How droll

Iain Hollingshead, the winner of the British Literary Review's 14th annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award, accepted the 'honor' very gracefully. His novel Twentysomething won the award for its dubious erotic imagery, including the line "...and everything is pure white as we’re lost in a commotion of grunts and squeaks, flashing unconnected images and explosions of a million little particles", as well as a reference to "bulging trousers".
Mr Hollingshead commented "I was delighted to be the youngest ever winner of this prestigious award and hope to win it every year. I even got to meet Courtney Love, although I was disappointed that dinner for two wasn't part of the prize. Instead, I have an alabaster statuette of Hermes' foot on my mantelpiece. I am very proud."
Thank God for the British. Their self deprecating sense of humor, good sportsmanship and general refusal to take themselves too seriously is something that the rest of us can learn a lot from.
Can you picture an aspiring Indian author's reaction if he had the same distinction bestowed upon him? I cannot imagine it being a very pretty sight. Our thin skin and self important posturing deny us the pleasure of laughing at ourselves.
A recent article in the Economist spoke of the stark differences in the personal ads placed in the US as compared with those in the UK. The American versions spoke of 'physically fit, good looking bankers who enjoyed long walks on the beach' while the Brits (who are terrified of making self serving observations that are not ironic) usually poked fun at themselves while making subtle, humor wrapped references to their own virtues.
The dearth of good humor probably has its roots in the media. In India comedy was historically used to entertain the masses, while the upper crust believed that laughter was undignified. As a result comedy in Indian cinema or television rarely ascended the plane of Mehmood or Tun-Tun making funny faces as they slipped on banana peels.
American media did once have a decent sense of humor but, as Hollywood went commercial, the search for higher revenues resulted in the creation of products that appealed to the lowest common denominator. The difference between the US and Europe when it comes to comedy today is the same as the difference between the chocolates across both continents. American chocolate is much more in-your-face than its understated European equivalent. It is mass produced and goes with a 'sweeter the better' philosophy. A hint of bitter is too much of an acquired taste for companies to cater.
Does anyone else feel that mainstream American entertainment has completely lost its subtle edge? Was Rodney Dangerfield the last comic in this country who realized that saying nasty things about yourself is much funnier than saying nasty things about other people? And could someone please tell Alanis Rain-on-your-wedding-day Morissette that she has no clue what the word irony means?