ABSTRACT
When we look at humor from a sociological point of view we run into a big problem, for, it can be argued, there is no such thing as sociology, per se. Sociology has largely become a repository of discontent, a gathering of individuals who have special agendas, from gay and lesbian rights to liberation theology. But this has accelerated the decomposition process. For example, humor may be thought of as a functional alternative to physical violence. Instead of hitting someone, we use humor to assuage our aggressive impulses and hostile feelings. It is, then, the attitudes, beliefs, and values that are reflected in humor that are of concern to Powell and Paton—especially since jokes and humor involve either social control or resistance to control. This humor, they add, is often found in graffiti, wordplay, cartoons, gestures, facial expressions, comic postures and walks, sounds, and so on. Humor is not confined to any one form of expression or genre.
