humor

Just a short note on humor. I don't remember who said this or exactly what they said, but someone remarked that the remarkable thing about humor is that it transcends time: Something that was funny in the 1920s is still funny today. Since I can't find the source of these remarks, this is going to sound like I'm arguing against a straw man, but I want it to be known that I disagree with this statement. Humor evolves, insomuch as anything else evolves between generations. We are shocked and offended by different things from our ancestors, and similarly we find different things funny or unfunny. Charlie Chaplin was funny, but with all due respect, I doubt he has anything that would make today's audiences slap their knees and pass out from lack of air. (I'm talking about the silent stuff.) Groucho Marx is just old-school and annoying. Kevin Hart is a homophobic dipstick.