Xander's sense of humor

[Chosen Enemy]

Xander is known as "the funny one" of the group. And I noticed that Xander's character has many similarities to Chandler's character from "Friends" (besides the fact that their names are close). Chandler said that he started using humor as a defense mechanism after his parents broke up, basically because his family situation was... meh. So I started thinking if Xander is any the same. If that's why he uses humor, even in bad situations. After all, he has family problems too. Like Chandler, he's ashamed of his parents.

What do you think? Does Xander use humor as defense mechanism? And does it have anything to do with his parents?

 

[Kean]

He definitely uses it as a defense mechanism. I can't really say if is directly related to his upbringing, but I would say it is directly related to how he sees himself.

Sidenote: I sometimes forget whether it was Chandler or Xander that said the line "Could I be wearing anymore clothes?". Turns out it was Joey "doing" Chandler, but it sounds so completely like a Xander line that I always mix it up.

 

[FaithsFollower]

He definitely uses it as a defense mechanism. I can't really say if is directly related to his upbringing, but I would say it is directly related to how he sees himself.

Definitely a defense mechanism. :nod:

As to whether it was his family, I'm not sure. It may be that but it also might be his awareness of the Hellmouth-vampires-werewolves-thing too. If I'm nervous in a situation, I always make jokes just to feel more at ease...and nothing can possibly be more at UNease than facing Hellmouth-badness. 😉

 

[Chosen Enemy]

It may be that but it also might be his awareness of the Hellmouth-vampires-werewolves-thing too. If I'm nervous in a situation, I always make jokes just to feel more at ease...and nothing can possibly be more at UNease than facing Hellmouth-badness. 😉

But wasn't he Funny Man even before he knew about all this?

 

[Ripper666]

I like Xanders way of humor. Even if I see if some of you can't find anything funny in them! But I like those funny guys more than the sad looking ones. Especially in hard or dangerous situations. Because this humor helps him and others to handle the problems!

I think his family situation had to to with it, sometimes it's surely a defense mechanism. But sometimes it's just Xander who's going on everybodies nerves. 😀 But be honest, with some more Xanders, the world would be a better/ funnier place!

 

[sosa lola]

He definitely uses it as a defense mechanism. I can't really say if is directly related to his upbringing, but I would say it is directly related to how he sees himself.

I think it's related to his family. Back in S1, Xander made jokes about his home life, even disturbing facts like his father trying to sell him.

I don't think it's a Hellmouth thing, Xander used humor to hide before he learned about vampires.

A lot of Xander's mannerisms are rooted to his upbringing: the sarcasm ( jokes about his homelife ) the short-tempter ( with parents fighting all the time, no wonder he'd yell to get his point across ) the jealousy ( coming from a poor household where his father is unemployed and his mother works at the drive-thru ) the way we never see him drunk like Buffy, Willow and Giles at times ( 'cause his parents are alcoholics )