What is the 2 of 6 Rule of Humor?
Posted on December 21, 2007
Filed Under Writing Humor | 11 Comments
Can the 2 of 6 rule of humor help me to be a better humor writer?
I think it can, but in order to use the 2 of 6 rule of humor, we must first understand what it is. I quickly mentioned this topic when I explained why I started Humor Blogging. Now, I would like to explore it more in depth.
As far as I know, Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, created this rule to explain the difference between what is funny, and what falls short. The idea is that if you hit 2 of the categories solidly enough, it’s funny.
The higher you score, the funnier it is. He consciously uses this rule when he writes, looking at what is present, and what could be added to score higher.
What goes into each of these broad categories? This is by no means a complete list. In fact, my own personal weakness for the “cute” and “bizarre” categories is something I need your help in further understanding.
My own persona style leans more toward “Naughty” and “Cruel,” but that’s just my taste, and other styles are perfectly valid.
Let’s take a look at what fits into each category.
The 2 of 6 Rule of Humor
Cute is anything that evokes the “Awwww” response. I don’t know how to express it more than that. Here are some of the things that may be considered cute:
- Puppies
- Kittens
- Children
- Furry Critters
- Associated with children
- Associated with pets
Clever makes the audience think, “I never would have thought of that.” It’s the aspect of pure originality and creativity. Here are some examples:
- Metaphors
- Analogies
- Alliteration
- Heurisms
- Made up jargon
- Wordplay
- Exaggeration
- Surprise
- Flip
- Timing/Pause
Cruel is anything that’s unpleasant to the “victim.” It can range from mildly unpleasant to flat out brutal. Some things which are Cruel are:
- Ridicule
- Mockery
- Humilitation
- Sarcasm
- Violence
- Threatened violence
- Death
- Slapstick
Familiar is what is known to the audience. Choosing a pop culture icon will appeal to a broad audience, while choosing something more exclusive yeilds an inside joke. Here are a few things that are familiar:
- Pop Culture
- Celebrities
- Political Figures
- Popular Trends
- Stereotypes
Bizarre is the opposite of familiar in some ways, but it’s not entirely the opposite of familiar. Unless I set it up to be so, my step-daughter is not familiar to you, but that doesn’t make her bizarre. It’s the opposite of familiar more in the sense of being unnatural or even against our conceptions of nature. Some qualities include:
- Odd
- Quirky
- Unusual
- Weird
- Very different from ordinary
- Unexpected
Naughty is the class of things that are taboo, or at least not appropriate in polite company. Examples include:
- Crude Humor
- Profanity
- Toilet Humor
- Penis Jokes
- Fart Jokes
- Gross
- Sexual Innuendo
- Overt Sexuality
You can probably see my weakness in describing the Cute and Bizarre categories.
What humor devices did I miss, and where do you think they should fit? Do you disagree with where I have placed anything? Should the 2 of 6 rule of humor have more categories? Should it have fewer? Should it be a 3 of 6 rule? What are your thoughts?
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11 Responses to “What is the 2 of 6 Rule of Humor?”
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I think the Clever category is missing pop culture references. Lots of room for funny with pop culture and a blog post.
Hey Fiar
Thanks for the comment on Yaro’s blog. Really appreciate it!
That was my first go at anything like that (in my life)…
And I think Ron Goodwave, my character, will develop a bit more as well as time goes by. I will certainly consider looking at the canned laughter – we’ve had some really good feedback about that as well. So we’ll see how it goes…
But what I really want to thank you for is the cool tips you’ve got on this particular post! I havent been consciously aware of these tips, and have simply been acting out a script. But now with this new info, I can perhaps use that in the next show.
I’m sure it will work a treat – this is brilliant stuff!
Thanks again!
Gideon Shalwick
PS: I’ve subscribed cos this looks like a really handy resource to keep an eye on!
I think this is a pretty good reference, although a lot of the actual humor value is dependent on how well the joke is executed.
Personally, I tend to hit 2-5 hard, and rarely do 1 or 6. Cute and dirty are both too easy, in my opinion. The middle ones are harder, but the payoff is bigger if you can pull it off. Clever and bizarre are my favorites.
Fart jokes are not naughty.
Some are cute. The “Harvard fart” comes to mind.
Some are clever, like the “car door” fart.
Cruel gets a nod for the “carpool” fart.
Say “yes” to familiar. How often do hear “that stinks like $hit!”
Bizarre? How bizarre is it to fart in the shower and it sounds like a duck quacking?
There, five out of six.
Fart jokes are alway funny, not naughty.
Good call, Chris. I actually thought I had that in there. Thanks for catching that.
Gideon Thanks for stopping by. I recall something that had to do with the need to speak faster on small video than on TV, or maybe it was the other way around, but I don’t think it was. There’s something about the difference in format that causes a difference in perception. I think that may be a factor with the canned laughter, and the criticism I mentioned.
Good luck with your character.
Diesel I agree. The degree that you hit the element matters. Like, Not quite clever, or almost cute, or not that cruel, would have a result of not that funny. I have a post queued up about the subjective nature of humor that hits on what you said.
Skul Pull my finger.
>tug!!1!<
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Hmmm….not helpful….not helpful at all. Methinks that any time you try to dissect humor, all you end up with is a dead joke.
That said, most of the bloggers that I read who try to be funny miss because of their long-windedness. If you can see the joke coming from a mile away, it ain’t funny! Good stories are wasted on them….they don’t know how to use them.
So the main advice I would give to a humorist is “Edit, edit, edit!” And don’t repeat yourself.
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you.
~Idetrorce
Here is a post that – While the topic is magic, and not humor – pretty well summarizes the way I feel about it.
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1165796529.shtml
This seems a useful tool for someone trying to be funny, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say, “if you hit 2 of the categories solidly enough, it’s funny.” It’s easy to think of combinations of “cute” and “cruel” which wouldn’t be the least bit funny, for instance.
The normal reaction to seeing cruelty inflicted upon something cute would be negative; humor reverses the reaction. The critical thing which allows this reversal, whatever it is, isn’t explained by this rule (not that the rule necessarily tries to explain it).
It seems to me that surprise listed twice; under “bizarre”, it’s called the “unexpected”. I’m inclined to think that surprise may be a category unto itself, and that the bizarre and parts of cleverness may fall under it. Just a thought; could be wrong.
Anyway, though, good and interesting list. Thanks.