Humor — some thoughts
Last night my husband happened upon some YouTube videos of Eddie Izzard. It had been a while since I’d seen his stand-up acts and so we ended up watching several of the videos. Today, I happened upon the Mac/PC Christmas commercial. That got me to thinking about humor. The most important thing about both of these examples is that neither Izzard nor Mac do hurtful humor. Of course, Apple wants to sell its product but it does it in a humorous way without actually putting down PC — only pointing out the differences between the two brands. Izzard also doesn’t do hurtful, insulting humor — his routines are usually about the absurdities of life, history, literature, and society. They can be biting but there not sarcastic or insulting just absolutely hilarious.
There are many other examples I’m sure of humor that tickles the funny bone but doesn’t insult to do it. So, why is it so difficult to find good humorists who don’t insult people to get laughs. I know they’re out there but they don’t seem to get the screen or air time of the hurtful/insulting ones. When did it become normal for people to laugh at others rather than at themselves and the absurdities of life.
I also wonder if that change in outlook is what driving so much of the hatefulness that has crept into so many areas of life. Recently, CNN had a question that asked if negative ads were helpful to the candidate or a pox on both parties. The results last time I looked was 93% for a pox on both parties. Yet, by the time we reach the middle of next year, if not sooner, most if not all political ads will be negative. They won’t give us any information about the candidate that the ad is for but only comments skirting slander of all the opposing candidates. Personally, I get my information about candidates from other sources than ads or newspapers because they concentrate on this negativity to the exclusion of actual information about the stance of the candidate. [NOTE: I’m not naming parties because it seems all parties are guilty of negative campaigning.]
I can’t help thinking that my grandmother was right, “If you can’t say anything good don’t say anything at all”. So, I’ll continue to enjoy humorists who make me laugh at myself and my species. I’ll also tend to vote for a candidate that tells me exactly what the problems are and what they intend to do about it rather than wasting time telling me about the graphic/petty details of the opposition’s peccadilloes — as if I care about the church attendance, what they did years ago in college, or who they’re related to. What I care about is how they’ve voted in the past, what they intend to do in the future, and can I trust them to keep their word and run the country in accordance with the wishes of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the laws of the land, and the will of the people (all that irregardless of their party affiliation which should come after the above list).
Guess, I am a Pollyanna afterall — always looking for the good/better/best in others.