Why do we clap?

[Zanick]

When I try to imagine the emergence of this bizarre custom, I visualize man in his earliest form watching the elders sacrifice another virgin to the Sun, and for some reason he thinks it appropriate to smack his hands together in applause.

I've done some light reading on wikipedia, which revealed that clapping is an ancient Roman custom. But where did it come from before that? And why clapping? What is the purpose of this?

This is actually really bothering me, I've been thinking about it nonstop for days now

[Michael Scott]

because its the easiest way to make noise

[Zanick]

Originally Posted by Michael Scott

because its the easiest way to make noise

I've been asking everybody I know for a while now, and that's actually the best answer I've heard so far. We can shout though. But eventually our vocal chords wear out, and the air in our lungs even sooner. Hands can hit one another for hours on end if they wish, and the sound projects nicely.

[dead]

People would probably be shouting AND clapping, too.

[bortmackie]

Clapping is a fucking sickness, i find it really obnoxious. Like that Boondocks episode where Huey is at the garden party and all the rich white people clap at everything he says. I play in an orchestra, and having people clap at inappropriate times gets pretty frustrating. It just seems like a standardized social response that's not actually indicative of anything other than conforming to what everyone else is doing. I just kind of wish we weren't all so hardwired into our culture and what not.

[dead]

Originally Posted by bortmackie

Clapping is a fucking sickness, i find it really obnoxious. Like that Boondocks episode where Huey is at the garden party and all the rich white people clap at everything he says. I play in an orchestra, and having people clap at inappropriate times gets pretty frustrating. It just seems like a standardized social response that's not actually indicative of anything other than conforming to what everyone else is doing. I just kind of wish we weren't all so hardwired into our culture and what not.

You sound about as uptight as I would imagine an orchestra player to be.

[STEROS]

i hate when people clap at the end of a movie at the movie theater... that's so fucking gay.

[moonturtle]

I hate when people clap when someone gets murdered on the street

[turboneger]

What's fun is when you smell the hesitation in the air for a second at most and proceed to perform the first clap that then explodes into a crescendo of people clapping

[bortmackie]

Originally Posted by dead

You sound about as uptight as I would imagine an orchestra player to be.

Lol, i'm really not that uptight. I don't go around talking shit to people who clap, but it's more of a pet peeve i guess. I get sick of situations where you have to clap every five minutes at some stupid crap. It almost seems like people are just avoiding silence because it makes them uncomfortable.

[M. Samuel Chevalier]

we clap for tits

[Michael Scott]

Originally Posted by STEROS

i hate when people clap at the end of a movie at the movie theater... that's so fucking gay.

I did clap at the end of The Avengers... but other than that yeah I don't like it either

[HampTheToker]

Originally Posted by bortmackie

I play in an orchestra...

lol, orchestrafag hates clapping.

Y u play in oarkisstruh, then?

[Struwwelpeter]

This thread has been hijacked by ThE FuckinG AlieN KreW

[Zombie Food]

I actually have no clue lol.

But I mean, why do we give handshakes?

Why do we high five?

Why do we nod our heads at people we know?

I could go on lol

[Dfg]

Meh, we prefer smacking.

[Struwwelpeter]

[bortmackie]

Originally Posted by HampTheToker

lol, orchestrafag hates clapping.

Y u play in oarkisstruh, then?

This feels like fucking high school. I don't see anything wrong with being able to fucking shred.

[1983]

Because furious masturbation is looked down upon when in public.

Al

[Shrike]

Originally Posted by bortmackie

It just seems like a standardized social response that's not actually indicative of anything other than conforming to what everyone else is doing. I just kind of wish we weren't all so hardwired into our culture and what not.

Pretty much this. I mean when you stop and think about it, it has no meaning beyond that it's just the thing you do at a concert or stage show. Like how you have to give presents to people at christmas even though you don't believe in christ, and how you have to give your father a card on father's day even though he's never really been there for you.

Personally I think that to show appreciation of someone performing, we should throw stuff at them. The more stuff we throw, the better we like them. It would be confusing at first for the artists while we switched to the new system, but overall I think it would save on a lot of red hands and obnoxious behaviour.

[moron]

Originally Posted by Jim "fuck latinos" Carrey

this ship is a usa government recreation of a disk, not an actual alien ship

NICE TRY THO

[STEROS]

what about a whistle-clap? you know that style of whistling that goes in octaves?

ugh... i wish i knew how to describe it better... i'd rather hear a clap then that shit... but i kind of wish i could whistle like that...

[water bottle]

I suppose I'll let this stay here, as clapping is a form of communication; a nuance of language in a way. Plus, I want more traffic for this forum

Originally Posted by STEROS

i hate when people clap at the end of a movie at the movie theater... that's so fucking gay.

Yeah, I always found that odd. I would get it if you were at some festival and the people who made the movie are in the audience, but if it's just some run of the mill cinema, who exactly are you clapping for?

[water bottle]

Clapping makes sense as a sign of appreciation because it's a very standardized sound. We could all holler positive things when we appreciate something, but clapping provides group unity - a cohesive, straightforward way of showing united approval. If we yelled things, I could be yelling "yes!", somebody else could be yelling "fuck yeah!", yet another "bravo!", and a final could yell "fucking shit!". So then that form of communication is ambiguous - yes, people are making a lot of noise and clearly have an emotional reaction to whatever it is on display, but 25% are having a negative reaction. When everybody simply claps, you know you have united approval aside from whoever decides to discretely abstain from clapping. I think clapping, then, evolved as a straightforward means of expressing approval. It's a bit more utilitarian then screaming or yelling things in terms of communicating a message en masse.

[JeffreyH]

Originally Posted by turboneger

What's fun is when you smell the hesitation in the air for a second at most and proceed to perform the first clap that then explodes into a crescendo of people clapping

I always do that, great way to pass the time before the concert/show is about to start.

Wait for a good time, then start clapping trying to get as big a chain reaction of others clapping as possible. Waiting the right time between the previous attempt is key. But not too long, or someone else will start it before you do.

And of course, it's a gamble. If you start clapping but your timing is wrong and nobody joins you, it can feel rather awkward.

If you are with someone, you can challenge them etc.

[eesakiwi]

Originally Posted by turboneger

What's fun is when you smell the hesitation in the air for a second at most and proceed to perform the first clap that then explodes into a crescendo of people clapping

I have started one once. Sarcastic, after the finish of some shit preview before a movie.

But, 'Slow clapping' .
Like at the end of a rock concert, it starts off slow & slowly gets faster & ends up as a cresendo.
That normally happens three times & I think at the cresendo of the third time, is when the artists are supposed to come back on for a encore.

But they don't, theres no mention of it on wiki & I get the impression the artists don't know what it means or they think its deogretive.

[The Pat-Man]

fuck starting a clap what you gotta do is be the last one clapping at some sort of speech. get like 5 friends throughout the audience and the one who claps last wins.

[cowtipper]

hahha in middle school we started the slow clap on funny ocassions during class it when hesistation clap less hesitation next clap no more then 3 join in at the next interval all clapping at different rates to build to a climax where everyone gets obnoxious while clapping and hooting and hollering... damn those were the days

[Haiti's Space Agency]

americlapps

[yawanur]

making noise is fun!

[Satyr]

Originally Posted by HampTheToker

lol, orchestrafag hates clapping.

Y u play in oarkisstruh, then?

Usually people who play in an orchestra don't hate clapping. They hate people who clap between two movements in a piece. The music is supposed to continue, while clapping kind of indicates an end. It's like constantly saying "No assholes, it isn't over yet". It's like someone who comments on every line you say when you're trying to tell a story.

People overdo clapping. Clapping for an airplane pilot that gets you safely to the ground?! What the fuck? He's doing his job for Christ's sake! What you gonna do when he crashes? Boo at him? Do you clap everytime a busdriver stops at a busstop?

Clapping in movie theaters. YOU'RE CLAPPING AT A SCREEN, MORON. It's an inanimate object. It doesn't give a shit if you clap.