Populace

Having mentioned laughing, I must particularly warn you against it: and I could heartily wish that you may often be seen to smile, but never heard to laugh while you live. Frequent and loud laughter is the characteristic of folly and ill manners: it is the manner in which the mob express their silly joy at silly things; and they call it being merry.

In my mind there is nothing so illiberal, and so ill-bred, as audible laughter. True wit, or sense, never yet made anybody laugh; they are above it; they please the mind, and give a cheerfulness to the countenance. But it is low buffoonery, or silly accidents, that always excite laughter; and that is what people of sense and breeding should show themselves above.—Not to mention the disagreeable noise that it makes, and the shocking distortion of the face that it occasions.

Letters to His Son, Lord Chesterfield

At first reading this annoyed me. But then I thought about sitcoms in general and America's Funniest Home Videos....and I could see a point to Chesterfield's disdain.