Many people find humor in others getting hurt. Whether it is a stranger walking down the sidewalk and slipping on ice or a friend getting pelted in the face during dodge ball, a common reaction to these sights is laughter. Yet why are these painful experiences so funny for an observer? First off, incidents like falling usually happen out of the blue and tend to catch people off guard. Therefor it can be said that people laugh at injury because it is incongruous and unexpected. The other reason why people laugh at injury can be explained by the superiority theory. Those watching a fall occur feel superior to the person on the ground and are glad to still be standing on their feet. This type of laughter is the reason why shows like ABC’s Wipeout have had such success.
The American reality show Wipeout comes from a long history of Japanese television shows in which the competitors take part in difficult and hazardous physical tasks. Two of the most popular Japanese ones are Takeshi’s Castle and Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. In all these shows the participants go through a number of different obstacle courses, complete with swinging beams, spraying water, and slippery platforms. As the contestants try to make it to the finish line, it is almost inevitable that they will take a couple of bad spills or get hit really hard by some barrier. Some of the tasks take skill, strength, and smarts, but some are just pure luck. And not only are the courses set up for the competitors to fail and get hurt, sometimes they must start off in these situations, being projected 20 feet into the air by a catapult and landing in muddy water, for example.
People watching these shows find enjoyment in them for two reasons. It’s really fun to think about trying the course yourself and wondering whether you could make it or not, yet the main reason to watch these shows is to laugh at the contestants. The wipeouts they endure can be hilarious and are made funnier by getting to know a little something about each contestant through mini interviews beforehand. They all seem to take on a different personality, some acting over confident, some really girly, or just plain bizarre. Thinking that you know a little something about them makes it easier to laugh at them when they fail. It is also hysterical because many of the contestants act as if they are serious athletes partaking in a hugely important competition.
When someone gets hurt in the real world there is usually a short period of time between the injury and the reaction of the person who sustained the injury, when no one laughs because the seriousness of the situation is still unknown. Yet, if the fallen person gets up and laughs, observers are likely to join in. These television shows eliminate that waiting time. Viewers do not care about the well being of the participants but instead thrive on their wipeouts. The more extreme the fall the more one is likely to laugh. The more flips and wails the better.
The commentary that takes place on the shows makes you laugh even more.
Wipeout pretends to be all serious and sport-like, using common sporting phrases but in its own context. They even have a real ESPN analyst work as one of the commentators. The commentators build up the excitement and then crack jokes when the participants finally go down.
The recent popularity of these shows, specifically Wipeout, is an indictment of today’s society. It has become more and more acceptable to laugh at someone getting hurt, without any regard to the safety or health of the injured person.
Check out the latest episode of Wipeout: http://abc.go.com/shows/wipeout
