English humour: not as alien to New York as you might think

Humour is one of life’s great superpowers. It’s a human tool that I’ve used to get around the toughest of teachers, most adverse clients, stubborn colleagues, and even the lady who pays my expenses (I’m late every time). 

Americans don’t get irony. Americans don’t get sarcasm. These were statements I believed to be true.

But, when it came to working as a creative in New York, I presumed that the tool I used to get through pretty much every life situation – even the really sad bits – was never going to work in America.

Americans don’t get irony. 

Americans don’t get sarcasm. 

Americans don’t have a dry sense of humour. 

Americans are too earnest.  

Above: If you've ever seen The Simpsons, then you'll know that the myth that Americans don't get irony is just that, a myth.

These were all statements I believed to be true. That was until I found myself across the pond, miles away from rain-soaked kebab boxes, humble small talk on the weather, and the familiarity of British humour, working in America with real Americans. There, I ultimately discovered that we share more laughs than the Mail Online would like to admit.

Yes, that widely held belief that British humour and American humor are worlds apart is a dangerous generalisation that no longer holds up in a world connected by globalisation, widespread cultural moments, and trending TikTok audios. How could two nations with a rich shared culture have so little in common when it comes to comedy? The punchline is... we have plenty in common, and the evidence lies in our favourite campaigns, memes and TV shows.  

You can dispel the myth that Americans don’t understand irony with two words: The Simpsons.

For instance, you can dispel the myth that Americans don’t understand irony with two words: The Simpsons. The $12.33 billion global franchise which has a lead character who is an irresponsible, obese, drunken, idiotic dad of three who constantly fails his family, and his career. Yet he is simultaneously a wholesome representation of the nuclear All-American family and one of the most loveable and well-known characters in the world.  

Telling a nation that they don’t get irony, despite them having a global franchise built on irony? Now that’s a joke.   

Above: The American art collective, MSCHF, are the brains behind those big red boots that flooded Instagram and a number of other recent cultural moments.

Okay fine, they get irony. But what about sarcasm?  Well, they made The Office (US) - and not only is it incredibly funny, but it’s also layered with so much dry and sarcastic humour that it’s arguably funnier than the British version. Granted, if anyone could make British humour work in America, it’s Ricky Gervais.   

Of course, cult-classic TV shows are one thing, but what about day-to-day culture? Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d have seen the work of art and media company, MSCHF. They’re the brains behind those big red boots that flooded Instagram, the microscopic Louis Vuitton bag which was created to highlight the luxury ‘micro bag’ trend, and the 'Everything Fox' Google plug-in which makes every news story look like it’s on the Fox News site - a way of putting liberal news in front of conservative family members.   

That very thing that 'Americans don’t get' is at the core of some of the biggest global pop culture moments.

Can you imagine how it feels to land creative ideas that big so consistently? Keeping journalists and social media hooked on every single drop? Are you a creative, like myself, who sits wondering what makes all their ideas so successful?  

Well, it’s satire. Yup, that very thing that 'Americans don’t get' is at the core of some of the biggest global pop culture moments. Beautifully constructed and delivered fresh out of New York City, perfectly reflecting a society that lives and breathes online and proving satirical creativity thrives in modern America.