Swiss german humor

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
hi guys,

so ive been in zurich for a few months, and i gotta say the people are very cold here.

so last weekend I was in Sihl city and i popped into the cafe while my friends were in migros.

a very nice Swiss couple sat next to me.

i ordered an espresso macchiato but the waitress brought me a late. as she was about to return it, the couple next to me asked if they could have it as they ordered after me.

i politely agreed (at this point it was mostly sign language, miming so i got the general idea what they wanted without actually speaking to them directly).

then the gentleman proceeded to say something in swiss german (could be high german too...) and i asked him to repeat it in English.

he said thanks, that means you are paying for our drink and he laughed.

no really, he actually laughed!

then at the shock at my face, he explained that it was a joke.

i must of looked completely out of it, as he apologized for it too.

i didn't know what to say. this was the first time since i got here that i noticed that they have a sense of humor, or in fact that a joke was said around me.

anyways, heres to hoping that i see more of this or any kind of humor in Zurich

Disclaimer, this post does in no way imply that the swiss french of the geneva area have no sense of humor or warmth. in fact, just last weekend i met some amazing swiss french women who were very warm...

2
We are not allowed to show any humor. Laughing with "Ausländers" is an absolut no go. Next time please call the humor police of your district to handle this kind of unappropriate emotional attack.

3
I was out for a run last week and ran down a hill in the woods past a family. The old man in the group said something and laughed as I ran past, so I stopped, and he repeated what he said. He said something like " what is up there that is making you run away so fast?" And laughed again. I wasn't quick enough or know enough German to reply with an amusing retort, so I just laughed.

Made my day though.

4

The best I can find...

5
But laughing at you is absolutely ok.

6

This is an old one, but here's some Swiss German humour for you (albeit a little crude). It has English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksbletXwmXM

7
Swiss humour, like British humour, is low-key and not accompanied by thigh slapping and raucous laughter to show the hearer that it's a joke. This can be disconcerting to those used to canned laughter...

8
..... and fans of Benny Hill.

9

Aouch! I don't think the video I posted is very low-key!

10
Come now Professor. Please remember our true British Understatement. That is a gross exaggeration.

Twenty seven years ago we bought bus tickets from Alpthal to Einsiedeln.

As we were local residents, we were permitted cheap rate tickets and in addition we had a Family Card with free travel for our children. I held a 1/2 tax card too.

On handing us our tickets the driver remarked that next time we travelled he'd probably land up paying us!

I still treasure his words. Proof that Swiss humour exists. Well, let's say it did then!

11
I missed your YT link ...... for maximum impact, with YT, delete everything left of 'watch', highlight what's left and klick on the YT tool, top right of reply box.

Comme ça:

..... although, there will be occasions, where the subtlety of a plain link achieves the desired effect - as opposed to an in-your-face video.

12
my wife and I were hiking up Uetliberg one day with our very small dog, and toward the top my wife was carrying the dog. a rather old woman passed us on her way down with a German Shepherd, and said to the dog (loud enough for us to hear):

"Lueg emal, er kann s nid schaffe!"

to which I winked at her, and said:

"Wäisch, d hund kann s ziemlich guet, er trägt aber d mueter."

when the old woman didn't laugh, I decided that Swiss people have no sense of humor whatsoever.

13

14
my wife was carrying a very small dog up a hill. an old woman walking past us (on her way down the hill) explained to her rather macho dog that my wife's little wimpy dog could not manage the climb. I explained to the old woman that the little wimpy dog was fine, he was actually carrying my wife up the hill.

it's a play on an old joke about an ugly girl carrying a pig to the county fair, the punchline of which I won't bore you with since explaining punchlines never makes a joke funnier.

P.S. I was joking about having decided that the Swiss have no sense of humor, since I'm actually a big, big fan of Swiss comedy.

15
So, it is totally lost in translation.

W/o pre knowledge, and even then, it is just hard to make any sense of your words.

16
Humor is always lost in translation, it's the principal reason English-speakers complain that the Swiss and the Germans have no sense of humor.

17
The Swiss allow themselves to relax and laugh when:

1. They feel comfortable with the people around them.

2. The jokes on you and not on them.

3. They've had alcohol.

4. They are telling century old jokes (hello farming community)

5. They are absolutely sure they are not the butt of the joke

6. and if they are.... they can complain to someone else about the person telling the joke a few hours later.

7. They are feeling secure and at peace with themselves

When all the prerequisites are filled, the Swiss can actually be quite funny.

18

FTFY:

The Swiss allow themselves to relax, laugh and be spontaneous when:

1. The Gemeinde has scheduled it on the village calendar (never on paper collection day, however).

2. No one will see it.

3. They've had alcohol and only immediate family is around.

4. They are telling century old jokes so everyone else will laugh when they are supposed to.

5. They are absolutely sure no one will see it.

6. They are feeling secure and at peace with themselves. This was last recorded at the turn of the 18th century.

When all the prerequisites are filled, the Swiss can actually be quite funny

19
C'mon, hilarity is serious business. Just look at the Basler Fasnacht (and spontaneity should be well considered)

20
Ah yes - a centuries old celebration that purposely excludes, mocks and derides outsiders and especially those dirty, drunken Alsatians. Ha ha ha. How fun...

Can't wait till next year!

"It has to be said that our Fasnacht, whose origins are deeply rooted in local tradition, does not give visitors much of an opportunity for active participation in the proceedings. And there are bound to be many things you simply will not understand: our Basel dialect, the things we make fun of (usually local events and personalities), and our own special brand of humour with its strong irony (read passive aggressiveness) "

italics mine.