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Am I the only one that hates laugh tracks? I'm unable to watch anything with a laugh track even if it is decent comedy. It is like being commanded to "laugh now".

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Nope, I get you completely. That’s the exact reason I got rid of cable two years ago; everything on cable now feels so demeaning if you aren’t an idiot (and it’s not like I’m a genius), all the propaganda, mindless consumption, fear porn and pre-predictive programming. There’s nothing funny to get lost in anymore, or anything interesting imho.

The laughing track is part of what gives me that “demeaning feeling”; it feels like they think you’re stupid, they own you, and you’re a dog who sits when they’re told to sit. It’s honestly kind of demeaning & insulting to your intelligence depending on how you look at it and if you even notice all that bullshit on there on a conscious level anyway.

[–]emptiedriver 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

eh, i think it's the ominous music and green lighting that make it seem a bit weird. But I think if you watched a whole episode you'd get that it was a comedy and the over the top behavior would be understood as funny in context, insofar as that fit your sense of humor.

I was never much of a fan of Friends but lots of comedy is taste & gut feelings. Try to explain why anything is funny or convince anyone who disagrees that they're wrong...

[–]GConly 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

My 14 yo watched it a few years ago and observed that they were all self absorbed narcissists.

Sharp girl.