ABSTRACT
When a cycle of humor emerged in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, whose impact was felt internationally, it seemed likely that the jokes-like the messages that conveyed sympathy-would reflect a global reaction. The online humor that followed the event reflected strong differences in national identity, however. American jokes often expressed a militarist desire for revenge, such as the common joke “What is Osama bin Laden going to be on Halloween? Dead!” British jokes, by contrast, blurred the tragic events with images drawn from the media, as in “Bin Laden is going to be on [a cooking show] next week. He’ll show how to make a big apple crumble.” American jokes and British jokes were available to both cultures online, sometimes posted together on the same message boards. However, it seems clear that regionally generated social rules about humor continue to play an important part in determining which jokes spread and where they go.
