INSIDE jokes, humorous stories, and playful teasing often create a sense of belonging and shared identity among societal groups.
Humor is defined as the quality of being amusing, entertaining, or funny, eliciting laughter or enjoyment. It encompasses a wide range of forms and expressions, including jokes, puns, satire, and comedic situations.
Humor appears to help people’s psychological and physical well-being, which explains why most people use humor to cope with stress and adversity.
With the Philippines being named the second happiest country in Southeast Asia, according to the 2024 World Happiness Report released by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Center, Filipinos are undeniably humorous.
It is also quite surprising that despite the perennial adversities the country faces, Filipinos continue to live up to their image as being among the happiest people.
Pinoy humor is greatly characterized by media influences, and through the years, it has evolved and adapted to different situations. Hence, each generation has their own shared laughter and humor.
What shapes Pinoy Gen-Z humor?
There are jokes and types of humor that most, if not all, Zoomers understand. This shared humor reflects how they interact, build relationships, and influence Filipino culture.
- Repeating deep English words
When someone unintentionally or intentionally utters a deep English word or phrase in the middle of a Filipino conversation, the speaker emphasizes the word by repeating it in a high-pitched tone.
People usually do this whenever they speak a word they don’t normally use, suggesting they are a bright or fluent individual for saying such things.
- “Huy” line delivery
This is like repeating deep English words. When someone throws a witty or sarcastic line, people respond with “huy” in a high-pitched tone, indicating that the line might be too creative or funny.
People also use this during gossiping, when someone throws shade or states an opinion that can catch others off-guard.
- Telepathic ability
Derived from the idea that Filipinos can understand inside jokes and references just by exchanging dramatic glances and pausing for a moment, they will often start laughing heartily without needing to explain what was funny, as both individuals already understand the joke.
- Wordplay and slang
Eme, boogsh, dasurv, slay, keri, and laro are some words created and mostly understood by Filipino Gen-Zs. Some of these carry a different meaning from the original, which implies that language and context change over time. Despite some words being absent in a dictionary, many people still understand and use them.
- Meme culture
Filipino memes often draw on everyday experiences, local pop culture, and societal issues. Filipinos use humor to address common situations, struggles, and cultural quirks, making them highly relatable to a wide audience. Memes spread rapidly through social media platforms like Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
While Filipino humor has many positive aspects, it is important to be mindful of its potential downsides and the impact it can have on different audiences and situations.
- “Kanal” humor: Describes a type of humor that people consider crude, vulgar or low-brow. Since “kanal” is the Filipino translation of “sewer,” this humor is suggested to lack refinement or sophistication.
- Aircon humor: Used to describe humor that seems elitist or sophisticated, often linking it to the upper class or those with a more privileged lifestyle. The term “aircon” refers to air conditioning, which people associate with comfort and affluence.
Ben Carlos, a Communication Arts student, said in an interview with republicasia that humor is subjective, but there should always be a clear line when it comes to telling jokes.
“Hindi talaga maiiwasan ang pagiging masayahin nating mga Pinoy, pero dapat alam din natin yung mga limitations natin kasi there are times na nakakatawa sa atin [jokes] pero sa iba hindi,” he said.
“May kanya-kanya tayong humor and one good thing about it is its relatability and ability to bring people together through laughter,” he said.
With reports from Cedrix Leppago
