Plato, the Somber

Who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? Well Plato for one. In his book Republic he speaks against humor. He warns that laughter comes from a malicious place. He is speaking primarily of the theater and comedies. He said that if you laugh at another person, generally at their misfortune, it is a slight. You are putting yourself in a superior position to this person and that is wrong. Wow! what would Plato think of the more inane physical comedies that fill out modern theaters? I would hope that halfway through a Jim Carrey film he would simply agree that man is clumsy and let loose, but his work suggests otherwise.