The sense of humour is mysteriously bound up with national characteristics. For instance, the French word for "funny" hardly has the same meaning as the English equivalent. If you ask a Frenchman whether the English have a sense of humour, he will probably answer, "Yes, but it's rather peculiar." You can find the same thing in other countries. Each nation has its own ideas of what is funny, and what is in bad taste.
In general, the English and the Americans do not laugh at the same things. The English, for example, do not laugh at the same kind of humour as the Americans. The things which make an Englishman laugh are not always the things which make an American laugh, and vice versa. The fact that they laugh at different things may well make it difficult for a foreigner to understand what is really funny in either country.
Most funny stories are based on comic situations. In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal. No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Charlie Chaplin's early films. However, a new type of humour, which stems from America, has recently come into fashion. It is called "sick humour". Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents. Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. The following example of "sick humour" will enable you to judge for yourself.
A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas. From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow. On Christmas day, the man still had his right leg in plaster.
He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing. The following day, his mood was better. He was able to sit up in bed and look out of the window. He saw a man being taken into the hospital on a stretcher. As the man was being carried past the window, he caught sight of his neighbour's face. He was horrified to see that his neighbour had his right leg in plaster too. He called out to the man on the stretcher, "I say, what happened to you?" The man on the stretcher groaned and said, "I broke my left leg."