We live in Australia, but dad grew up in København. We talked about Lord Nelson who attacked København in 1801. Dad referred to him as that English sea pirate who actually did the Danes a favour. In those days København was so disease ridden and rat infested, that the only way to clean it up, was to burn it down. I am told that this is typical København humour.
Yep, one of the biggest differences between Danish and British humour is the use of understatements, instead we overstate things and turn negatives into positives, Danish humour is full of "look on the bright side" of sarcasm, like you got a hole in your boat, nah you just got a temporary bath tub and permanent submarine. overstated similis as expressions are also a very common part of the language, like the variety of ways you can refer to a filthy or messy place goes from "Looks like a bombed out toilet" to "Looks like the destruction of Jerusalem". I had a teacher who once referred to a students assignment as "good enough to open up and take a shit in" which is also a common expression for something that's just bad.
@@RobeTrottingLove your videos! Actually from Copenhagen Denmark but was just in Orlando Florida for my vacation. I missed home so while I was away I watched you guys. You’re videos are actually really good and interesting and kinda ironic how I’ve learned stuff from your channel I didn’t even know myself. Either way it’s not my first time to the states and not your first time to Denmark but would y’all think a real dane having a danish shop with pastries and smørrebrød would be good in the states, depending on where you are? Also depends on the state I’d guess and yeah I’ve heard about that danish area in the states but imagine opening shop somewhere new?? Also I can’t help but noticing how danish people have this uhm well danglish accent to how they talk danish. I don’t have it but it’s very common. Anyways keep up the good work and thanks for the video Mike and Derek! 😊
@@CIeaner23 Some of them even put the stresses in the words in an "English"-speaking fashion, say [bail-djee-en] instead of [bail-gee-en] for "Belgien" / "Belgium" and often use back-translated English and / or American expressions as well as the wrong prepositions - it's BEEEP annoying to listen to 😂
@@Bjowolf2 SO TRUE!! Like when I’m watching TV or a show and I hear them talking with the accent I’m like how can you not say it right? I know it’s not their fault and they can’t control it, but I think you and I can which makes it annoying for us. Yeah we speak good English so we’ll obviously notice when someone has that distinct danish english accent but other people from America might not think it’s annoying like us, since they don’t know a lot of people speak like that.
Danish humor is specific to Denmark in the sense that it often has word play or a little Danglish in it...but it leans closely up against the Scottish/British humor ..as we often laugh at the same self-depracating things The Scandi/Nordic countries have a similar sense of humor, but the Danish version might be the 'darkest' Fun guys..hello from Hundested 🌸
@@SuiGenerisAbbieI actually think that Danish humor is more like the Aussie humor if we should make it more precise, i have a really good friend from Australia and we have been watching some tv shows movies from Australia and Denmark and i can see that the humor is more the same 😊
Danish irony and sarcasm often fly well above the heads of the poor Swedes, who act a bit like closet Germans in this respect and therefore need to have the jokes explained to them - slowly 😉- , wheras the Danes and the Norwegians are more communicating on the same wavelenghts and are not that far from the Brits either.
@@Bjowolf2 Swedes don't understand danish jokes sometimes 'cause it's impossible to understand what you're saying... I guess swedish humor could be listening to the danish language...
I am kinda happy that I, as a person with ADHD live in a country where people can deal with my directness and find it funny when I end up basically bashing them with my directness and lack of filter. It often ends up being insider things that I get poked with once in a while.
The jovial bashing needs to be a two-way street. I love poking fun at people I like, but I hate it when they don't return in kind - it makes me feel like a bully, and that is absolutely not my point. I WANT them to poke back. And this is a very tricky balance with new people - making sure that they understand the intention. I think of it as trying to start a verbal game of catch or something. I throw something for you to catch, and you throw something back for me to catch.
The danish humour actually grew lighter and less sarcastic and ironic over the last 100 years or so. If you go back and read Holberg from 1700 or Gustav Wied from 1900, it goes really dark in the personas. I think the best example of this kind of sarcastic persona based humour in modern danish humor is Mick Øgendahl, who draws from some pretty dark personality traits, and spins them into ridiculousness. Gustav Wied from the 1900 is really dark and sarcastic, mocking every little bit of human nature and the small petty minds of the citizenry. Maybe find the old tv series of Livsens Ondskab, and yes, that is cruelty with a comic twist.
As a Dane, I must say please don't be insecure about your jokes We expect them not to be like us but we want to learn from you and please remember that if we joke with you, we really like you and want to learn more about you 😊🇩🇰
@Conrad Molden 8:14 - what do you mean about "become alcoholics in the evening" - we don't have a problem with alcohol in Denmark - we drink - we get drunk - we fall down - not a problem 😋
Thanks so much Joen, really glad you enjoyed this one - it was a lot of fun to make and a little more work than normal but we found it well worth the effort 😃
After seeing many of your videos its abvious that you have struggled with many issues living here, but you are now also defending the danish way. Thank you for contributing to our society in this positive way. It is your kind of hard working foreignors we like to welcome!
That part where Mike says when a Dane makes fun of you, that shows they like you, that part are so true, for me to make fun of someone shows i do like that person, if I’ve don’t like you i simply ignore you
Precisely - and then you are supposed to fire back in an equally witty way as well - at least. The English folks are the true experts at this game 😉 - but I guess our mutual cultural and linguistic roots shine through here.
There's definitely something to be said for not interpreting things in the wrong way. If someone is making an offensive joke, it's almost certain that they don't actually mean it. A lot of times, the absurdity and shock value in what people say is part of what makes something funny - because we as the audience understand that no sane person would say such things and actually mean it. People familiar with the British comedy scene might be able to relate to Jimmy Carr and Sean Lock. Their brand of edgy dark humor is not uncommon to find in Denmark.
Here's the thing, though, about Nordic humour: you have to remember that we live quite far up in the north, with long, dark winters, so our humour _has_ to be dry - and sometimes even bitter - purely to preserve it for those long months, until we can harvest some fresh humour during the summer.
I watched several of your videos before visiting Copenhagen for the first time, last week. The city and people were truly inspiring. I envy the community spirit that the Danes have built. Sadly, I don't have much hope that the British could emulate it. Keep up the great work guys!
So glad you found us and really hope we were able to help you plan your trip and maybe notice some of the cultural aspects of your destination too 😃 Don’t get too down on Britain though, there are so many great things about the UK that other nations have emulated over the years or wish they could - especially across a large and quite diverse population. No country has figured it all out perfectly 😊
Delivery is also a big part of the humor. With the tone of your voice and such you can often tell that it's meant as a joke, whereas if you just read it on paper, it could be harder to get. So in that way the humor also requires some social skills
SOOOOO true - and I sometimes feel like that can cause us misunderstandings when we joke in English with Danes and non-English speakers too. I think some of the best points in this dialogue was Dharshika advising not to assume the worst when you hear a joke and what Jacob said about people being mostly the same under a layer of culture that's only about 10% of us.
The trick for my dialect (North west Copenhagen-ish) is just to frame it as a question, like the often used "How do you think it's going yourself?" when somebody is fucking up, especially with the iconic "Hvaaaa" at first ("Hvaaa, hvordan synes du selv det går?") anything after that is taken as humor, or an attempt at such atleast. In general we use alot of common phrases to initiate banter, it sort of sets the scene for the upcoming burns.
In a workplace setting, you only joke once you've shown that you can be proffesional and do you job. It's like an extra treat you get once you've proven yourself.
@@charisma-hornum-friesNot all places are like that, but it's a good place to start from. No one like the new guy, or girl, that comes in and starts joking around before they have proven themselves.
Judged by the success various british comedy shows have had in Denmark, it’s fair to asume that british and danish humour are pretty much alike. Monty Pythons Flying Cirkus, Benny Hill, Mr. Bean, Fawlty Towers and the various 70’s comedy scetches like Robin’s Nest, Men behaving badly etc have always been huge in Denmark. But yes, often a very dark humour.
I mean Summer Bird is kinda more accurate than Butter Fly. Like, what they have to do with butter? Trust in the intention is what underlies all good banter. I think I had my Danish sense of humour somewhat tamed/toned down in England, only starting to let it back out now but British sensibilities have made it a somewhat tentative effort. In terms of humour though, I think The Julekalender from '91 is borderline legendary - the mixture of English and Danish language did a great job of playing with words in the same way shows like The Simpsons do - kids and adults will find two different jokes in the same scene.
I can't really translate it, but I think Piet Hein described an important element in Danish humor in a rhyme (or "gruk" as he called his small rhymes): Den som tager sjov for sjov Og alvor kun alvorligt Han og hun har faktisk fattet Begge dele dårligt
To give a loose translation of the sentiment of the rhyme: Fun and Serious aren't two sides of the same coin, they're both on each side of the coin (ie. you have a side with fun & serious and a side with serious & fun).
There's an "official" English version of that gruk as well: Taking fun as simply fun and earnestness in earnest shows how thoroughly thou none of the two discernest. Edit: I wrote that Piet Hein himself wrote the gruks in both Danish and English, but I'm actually not sure if they were translated by someone else 😅
Thank you, this is really helpful! I just arrived in Denmark for a 3-year contract. I'm really concerned because I have health issues that make me stand out quite a lot (I have to wear a mask at all times, and other inconvenient restrictions) and I'm worried about people's reaction and comments surrounding that. I come from a place where dark humour is not common, and I don't really have thick skin as a result. Your video really helped me understand where they come from and how to interpret it. I'm still a little worried, but at least I know more what to expect.
Well.. dont get upset when ppl nickname you "The Mask"..we are nice to ppl with conditions, its not that, but we also like to make fun.. because work is boring
Yeah, and he does a fantastic job of sprinkling in humor with cultural observations about Denmark. Highly recommend checking out one of his shows on RUclips or live 👍
It was a good and clever video. You covered the topic well. As a Dane, I have never encountered serious problems when I use "Danish humor" - people from the western/Christian part of the world have no problems with it. People from more distant and more culturally different regions may well be offended by it though.
Prince Henrik reportedly loved Danish humor. He was a very intelligent man and had a great linguistic sensitivity. He must have heard something in Danish humor which somehow contrasted with his French upbringing.
Yes danes/danish comedians might use a lot of self-ironi, dry, dark humour, below the belt humour, and also try to push the barrier of what can be joked about(mostly its easier to get away with joking about something serious for example an illness, if you do it from your point of view, what your specific experience/situation has been, instead of just generalising.)
About the Danish use of Irony, there's an entire song written about sarcasm mistaken as irony, it's called "Det kaldes ironi" written by a legendary satire group called Svedbanken, it's a story told from the point of view of a man who's breaking up with his girlfriend, and he's taking all the fights and sarcastic snark as ironic humor, like she's not really angry, she's just really ironic. The chorus is --------------------------------------------------- It's called irony It's the new type of humor Where nothing is serious, irony It's where you say the things you don't mean It's called irony It's a crazy form of humor Where everyone is vulnerable, Irony It could be fashion If you can understand it, Irony --------------------------------------------------- It's like layers upon layers of irony. I guess you could say meta humour, joking about the joke is also pretty popular, like you can say something really fucked up as a joke, and then point out how dark it was as a continuation of the joke, snowballing into endless bants and possible trying to one up eachother with how dark you can make it. Anybody interested in Danish humour should check out the satirical songs and bits written by Gramsespektrum and Svedbanken, of course major downside is that it's all in Danish, but it's so god damn funny. Like the story/bit about Pelle, the first man who had both his legs removed and had them replaced with two wheels and an engine, sadly though it only runs on the urine of Michael Carøe so if anybody sees him tell him to come home, to Pelle.
I think what makes me laugh more than the style of humor is hearing a conversation completely in Danish with an English expletive sprinkled in unexpectedly haha
Yeah, we hear a lot about the Dutch similarities - one of Derek's good friends from high school lives in The Netherlands and shares a lot of the same reactions and experiences.
Having worked with you guys on many occasions on military deployments I have to speak the controversial hard truth here.... you guys are Scandinavians who speak funny! The humor, the professional work ethic, the tendency to look at what actually works rather than who's ego gets dented, etc, is all the same. I've never had "communication issues" with you guys. The Germans, the French and the Britts were all people "I took a bit of time getting used to", but you guys go down like a cold beer on a summer day. 10/10 will work with again. And if you ever lose your battle against the ocean you're more than welcome to come and grow your tulips here.
The thing about the Danish directness is that it's our natural frame of reference. I expect other people to be as direct as I am until I get some kind of cue that that might not be the case. If someone is saying something to me that I wasn't sure was a joke or not I'm just flat out going to ask "That was a joke, right?". This has the added benefit of "busting" people who have a hidden agenda into realising that perhaps they need to reevaluate their approach. But I also understand that in many other cultures that direct "That was a joke, right?" could be understood as "You better assure me that was a joke.. or else", so they'll have a hard time throwing it if they are unsure of my intentions. The general rule of thumb is: If you're unsure if Danes are taking a stab at you, they aren't. They're trying to get a bit of banter going. Roast them back and they'll laugh. If you do it well they'll even buy the next round of beers! :P
We understand that after being here a while, but it doesn’t mean that we enjoy it haha. And honestly, it’s not really cool with people we aren’t really friends unless they’re clear about the fact that they are joking (even just a smile or wink can communicate that). I don’t know if it’s right to blame that on Denmark either, if someone is rude or socially awkward and missing cues, it’s just on them and not the entire country haha.
I wish you guys could illustrate what you mean by giving some examples of Danish humour being dry, sarcastic, direct, harsh, blunt etc... so it will be easier for us well at least for me to understand or relate to the comments made.
like if you see someone at work relaxing for a minute, and you know they're a hard worker - and they know they are - you can tease them about not getting anything done. Usually they'll clap back with something, and if they don't, they probably didn't get the sarcasm there. It's like saying "you've earned a little rest" and being jovial.
Worth noting imho. The sarcasm part is absolutely true.. But sarcasm as word have a negative tone to it, and I dont think the danish sarcasm is evilspirited, its more a matter of bringing everything down to same lvl so to speak, And so true. A dane making fun of you is the best proof that "you made it"
Yearh, the washingbear is quite funny when you translate it directly into english. We also have a couple of excacating mashines that in danish are called: gummiged and gravko. Directly translated into english it will be a rubber goat and a dicking cow..... 🙂
And the lizard which in Danish is firben (four legs). I think Conrad has a segment in one of his show, making fun of how lazy the Danes were when they named animals. But what I think must be one of the most frustrating or difficult things when learning Danish must be duality of some words like "gift", it can be posion or marriage and "drage" which can be a verb meaning to go or a noun meaning a kite or a dragon.
I love this Video. Danish humor is all about roasting people and being sarcastic with reference to yourself. If you insult someone, insult yourself slightly more than the next person. Danes like Political incorrectness but you have to threat carefully here in this day and age. Also you have to understand - Even though Danes are seemingly sarcastic they are in many cases also provocateurs.
It is a Viking trait. Read the Sagas, they are full of humor that most Americans would never understand. You can find the same humor in Iceland and occasionally in Scotland, Ireland, or Norway. The purpose is to show the absurdity in a situation, to make a serious situation lighter, to show the ridiculous sides of a matter, and so on. Most jokes cannot be translated. A "front" is the folded edges of a coat (and has many other meanings too, of cause). A "for" is the inside lining of a coat. So, during the German occupation, King Christian used to ride his horse daily, alone, in the streets of Copenhagen. It was to give a sense of "we get through this" attitude to his people. One day, a communist jumped in front of him and his horse and screamed "Red Front!". The king opened his coat and said: "Red For"! Another time he was at a horse race. The winner (a lady) rode her horse up towards him to greet him. While doing that, the horse farted loudly. The lady blushed and said: "I am so sorry!". The king replied: "No problem! I thought it was the horse!". It is wrong to call the humor sarcastic. It is meant to show absurdity in a situation by pretending not to understand. And of cause to make the atmosphere lighter. It is close to impossible to live in a country without humor, like the USA. I live much of the year in Tanzania, and much to my surprise, the Tanzanians have the same sense of humor. It makes everything so much easier! We can laugh together. Like when I had been on a long trip on the Savanna and one of my Tanzanian friends said: "You are really brown!". I replied: "But you win!".
I don’t know why you think that isn’t also American humor. It seems like you don’t know much about the US, it’s people or have ever seen American comedies. None of that is unique to Denmark or void in America.
@@RobeTrotting I think your reply answers my question above. Americans often do not take any critique, but tumble around the world commenting on other cultures. The American humor I have seen has been what is called "banana-peel" humor, from people laughing because someone slides in a banana peel. Genuine empathy or understanding of other cultures is apparently not an American trait.
Based on my extensive travels and childhood in Singapore...Danes share our humour with the Dutch, Scots and English...in that order. Never gotten in trouble using Danish humor with any of those nationalities. Always a good response! Americans...now that means treading carefully...50/50 chance of causing offence.
Yeah, that's because America is 330M people and covers a wide and diverse cultural range - so it's better to tread lightly because you're dealing with a lot of different backgrounds :) It's kind of tough to generalize "Americans" because of that.
@@RobeTrotting I understand your reasoning, but it wasn't meant as a derogatory generalisation! Personally, I find it hard to know which of the two general types of American I am talking to. Bear in mind, that ALL generalisations are dangerous 😁
I think the point about how Germans know when it is time for humor and when it is time for work was very pointed. We Danes completely lack that gene... sometimes that’s an advantage, sometimes... not so much.
That Germans have no sense of humour is a damned lie! In fact, the world-famous "British" humour, Danish/Nordic humour and German humour are closely related and very similar. Which is not really that surprising considering our common cultural and linguistic roots. One thing not everyone seems to understand is that we don't necessarily keep the fun separate from the serious. (Neither do the British and the Germans, btw.) Humour can be a great coping mechanism in dire situations, or more prolonged hard times. And as "our" famous philosopher, inventor, poet and humourist, Piet Hein (who was Dutch, btw) said: Den som kun tar spøg for spøg og alvor kun alvorligt han og hun har faktisk fattet begge dele dårligt. I have tried asking for it before, but I really would love to see a reaction on some very specific Danish comic strips and books. They date back to the 70es, 80es and 90es, but afaik there are no current comics that quite match their level. And they also give a historical perspective that way. I'm thinking of: Claus Deleuran: both his old classics, most important Rejsen til Saturn (NOT the awful animation movie that supposedly was "based" on it!), and his epic work, Illustreret Danmarkshistorie for Folket, which is sadly unfinished, because he died much too young. Next is Egoland by Olfax, a daily strip that ran for many years in Politiken and Information. Maybe comparable to Doonesbury, but a distinctly Danish take on things. It has an insane list of characters (literally!), and skewers the Danish soul with pinpoint accuracy, then roasts it on a huge bonfire, maybe at Skt Hans, (which might very well be a hospital and not a holiday in this case. Let me know if you got the joke.) And finally another artist, who sadly died too early: Rune T. Kidde. I would almost say that if you "get" Kidde, you have become a Dane. Not that that many Danes even knew him or liked him. (Of course the are also older artists, like Ungerman and Storm P., who are certainly great and timeless.) And finally, just to prove the existence of German humour here is the shortest I know of the "Two Xx meet..." joke subgenre: Treffen sich zwei Jäger. Beide tot!
Conrad makes the BEST observations haha. Have you seen his comedy? It's really clever and so many hilarious observations, his new special on RUclips is great, - saw it live in April but even rewatched it last week.
some of us start early. it is 03.30 , the sun is overv the yardarm and I say with the RN "Midshipman where is the sun" "Over the yardarm admiral", "Bring out the gin, and make the loyal toast!!"
There are Danes that are offended by everything. Recently i lost a friendship haveing lasted 10+ years because she didnt like the joke "What does a wife and a handgranade have in common? If you remove the ring you loose half the house"
I'd rather live without friends than have friends who were so easily offended by my sense of humour... wait a minute. I don't really have any (friends)...?
Racoon? Yeah, why would Danes speak native American (the Algonquian Indian word arakun)? Sure we have another name for it. In German: WASHBEAR. French: RATON LAVEUR. Also meaning washing bear. Reason: it got its name because it often looks as if it is washing its food items found under water. Spanish: mapache, derived from the Nahuatl mapachtli of the Aztecs, meaning "one who takes everything in its hands". Why don't Americans ask themselves first why THEY have weird names for things........?
Vaskebjørn/Raccoon: Raccoon is a name you have adopted from the native peoples in North America: Arakun. Don't get too shocked now: English is a later mix than many other European languages. Your language is in the group of West-Germanic languages, 30% of English vocabulary is borrowed from French (Latin language group). Somehow the grammar is from the North-Germanic/Old Norse (Scandinavia) and 400 of your most often used words are from Old Norse. If the British were to give back all they have borrowed from the European Continent since the Romans first arrived they can start speaking Celtic again.
Racoon? Yeah, why would Danes speak native American (the Algonquian Indian word arakun)? Sure we have another name for it. In German: WASHBEAR. French: RATON LAVEUR. Also meaning washing bear. Reason: it got its name because it often looks as if it is washing its food items found under water. Spanish: mapache, derived from the Nahuatl mapachtli of the Aztecs, meaning "one who takes everything in its hands". Why don't Americans ask themselves first why THEY have weird names for things........?
One rabbit hole to fall into is when Danes go full-on "dad jokes"/punny on each other in Danglish... Conrad makes fun of what sounds funny if you translate it, but how do you think an English term like "far ahead" could translate in a mind that thinks in two languages at once? Anyway, it's entirely correct that being able to not take yourself too seriously is one of the cornerstones in Danish humour.
butterfly is such a good example actually :) butter + fly makes a elegant colourful insect? sommer fugl (summer + bird) makes the same :P neither makes any sense at all but a dane or english person wouldnt really think about either
you can have fun in Germany at workplace but of course you need to angle the fun differently than in denmark. if you are funny like in Denmark on a german workplace that is there it goes wrong.
had a bar mate from england called tom shorts he thougt himself a bit of a player but all i could get was empty underwear tom meaning empty shorts meaning underwear he wassent happy when i atlast told him why i was laughing btw cheers mate btw people named tom would get things like this "so you are named after your fathers wallet"
My humor is VERY sarcastic and extremely punny. If I am really comfortable with someone, I roast them mercilessly. Nobody is safe! I don't roast them in a mean way, though. It's all in good fun
In Dutch a raccoon is a Washing BEar too.Everything said here is a 1:1 fit with The Netherlands.From the Danes I know we are even more direct though. On the verge of being rude actually. But otherwise even making fun of someone as a sign you are one of us is also exactly the same. I add some more: no hierarchy. Your boss can be made fun at aswell. THe CEO of my company (6000 people) just is called Jan, sits at my table and we chat a way. He has not status. And my professor at the Uni is also called bby his first name and can be made fun off. THat is probably also the same in DK Making fun at the workplace constantly with collegues.....All the time! SO boss had this list during a meeting but tried to do things out of memory. And started to fail. So I said: Mike, I think you better use your list because this is really is not going too well and you know it! " It was said in a sarcastic way. Everyone (he also) laughed. 10 minutes later he was just talking about something else, we were babbling away and he was thinking about what to say. And I said: Mike, you probably should make more lists. II mean: We understand. You are not 100% up their, just acknowledge it, don't be ashamed that your brain or what it is up there works a little different from most people. Just use that list and carry on!" Last week his boss was walking on the stairs with his phone in front of him and no hand at the rail. That is unsafe. So I was standing 5 steps above him moving down. I said: Mr. Jansen! Now you know perfectly well that is extremely unsafe and cannot be tolerated! He (already laughing): I know I know. You are right I won't do it again! And I said: well, sorry, but I will HAVE to report you for this. You are not getting away with such behaviour so easy you know!" He laughed, but also said: you are really riht and I will remember. I never call him Mr this or that, just Henk. And last friday Henk saw ME coming up to the topfloor where we wrok and said "Hej Jay, are you finished eating already?! Damn, Ithought: I am going to eat and chat with Jay!" And I replied: ""As expected, which is why I thought: get the hell out of here! (In Dutch, my reply is way shorter and there for funnier), He was really lauging loud. A perfect example that I like him and he knows I mean nothing. Or another one, last monday. I was came back from 4 weeks holiday and my collegue, who took over (we are projectmanagers) was talking and Henk intervened. "Jay, the next time when you are at a roundabout"....Now the proejct was about electriccables in the ground near a roundabout. So I stopped him: "Hej Henk! Of course you mean to say this: Hi Jay! How are you doing! Did you hae a nice holiday etc!" But he carried on: "So when you are at a roundabout, and a car is coming from your left would you please be so kind to let that car pass instead of throwing your car in front of that one making that person (me!) brake like hell!" Me: "What? When did that happen!" He: "Last week!" Me: "So you were in Portugal, VIlamoura too! What a coincidence isn't it! How was your holiday there and man how did you manage not to get a tan in that part of Europe!" He: "What. You weren't in THe Netherlands??? I swear it was you, you have a white car don't you!" Me: "Something is wrong with you, Henk. Need to see a doctor. It is YOU who has a white Tesla. It is ME having a BLACK Seat." He: "Ehhh....okey.....so it wasn't you I guess.." Me: "First time you ar emaking some sense this morning. But when I am in Portugal, I indeed drive that way otherwise I will never get ON the roundabout. But over here...nope."" Again: is this funny? On paper probably not. In reallife we think these conversations with a lot of sarcasm or poking fun at someone else is what we find funny. And it does not matter if it the manager of the company or a coworker. It does not matter at all.
You can enterpret "The Law of Jante" as you choose. There are ten "commandments", and some of them are stupid, others are just right. "You shouldn't believe that you are better than us!" This is like what Jesus said: "What you do for the least among you, you do for me!" As in: "I am Jesus, and I am in solidarity with all those that you may disregard!" As in: Noone is a better human being, because no human can be trusted with the task of defining a good human being, because all humans are - humans! To me this makes perfect sense! But another law of Jante says: "You shouldn't believe that you could teach us anything!" And that is just the recipe for idiocy and fascism. By all means, tell me what you think I don't know or understand, and I - as in I and I - will judge if I can use your words for any good! So, as with all "fine litterature", you must draw your own conclusions" and that suck, because, if you have important stuff to tell us, why can't you just be clear? And if not, why are you here, speeking? But that's a hole and nut there (a whole nuther?!?) can of bean worms...
How is "summer bird" any funnier than "butter fly"? I love you guys, but right here a little self awareness of your own silly language would have been nice 😊
A danish friend welcomed me to his house once by giving me a beer and then burning a quran in the living room.I find danish humor hard to understand really.
Lol. This is called "klaphat-humor" and is really a case of projecting one´s own token-essentialist idiocy unto others. Klaphat-humor is often itself the butt of Danish jokes.
No argument there LOL - the literal nature of Danish animal names is a lot better haha. The only think I can think of for the name is there's a type of bright yellow flower that's called buttercup and blooms in the spring, and of course there's "fly" like house flies - so maybe it's the origin?
100%, but that doesn’t mean every culture is attune to those cues, so depending on the person it’s never a bad idea to even just wink or say “I’m kidding of course” after you roast someone. Plus, people still have feelings haha.
I wonder what kind of jokes the viking guys made, on their dragon ships ,when going to a raid...now THATS a funny thought to me....jokes starting with " this viking sets foot in a raidable country...........😉
Trying to explain humour is not funny. A little anekdote about Storm P. A student went to his house, to ask him, if he could hold a lecture about humour. Storm P. : About humour, I know nothing, I'd rather jump from rundetårn. The student walked to the garden gate, when Storm P. called him back. "Young man, young man come back, I've changed my mind. The student walked all the way back to the house. Storm P.: I've changed my mind, I'd rather jump from the Eifel tower.
I most of my jokes, i make fun of me.. because if im not offended who should be. My gaming mates have a book of stupid shit i said. They get upset when i joke about murica tho...
Yeah, it was interesting to hear everyone’s take - specifically that a lot of these trains are not really that different from culture to culture or unique to Denmark - just the nuances of use 😊
As a dane I have never found sarcasm and provocative jokes funny due to the high rate of misunderstandings - a lot of danish humor is honestly just intern jokes and roasts - and that does indeed make you feel a bit like an outsider if you aren't part of the group or just don't find that kind of humor funny.
Basil Fawlty ( John Cleese ) to his German hotel guests after insulting them big time several times, constantly mentioning WW2 and doing a Hitler impersonation with amazing goose steps: "You have absolutely no sense of humour, do you?" 😂
@@Bjowolf2The Germans loved Monty Python so much, that the MPs did several sketches (and shows?) in perfect German. And the Germans have many comedians who can hold their own against the greatest Brits. From my childhood I remember Otto Waalkes (a Frisian and still active and "urkomisch") , and you just have to watch the news-humour show Die Heute-Show with Oliver Welke to see that they can match the Brits any time on anything.
@@lhpl I was just "quoting" a certain Basil Fawlty 😂 But you often seem very serious and ordered and don't always get our irony and sarcasm - a bit like the Swedes, who tend to behave as closet Germans in this respect.
@@Bjowolf2 Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not German. :-) I just don't like when people are perpetuating a myth. And I am not claiming you did so, your Farty Towels reference just made me think of the German sketches. Btw, if the Germans didn't have any humouristic sense, the MP sketch about the funniest (and deadliest) joke wouldn't make sense, would it? ;-)
We live in Australia, but dad grew up in København. We talked about Lord Nelson who attacked København in 1801. Dad referred to him as that English sea pirate who actually did the Danes a favour. In those days København was so disease ridden and rat infested, that the only way to clean it up, was to burn it down. I am told that this is typical København humour.
Dark, but funny with a kernel of truth 😂
Yep, one of the biggest differences between Danish and British humour is the use of understatements, instead we overstate things and turn negatives into positives, Danish humour is full of "look on the bright side" of sarcasm, like you got a hole in your boat, nah you just got a temporary bath tub and permanent submarine. overstated similis as expressions are also a very common part of the language, like the variety of ways you can refer to a filthy or messy place goes from "Looks like a bombed out toilet" to "Looks like the destruction of Jerusalem". I had a teacher who once referred to a students assignment as "good enough to open up and take a shit in" which is also a common expression for something that's just bad.
The bombardment was an act of terrorism!
Not to nit pick, but it was 1803... and they stole our navy
@@omega1231 "temporary bath tub and permanent submarine" Lmao 😅
Conrad Molden is absolutely brilliant. I’m really impressed how he manages to merge English and Danish culture/humor in his shows. It’s quite unique.
I really like this style of interviewing migrants/expats and natives alike, to get both perspectives.
Thank you! We plan to do a lot more of that coming up - a lot in the works actually (more to come on that 🤩)
@@RobeTrottingLove your videos! Actually from Copenhagen Denmark but was just in Orlando Florida for my vacation. I missed home so while I was away I watched you guys. You’re videos are actually really good and interesting and kinda ironic how I’ve learned stuff from your channel I didn’t even know myself. Either way it’s not my first time to the states and not your first time to Denmark but would y’all think a real dane having a danish shop with pastries and smørrebrød would be good in the states, depending on where you are? Also depends on the state I’d guess and yeah I’ve heard about that danish area in the states but imagine opening shop somewhere new?? Also I can’t help but noticing how danish people have this uhm well danglish accent to how they talk danish. I don’t have it but it’s very common. Anyways keep up the good work and thanks for the video Mike and Derek! 😊
@@CIeaner23 Some of them even put the stresses in the words in an "English"-speaking fashion, say [bail-djee-en] instead of [bail-gee-en] for "Belgien" / "Belgium" and often use back-translated English and / or American expressions as well as the wrong prepositions - it's BEEEP annoying to listen to 😂
@@Bjowolf2 SO TRUE!! Like when I’m watching TV or a show and I hear them talking with the accent I’m like how can you not say it right? I know it’s not their fault and they can’t control it, but I think you and I can which makes it annoying for us. Yeah we speak good English so we’ll obviously notice when someone has that distinct danish english accent but other people from America might not think it’s annoying like us, since they don’t know a lot of people speak like that.
Danish humor is specific to Denmark in the sense that it often has word play or a little Danglish in it...but it leans closely up against the Scottish/British humor
..as we often laugh at the same self-depracating things
The Scandi/Nordic countries have a similar sense of humor, but the Danish version might be the 'darkest'
Fun guys..hello from Hundested 🌸
Aussie humor is similarly self-deprecating. It is also very sexual which I have never had a problem with.
@@SuiGenerisAbbieI actually think that Danish humor is more like the Aussie humor if we should make it more precise, i have a really good friend from Australia and we have been watching some tv shows movies from Australia and Denmark and i can see that the humor is more the same 😊
@@chellehansen We agree about Aussie humor, that is.
Danish irony and sarcasm often fly well above the heads of the poor Swedes, who act a bit like closet Germans in this respect and therefore need to have the jokes explained to them - slowly 😉- , wheras the Danes and the Norwegians are more communicating on the same wavelenghts and are not that far from the Brits either.
@@Bjowolf2 Swedes don't understand danish jokes sometimes 'cause it's impossible to understand what you're saying... I guess swedish humor could be listening to the danish language...
I am kinda happy that I, as a person with ADHD live in a country where people can deal with my directness and find it funny when I end up basically bashing them with my directness and lack of filter. It often ends up being insider things that I get poked with once in a while.
The jovial bashing needs to be a two-way street. I love poking fun at people I like, but I hate it when they don't return in kind - it makes me feel like a bully, and that is absolutely not my point. I WANT them to poke back. And this is a very tricky balance with new people - making sure that they understand the intention.
I think of it as trying to start a verbal game of catch or something. I throw something for you to catch, and you throw something back for me to catch.
Yes! The back and forth banter is so important 😊
The danish humour actually grew lighter and less sarcastic and ironic over the last 100 years or so. If you go back and read Holberg from 1700 or Gustav Wied from 1900, it goes really dark in the personas. I think the best example of this kind of sarcastic persona based humour in modern danish humor is Mick Øgendahl, who draws from some pretty dark personality traits, and spins them into ridiculousness.
Gustav Wied from the 1900 is really dark and sarcastic, mocking every little bit of human nature and the small petty minds of the citizenry. Maybe find the old tv series of Livsens Ondskab, and yes, that is cruelty with a comic twist.
you orta try "Fædrene ædre druer" and "slægten" both made into films, but reading them is really something else.
As a Dane, I must say please don't be insecure about your jokes We expect them not to be like us but we want to learn from you and please remember that if we joke with you, we really like you and want to learn more about you 😊🇩🇰
@Conrad Molden 8:14 - what do you mean about "become alcoholics in the evening" - we don't have a problem with alcohol in Denmark - we drink - we get drunk - we fall down - not a problem 😋
Wow, you've really upped your game in this video, looks really professional, good job!
Wow, thanks! That means a lot and we really appreciate that feedback :)
Very good, and you obviously put a good deal of work in it, the result was rewarding, thank you.
Thanks so much Joen, really glad you enjoyed this one - it was a lot of fun to make and a little more work than normal but we found it well worth the effort 😃
So HAPPY to see you back!
Glad to be publishing again too - we’ve actually been working hard on some new projects this summer too (more to come - subtle tease haha)
@@RobeTrotting Tease me, tease me!
After seeing many of your videos its abvious that you have struggled with many issues living here, but you are now also defending the danish way. Thank you for contributing to our society in this positive way. It is your kind of hard working foreignors we like to welcome!
"People dont complain too much.." 🤔 Conrad, how long have you lived here? 😃
That is like 90% of smalltalk here. If you don't have anything to talk about there is always something complain about.
he's british, they complain more than they inhale air.
That part where Mike says when a Dane makes fun of you, that shows they like you, that part are so true, for me to make fun of someone shows i do like that person, if I’ve don’t like you i simply ignore you
Precisely - and then you are supposed to fire back in an equally witty way as well - at least.
The English folks are the true experts at this game 😉 - but I guess our mutual cultural and linguistic roots shine through here.
We have both always been like that - Derek has always said "don't worry about me making fun of you, worry about me not doing it."
@@RobeTrotting well put, well put its worst when not getting said 👍🏻
There's definitely something to be said for not interpreting things in the wrong way. If someone is making an offensive joke, it's almost certain that they don't actually mean it. A lot of times, the absurdity and shock value in what people say is part of what makes something funny - because we as the audience understand that no sane person would say such things and actually mean it.
People familiar with the British comedy scene might be able to relate to Jimmy Carr and Sean Lock. Their brand of edgy dark humor is not uncommon to find in Denmark.
Here's the thing, though, about Nordic humour: you have to remember that we live quite far up in the north, with long, dark winters, so our humour _has_ to be dry - and sometimes even bitter - purely to preserve it for those long months, until we can harvest some fresh humour during the summer.
I watched several of your videos before visiting Copenhagen for the first time, last week. The city and people were truly inspiring. I envy the community spirit that the Danes have built. Sadly, I don't have much hope that the British could emulate it. Keep up the great work guys!
So glad you found us and really hope we were able to help you plan your trip and maybe notice some of the cultural aspects of your destination too 😃
Don’t get too down on Britain though, there are so many great things about the UK that other nations have emulated over the years or wish they could - especially across a large and quite diverse population. No country has figured it all out perfectly 😊
Self-ironi is the core of Danish humour:
Why are the jokes about blondes getting more and more stupid?
We've started making them oursleves 🙄
Delivery is also a big part of the humor. With the tone of your voice and such you can often tell that it's meant as a joke, whereas if you just read it on paper, it could be harder to get.
So in that way the humor also requires some social skills
SOOOOO true - and I sometimes feel like that can cause us misunderstandings when we joke in English with Danes and non-English speakers too. I think some of the best points in this dialogue was Dharshika advising not to assume the worst when you hear a joke and what Jacob said about people being mostly the same under a layer of culture that's only about 10% of us.
The trick for my dialect (North west Copenhagen-ish) is just to frame it as a question, like the often used "How do you think it's going yourself?" when somebody is fucking up, especially with the iconic "Hvaaaa" at first ("Hvaaa, hvordan synes du selv det går?") anything after that is taken as humor, or an attempt at such atleast.
In general we use alot of common phrases to initiate banter, it sort of sets the scene for the upcoming burns.
In a workplace setting, you only joke once you've shown that you can be proffesional and do you job. It's like an extra treat you get once you've proven yourself.
That depends on the workplace culture, the diversity of the people within that space, or the type of job. I don't think it's one size fits all.
@@charisma-hornum-friesNot all places are like that, but it's a good place to start from. No one like the new guy, or girl, that comes in and starts joking around before they have proven themselves.
So, Danish humour is just like British humour. Sharp, dark, dry, ironic, sarcastic and self-deprecating. And plenty of word play.
Yeah, a lot of similarities 😃
The tolerance for making fun of others, without relating it back to yourself, is smaller though.
@@andersjjensen Yeah, those kind of people who make fun of other people but not themselves are just dicks - not funny.
@@andersjjensen No it isn´t, lol. We´ll guide you to the ladies´ room were you can go and weep. That´s how compassionate we are.
Yeaaa :D Conrad!
He’s a good lad! 😃
If you enjoy the humor that happens when Danish language meets English, Crazy Christmas Cabaret in Tivoli gardens is the place to go.
We LOVE it! We have gone every year it ran since we moved to Denmark.
Judged by the success various british comedy shows have had in Denmark, it’s fair to asume that british and danish humour are pretty much alike. Monty Pythons Flying Cirkus, Benny Hill, Mr. Bean, Fawlty Towers and the various 70’s comedy scetches like Robin’s Nest, Men behaving badly etc have always been huge in Denmark.
But yes, often a very dark humour.
just found you guys while drinking OFC xD as a half DANE half Norwegain. i love your vids man.
I mean Summer Bird is kinda more accurate than Butter Fly. Like, what they have to do with butter? Trust in the intention is what underlies all good banter. I think I had my Danish sense of humour somewhat tamed/toned down in England, only starting to let it back out now but British sensibilities have made it a somewhat tentative effort. In terms of humour though, I think The Julekalender from '91 is borderline legendary - the mixture of English and Danish language did a great job of playing with words in the same way shows like The Simpsons do - kids and adults will find two different jokes in the same scene.
Oh yeah, no defense of the term "butterfly" here 😂
I can't really translate it, but I think Piet Hein described an important element in Danish humor in a rhyme (or "gruk" as he called his small rhymes):
Den som tager sjov for sjov
Og alvor kun alvorligt
Han og hun har faktisk fattet
Begge dele dårligt
To give a loose translation of the sentiment of the rhyme:
Fun and Serious aren't two sides of the same coin, they're both on each side of the coin (ie. you have a side with fun & serious and a side with serious & fun).
There's an "official" English version of that gruk as well:
Taking fun as simply fun
and earnestness in earnest
shows how thoroughly thou none
of the two discernest.
Edit: I wrote that Piet Hein himself wrote the gruks in both Danish and English, but I'm actually not sure if they were translated by someone else 😅
Thank you, this is really helpful! I just arrived in Denmark for a 3-year contract. I'm really concerned because I have health issues that make me stand out quite a lot (I have to wear a mask at all times, and other inconvenient restrictions) and I'm worried about people's reaction and comments surrounding that. I come from a place where dark humour is not common, and I don't really have thick skin as a result. Your video really helped me understand where they come from and how to interpret it. I'm still a little worried, but at least I know more what to expect.
Well.. dont get upset when ppl nickname you "The Mask"..we are nice to ppl with conditions, its not that, but we also like to make fun.. because work is boring
do not get worried by wearing a mask. it is not weaponised like in the USA. as bronwolff says you might get a nick-name - be proud of it!
Anders Thomas Jensen movies can be an introduction to Danish humor.
It's a sick chicken that lay that egg, look at the shell 😂
The British comedian is also helped by the fact that Danish and British humor is quite similar.
Yeah, and he does a fantastic job of sprinkling in humor with cultural observations about Denmark. Highly recommend checking out one of his shows on RUclips or live 👍
It was a good and clever video. You covered the topic well. As a Dane, I have never encountered serious problems when I use "Danish humor" - people from the western/Christian part of the world have no problems with it. People from more distant and more culturally different regions may well be offended by it though.
Exactly, when in doubt, I just say “I’m only kidding” a second or third time. It’s not a blank check, but it usually eliminates miscommunication 😊
Prince Henrik reportedly loved Danish humor. He was a very intelligent man and had a great linguistic sensitivity. He must have heard something in Danish humor which somehow contrasted with his French upbringing.
Totally ❤❤❤this Vlog 👍😎👍
Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it - it was fun to collaborate and put this one together :)
8:15 "When they became alcoholics in the evenings, and everything becomes ridiculous jokes." 🤣
A fitting description of Danish social life.
Yes danes/danish comedians might use a lot of self-ironi, dry, dark humour, below the belt humour, and also try to push the barrier of what can be joked about(mostly its easier to get away with joking about something serious for example an illness, if you do it from your point of view, what your specific experience/situation has been, instead of just generalising.)
About the Danish use of Irony, there's an entire song written about sarcasm mistaken as irony, it's called "Det kaldes ironi" written by a legendary satire group called Svedbanken, it's a story told from the point of view of a man who's breaking up with his girlfriend, and he's taking all the fights and sarcastic snark as ironic humor, like she's not really angry, she's just really ironic.
The chorus is
---------------------------------------------------
It's called irony
It's the new type of humor
Where nothing is serious, irony
It's where you say the things you don't mean
It's called irony
It's a crazy form of humor
Where everyone is vulnerable, Irony
It could be fashion
If you can understand it, Irony
---------------------------------------------------
It's like layers upon layers of irony.
I guess you could say meta humour, joking about the joke is also pretty popular, like you can say something really fucked up as a joke, and then point out how dark it was as a continuation of the joke, snowballing into endless bants and possible trying to one up eachother with how dark you can make it.
Anybody interested in Danish humour should check out the satirical songs and bits written by Gramsespektrum and Svedbanken, of course major downside is that it's all in Danish, but it's so god damn funny. Like the story/bit about Pelle, the first man who had both his legs removed and had them replaced with two wheels and an engine, sadly though it only runs on the urine of Michael Carøe so if anybody sees him tell him to come home, to Pelle.
I think what makes me laugh more than the style of humor is hearing a conversation completely in Danish with an English expletive sprinkled in unexpectedly haha
I love the Danish humor. It is very similar to dutch humor. Just watch, for example, Hans Teeuwen. If you speak about Dark humor.....he is the man.
Yeah, we hear a lot about the Dutch similarities - one of Derek's good friends from high school lives in The Netherlands and shares a lot of the same reactions and experiences.
Having worked with you guys on many occasions on military deployments I have to speak the controversial hard truth here.... you guys are Scandinavians who speak funny! The humor, the professional work ethic, the tendency to look at what actually works rather than who's ego gets dented, etc, is all the same. I've never had "communication issues" with you guys. The Germans, the French and the Britts were all people "I took a bit of time getting used to", but you guys go down like a cold beer on a summer day. 10/10 will work with again. And if you ever lose your battle against the ocean you're more than welcome to come and grow your tulips here.
The thing about the Danish directness is that it's our natural frame of reference. I expect other people to be as direct as I am until I get some kind of cue that that might not be the case. If someone is saying something to me that I wasn't sure was a joke or not I'm just flat out going to ask "That was a joke, right?". This has the added benefit of "busting" people who have a hidden agenda into realising that perhaps they need to reevaluate their approach. But I also understand that in many other cultures that direct "That was a joke, right?" could be understood as "You better assure me that was a joke.. or else", so they'll have a hard time throwing it if they are unsure of my intentions.
The general rule of thumb is: If you're unsure if Danes are taking a stab at you, they aren't. They're trying to get a bit of banter going. Roast them back and they'll laugh. If you do it well they'll even buy the next round of beers! :P
We understand that after being here a while, but it doesn’t mean that we enjoy it haha. And honestly, it’s not really cool with people we aren’t really friends unless they’re clear about the fact that they are joking (even just a smile or wink can communicate that). I don’t know if it’s right to blame that on Denmark either, if someone is rude or socially awkward and missing cues, it’s just on them and not the entire country haha.
Weird thing is that my mother is very sarcastic, but when sarcasm is directed at her, it often goes over her head.
Then she is entirely lacking in humour but just a plain old meanie 😁
Or werry small
I wish you guys could illustrate what you mean by giving some examples of Danish humour being dry, sarcastic, direct, harsh, blunt etc... so it will be easier for us well at least for me to understand or relate to the comments made.
like if you see someone at work relaxing for a minute, and you know they're a hard worker - and they know they are - you can tease them about not getting anything done. Usually they'll clap back with something, and if they don't, they probably didn't get the sarcasm there.
It's like saying "you've earned a little rest" and being jovial.
Great example :)
going to visit Denmark soon, are there some places I should avoid if I go with my rainbow
jacket
Yes, if people start to tease you, it means they like you and want to know you better.
Worth noting imho.
The sarcasm part is absolutely true.. But sarcasm as word have a negative tone to it, and I dont think the danish sarcasm is evilspirited, its more a matter of bringing everything down to same lvl so to speak,
And so true. A dane making fun of you is the best proof that "you made it"
The quartet known as Sons of the desert are a mix of comedy and bedroom talk
Yearh, the washingbear is quite funny when you translate it directly into english. We also have a couple of excacating mashines that in danish are called: gummiged and gravko. Directly translated into english it will be a rubber goat and a dicking cow..... 🙂
😂 That’s hilarious - I can picture them too. Even “washing bear” makes perfect sense when you picture one.
And the lizard which in Danish is firben (four legs). I think Conrad has a segment in one of his show, making fun of how lazy the Danes were when they named animals.
But what I think must be one of the most frustrating or difficult things when learning Danish must be duality of some words like "gift", it can be posion or marriage and "drage" which can be a verb meaning to go or a noun meaning a kite or a dragon.
a "digging cow". A dicking cow must be something entirely different.. and probably not something you'd want around children.
Oh dear - it's a "digging cow".... A "dicking cow" is something completely different 😂😂😂
Year I see it now...... And I can't even blame it on the spellchecker ! 🤣🤣🤣
I love this Video. Danish humor is all about roasting people and being sarcastic with reference to yourself. If you insult someone, insult yourself slightly more than the next person. Danes like Political incorrectness but you have to threat carefully here in this day and age. Also you have to understand - Even though Danes are seemingly sarcastic they are in many cases also provocateurs.
It is a Viking trait. Read the Sagas, they are full of humor that most Americans would never understand. You can find the same humor in Iceland and occasionally in Scotland, Ireland, or Norway. The purpose is to show the absurdity in a situation, to make a serious situation lighter, to show the ridiculous sides of a matter, and so on. Most jokes cannot be translated. A "front" is the folded edges of a coat (and has many other meanings too, of cause). A "for" is the inside lining of a coat. So, during the German occupation, King Christian used to ride his horse daily, alone, in the streets of Copenhagen. It was to give a sense of "we get through this" attitude to his people. One day, a communist jumped in front of him and his horse and screamed "Red Front!". The king opened his coat and said: "Red For"! Another time he was at a horse race. The winner (a lady) rode her horse up towards him to greet him. While doing that, the horse farted loudly. The lady blushed and said: "I am so sorry!". The king replied: "No problem! I thought it was the horse!". It is wrong to call the humor sarcastic. It is meant to show absurdity in a situation by pretending not to understand. And of cause to make the atmosphere lighter. It is close to impossible to live in a country without humor, like the USA. I live much of the year in Tanzania, and much to my surprise, the Tanzanians have the same sense of humor. It makes everything so much easier! We can laugh together. Like when I had been on a long trip on the Savanna and one of my Tanzanian friends said: "You are really brown!". I replied: "But you win!".
I don’t know why you think that isn’t also American humor. It seems like you don’t know much about the US, it’s people or have ever seen American comedies. None of that is unique to Denmark or void in America.
@@RobeTrotting I think your reply answers my question above. Americans often do not take any critique, but tumble around the world commenting on other cultures. The American humor I have seen has been what is called "banana-peel" humor, from people laughing because someone slides in a banana peel. Genuine empathy or understanding of other cultures is apparently not an American trait.
Based on my extensive travels and childhood in Singapore...Danes share our humour with the Dutch, Scots and English...in that order.
Never gotten in trouble using Danish humor with any of those nationalities.
Always a good response!
Americans...now that means treading carefully...50/50 chance of causing offence.
Yeah, that's because America is 330M people and covers a wide and diverse cultural range - so it's better to tread lightly because you're dealing with a lot of different backgrounds :)
It's kind of tough to generalize "Americans" because of that.
@@RobeTrotting I understand your reasoning, but it wasn't meant as a derogatory generalisation!
Personally, I find it hard to know which of the two general types of American I am talking to.
Bear in mind, that ALL generalisations are dangerous 😁
I think the point about how Germans know when it is time for humor and when it is time for work was very pointed. We Danes completely lack that gene... sometimes that’s an advantage, sometimes... not so much.
Ze Germans hafe abzolutelie no zenze ov humor 😂
Germans and humour don't fit in the same sentence 🤣
That Germans have no sense of humour is a damned lie! In fact, the world-famous "British" humour, Danish/Nordic humour and German humour are closely related and very similar. Which is not really that surprising considering our common cultural and linguistic roots.
One thing not everyone seems to understand is that we don't necessarily keep the fun separate from the serious. (Neither do the British and the Germans, btw.) Humour can be a great coping mechanism in dire situations, or more prolonged hard times.
And as "our" famous philosopher, inventor, poet and humourist, Piet Hein (who was Dutch, btw) said:
Den som kun tar spøg for spøg
og alvor kun alvorligt
han og hun har faktisk fattet
begge dele dårligt.
I have tried asking for it before, but I really would love to see a reaction on some very specific Danish comic strips and books. They date back to the 70es, 80es and 90es, but afaik there are no current comics that quite match their level. And they also give a historical perspective that way. I'm thinking of: Claus Deleuran: both his old classics, most important Rejsen til Saturn (NOT the awful animation movie that supposedly was "based" on it!), and his epic work, Illustreret Danmarkshistorie for Folket, which is sadly unfinished, because he died much too young.
Next is Egoland by Olfax, a daily strip that ran for many years in Politiken and Information. Maybe comparable to Doonesbury, but a distinctly Danish take on things. It has an insane list of characters (literally!), and skewers the Danish soul with pinpoint accuracy, then roasts it on a huge bonfire, maybe at Skt Hans, (which might very well be a hospital and not a holiday in this case. Let me know if you got the joke.)
And finally another artist, who sadly died too early: Rune T. Kidde. I would almost say that if you "get" Kidde, you have become a Dane. Not that that many Danes even knew him or liked him. (Of course the are also older artists, like Ungerman and Storm P., who are certainly great and timeless.)
And finally, just to prove the existence of German humour here is the shortest I know of the "Two Xx meet..." joke subgenre:
Treffen sich zwei Jäger. Beide tot!
@Nygaard, I can see this: there is a German saying: work is work and schnaps is schnaps - which reflects this attitude.
Have to disagree or maybe it’s new generation problem, but we have always had a good reputation for having great work ethics.
8:15 "When they become alcoholics in the evening" 😂😂😂
Now that's a guy that knows about us Danes. 😄
Conrad makes the BEST observations haha. Have you seen his comedy? It's really clever and so many hilarious observations, his new special on RUclips is great, - saw it live in April but even rewatched it last week.
@@RobeTrotting Yeah I've seen "Danglish"
Great show 😄
And "Hyggelicious" is on my list
some of us start early. it is 03.30 , the sun is overv the yardarm and I say with the RN "Midshipman where is the sun" "Over the yardarm admiral", "Bring out the gin, and make the loyal toast!!"
Danish humour are very sarcastic and ironic with great empathy and a big heart!
The most popular kind of Danish humor between Danes is probably what is better known to the rest of the world as Roasting
There are Danes that are offended by everything. Recently i lost a friendship haveing lasted 10+ years because she didnt like the joke "What does a wife and a handgranade have in common? If you remove the ring you loose half the house"
Oh yikes - I'm sorry that happened to you (it's a funny joke unless it's somehow very sensitive because of that person's relationship).
@@RobeTrotting I dont waste tears over it. I was just slightly surprised because she knows my sense of humour :)
I'd rather live without friends than have friends who were so easily offended by my sense of humour... wait a minute. I don't really have any (friends)...?
1:58 In Dutch the same. Racoon = Wasbeer
Racoon? Yeah, why would Danes speak native American (the Algonquian Indian word arakun)?
Sure we have another name for it. In German: WASHBEAR. French: RATON LAVEUR. Also meaning washing bear. Reason: it got its name because it often looks as if it is washing its food items found under water.
Spanish: mapache, derived from the Nahuatl mapachtli of the Aztecs, meaning "one who takes everything in its hands".
Why don't Americans ask themselves first why THEY have weird names for things........?
Please remember that the more personal a Dane gets with the humor, the more the Dane likes you.
Nice video! But as a graphic designer, remember to use a font that supports æ, ø and å (1:31) 🙂
Vaskebjørn/Raccoon: Raccoon is a name you have adopted from the native peoples in North America: Arakun.
Don't get too shocked now: English is a later mix than many other European languages. Your language is in the group of West-Germanic languages, 30% of English vocabulary is borrowed from French (Latin language group). Somehow the grammar is from the North-Germanic/Old Norse (Scandinavia) and 400 of your most often used words are from Old Norse. If the British were to give back all they have borrowed from the European Continent since the Romans first arrived they can start speaking Celtic again.
Racoon? Yeah, why would Danes speak native American (the Algonquian Indian word arakun)?
Sure we have another name for it. In German: WASHBEAR. French: RATON LAVEUR. Also meaning washing bear. Reason: it got its name because it often looks as if it is washing its food items found under water.
Spanish: mapache, derived from the Nahuatl mapachtli of the Aztecs, meaning "one who takes everything in its hands".
Why don't Americans ask themselves first why THEY have weird names for things........?
One rabbit hole to fall into is when Danes go full-on "dad jokes"/punny on each other in Danglish...
Conrad makes fun of what sounds funny if you translate it, but how do you think an English term like "far ahead" could translate in a mind that thinks in two languages at once?
Anyway, it's entirely correct that being able to not take yourself too seriously is one of the cornerstones in Danish humour.
The Germans also play with words, I live there and loved it
You guys say harsh. I say thought-provoking.
butterfly is such a good example actually :) butter + fly makes a elegant colourful insect? sommer fugl (summer + bird) makes the same :P neither makes any sense at all but a dane or english person wouldnt really think about either
Exactly! Both are so funny 😂
@@RobeTrotting btw good call teaming up with conrad he is an absolute treasure
Yes you can be VERY mean but in a good spirt / friendly way and it can be taken as a good joke. BUT you need to know with who ofc :)
It's really funny that Jacob Taarnhøj didn't get a name tag or description
He did though - we would never leave him out :)
@@RobeTrotting Damn did I miss it?
you can have fun in Germany at workplace but of course you need to angle the fun differently than in denmark. if you are funny like in Denmark on a german workplace that is there it goes wrong.
had a bar mate from england called tom shorts he thougt himself a bit of a player but all i could get was empty underwear
tom meaning empty shorts meaning underwear
he wassent happy when i atlast told him why i was laughing
btw cheers mate
btw people named tom would get things like this "so you are named after your fathers wallet"
My humor is VERY sarcastic and extremely punny. If I am really comfortable with someone, I roast them mercilessly. Nobody is safe! I don't roast them in a mean way, though. It's all in good fun
washing bear is the most common name for racoon around the world
Danish irony - it's serious business.
So true 🙌🏼
What i don't get is that Simon Talbot is literally the only one who has done standup in english
In Dutch a raccoon is a Washing BEar too.Everything said here is a 1:1 fit with The Netherlands.From the Danes I know we are even more direct though. On the verge of being rude actually. But otherwise even making fun of someone as a sign you are one of us is also exactly the same. I add some more: no hierarchy. Your boss can be made fun at aswell. THe CEO of my company (6000 people) just is called Jan, sits at my table and we chat a way. He has not status. And my professor at the Uni is also called bby his first name and can be made fun off. THat is probably also the same in DK
Making fun at the workplace constantly with collegues.....All the time! SO boss had this list during a meeting but tried to do things out of memory. And started to fail. So I said: Mike, I think you better use your list because this is really is not going too well and you know it! " It was said in a sarcastic way. Everyone (he also) laughed. 10 minutes later he was just talking about something else, we were babbling away and he was thinking about what to say. And I said: Mike, you probably should make more lists. II mean: We understand. You are not 100% up their, just acknowledge it, don't be ashamed that your brain or what it is up there works a little different from most people. Just use that list and carry on!"
Last week his boss was walking on the stairs with his phone in front of him and no hand at the rail. That is unsafe. So I was standing 5 steps above him moving down. I said: Mr. Jansen! Now you know perfectly well that is extremely unsafe and cannot be tolerated! He (already laughing): I know I know. You are right I won't do it again! And I said: well, sorry, but I will HAVE to report you for this. You are not getting away with such behaviour so easy you know!" He laughed, but also said: you are really riht and I will remember. I never call him Mr this or that, just Henk.
And last friday Henk saw ME coming up to the topfloor where we wrok and said "Hej Jay, are you finished eating already?! Damn, Ithought: I am going to eat and chat with Jay!" And I replied: ""As expected, which is why I thought: get the hell out of here! (In Dutch, my reply is way shorter and there for funnier), He was really lauging loud. A perfect example that I like him and he knows I mean nothing.
Or another one, last monday. I was came back from 4 weeks holiday and my collegue, who took over (we are projectmanagers) was talking and Henk intervened. "Jay, the next time when you are at a roundabout"....Now the proejct was about electriccables in the ground near a roundabout. So I stopped him: "Hej Henk! Of course you mean to say this: Hi Jay! How are you doing! Did you hae a nice holiday etc!" But he carried on: "So when you are at a roundabout, and a car is coming from your left would you please be so kind to let that car pass instead of throwing your car in front of that one making that person (me!) brake like hell!"
Me: "What? When did that happen!"
He: "Last week!"
Me: "So you were in Portugal, VIlamoura too! What a coincidence isn't it! How was your holiday there and man how did you manage not to get a tan in that part of Europe!"
He: "What. You weren't in THe Netherlands??? I swear it was you, you have a white car don't you!"
Me: "Something is wrong with you, Henk. Need to see a doctor. It is YOU who has a white Tesla. It is ME having a BLACK Seat."
He: "Ehhh....okey.....so it wasn't you I guess.."
Me: "First time you ar emaking some sense this morning. But when I am in Portugal, I indeed drive that way otherwise I will never get ON the roundabout. But over here...nope.""
Again: is this funny? On paper probably not. In reallife we think these conversations with a lot of sarcasm or poking fun at someone else is what we find funny. And it does not matter if it the manager of the company or a coworker. It does not matter at all.
You can enterpret "The Law of Jante" as you choose.
There are ten "commandments", and some of them are stupid, others are just right.
"You shouldn't believe that you are better than us!"
This is like what Jesus said: "What you do for the least among you, you do for me!"
As in: "I am Jesus, and I am in solidarity with all those that you may disregard!"
As in: Noone is a better human being, because no human can be trusted with the task
of defining a good human being, because all humans are - humans!
To me this makes perfect sense!
But another law of Jante says:
"You shouldn't believe that you could teach us anything!"
And that is just the recipe for idiocy and fascism.
By all means, tell me what you think I don't know or understand,
and I - as in I and I - will judge if I can use your words for any good!
So, as with all "fine litterature", you must draw your own conclusions"
and that suck, because, if you have important stuff to tell us,
why can't you just be clear?
And if not, why are you here, speeking?
But that's a hole and nut there (a whole nuther?!?)
can of bean worms...
And It was written by a Norwegian, who lived on Mors. The place with a majority of "fremskridtspRtiet" voters.
How is "summer bird" any funnier than "butter fly"? I love you guys, but right here a little self awareness of your own silly language would have been nice 😊
Two things can be funny 🙃
I joke also with completely new people. For some reason everyone knows when I do it it's all in a good spirit
If you do it right, they should pick up on it (at least I think so) 😊
A danish friend welcomed me to his house once by giving me a beer and then burning a quran in the living room.I find danish humor hard to understand really.
Lol. This is called "klaphat-humor" and is really a case of projecting one´s own token-essentialist idiocy unto others. Klaphat-humor is often itself the butt of Danish jokes.
"When they become alcoholics in the evening..."?? We work hard to make that a 24-hours thing. No one wants to be sober when going to work.
So summerbird may be funny but a butter-fly (smør-flue) is just wired 😅
No argument there LOL - the literal nature of Danish animal names is a lot better haha. The only think I can think of for the name is there's a type of bright yellow flower that's called buttercup and blooms in the spring, and of course there's "fly" like house flies - so maybe it's the origin?
Hvem er Jacob Tårnhøj?
What do you mean?
I'f you are in Denmark and feel really offended about someone said. Don't just take it as a joke.
At its core, there is an expectation that you can recognize a joke as a joke
100%, but that doesn’t mean every culture is attune to those cues, so depending on the person it’s never a bad idea to even just wink or say “I’m kidding of course” after you roast someone. Plus, people still have feelings haha.
@@RobeTrotting obviously, people do tend to clarify if the other person doesnt seemt to get that they were being Ironic
I wonder what kind of jokes the viking guys made, on their dragon ships ,when going to a raid...now THATS a funny thought to me....jokes starting with " this viking sets foot in a raidable country...........😉
There's nothing like a dad joke
YES! Derek is a walking Dad joke with no kids.
"... In danish it is just butterfly". Yes, because "butter-fly" is just as logical as "summer bird". 😬
Two things can be illogical 😬
Would it be better if we called it "smørflue"? I don't think so...
😂 🧈 ✈️
We can and will say anything. Ask my game mates. If we can joke about the queen and the bible, whats not to joke about?
Trying to explain humour is not funny.
A little anekdote about Storm P.
A student went to his house, to ask him, if he could hold a lecture about humour.
Storm P. : About humour, I know nothing, I'd rather jump from rundetårn.
The student walked to the garden gate, when Storm P. called him back. "Young man, young man come back, I've changed my mind.
The student walked all the way back to the house.
Storm P.: I've changed my mind, I'd rather jump from the Eifel tower.
i bør virkelig få nordisk film + det er en streaming tjeneste. også se filmen terkel i knibe så skal i se dansk humor :P
Yeah, Terkel has been recommended to us - we're still not super fluent in Danish, so we may need to wait on that for now though :)
I most of my jokes, i make fun of me.. because if im not offended who should be. My gaming mates have a book of stupid shit i said.
They get upset when i joke about murica tho...
So it's dry,twisted and slightly macob??? Cool.
Yes 👍 it was pretty easy to fit in with the humor for us - we always kind of liked that style before moving here 😃
Butterfly = smørflue 😂
Also a silly word in English LOL
Ørkenens sønner. Syntes jeg er dk humor. 😂
its like danish : stol på det oversat til engelsk : Chair on that
Molden has clearly misunderstood something.. 🤔🙄 British and Danish humour are more or less EXACTLY the same.. Dark & Ironic. 😉
Yeah, it was interesting to hear everyone’s take - specifically that a lot of these trains are not really that different from culture to culture or unique to Denmark - just the nuances of use 😊
A GE MAM?
?
Nej! Det ikk' mam!
Sry' 😛 ..from a very specific time period(late 1990s) @@RobeTrotting
SÅ! Du skal IK' drikke af MIN sø!? Nåh-så 😂@@FrobergDK
As a dane I have never found sarcasm and provocative jokes funny due to the high rate of misunderstandings - a lot of danish humor is honestly just intern jokes and roasts - and that does indeed make you feel a bit like an outsider if you aren't part of the group or just don't find that kind of humor funny.
True, sometimes it’s not a good feeling if you don’t know the people closely - even if it’s just a joke 😊
A bit sarcastic!!! Are you being ironic?
YANKS AND HUMOUR 😂
This video was 10 minutes long, but there’s a companion tik-tok video called “complete encyclopidia of German humor”...
Oh yeah, and a Netflix docu series in 10 episodes called “French Humour Explained”.
Basil Fawlty ( John Cleese ) to his German hotel guests after insulting them big time several times, constantly mentioning WW2 and doing a Hitler impersonation with amazing goose steps:
"You have absolutely no sense of humour, do you?" 😂
@@Bjowolf2The Germans loved Monty Python so much, that the MPs did several sketches (and shows?) in perfect German. And the Germans have many comedians who can hold their own against the greatest Brits. From my childhood I remember Otto Waalkes (a Frisian and still active and "urkomisch") , and you just have to watch the news-humour show Die Heute-Show with Oliver Welke to see that they can match the Brits any time on anything.
@@lhpl I was just "quoting" a certain Basil Fawlty 😂
But you often seem very serious and ordered and don't always get our irony and sarcasm - a bit like the Swedes, who tend to behave as closet Germans in this respect.
@@Bjowolf2 Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not German. :-) I just don't like when people are perpetuating a myth. And I am not claiming you did so, your Farty Towels reference just made me think of the German sketches. Btw, if the Germans didn't have any humouristic sense, the MP sketch about the funniest (and deadliest) joke wouldn't make sense, would it? ;-)