As part of an upcoming Westword story detailing the topsy-turvy world of scholarly humor research, we have a very important question for you, dear reader -- one designed to plumb the shadowy depths of your soul: What makes you laugh?
Update, August 25: The story is now live: "What makes us laugh? Professor Peter McGraw thinks he's found the answer to one of humanity's greatest questions"
Above: Professor Peter McGraw provides his four principles on what makes for a good nickname to a tough crowd at the Squire on East Colfax.
Feel free to give us your answer in one of several ways. Maybe you want to take a courageous stab at defining humor -- something that on the surface seems easy but has actually stumped academics for thousands of years. Or maybe you want to describe something -- a person, a situation, a movie scene or whatever else comes to mind -- that you find downright hilarious. Or, for those comedians in the crowd, maybe it's time to trot out that one great, killer joke that never fails to bring down the house.
Have at it in the comment section below. If warranted, even dirty jokes are allowed. After all, we are Westword.
We'll be showcasing the best responses later this week, and the authors of our three favorites will score $25 gift certificates to either Rackhouse Pub or Devon's Pub and Cigars.
So what are you waiting for? Go nuts. But just remember: No clunkers allowed. We're armed with a whole bunch of rotten tomatoes, and we're not afraid to use them.
