PSA:
Being judgemental is a form of violence and you should employ it with this in mind.
Many people think it's harmless to go "oh my god, look how fat that guy is" "ugh, she smells like she hasn't showered for a week."
Often very funny jokes and comedy come from mildly judgemental opinions.
But comedy can also be a form of violence. That doesn't make it BAD. Comedy has been used to make fearsome figures like Hitler seen less scary, to belittle people with overinflated egos, and to turn counter culture into pop culture.
Obviously I'm not anti-comedy - my book won an award for its humor - so why am I saying this?
Because its true and its important for people to understand... ESPECIALLY comedians and comedy authors.
Judging others is a form of violence. Judgmental comedy is a form of violence.
Many of the politicians condemning shootings at mosques, synagogues, and gay bars are responsible for these shootings, because they openly judged Muslims, Jews, or LGBTQ people.
Human beings are naturally violent toward those we see as "other". We invaded and obliterated every other species of hominid and took over the entire planet in a geological blink of an eye.
And when we ran out of other species of people to kill, we started on each other and we've been doing it ever since. Hatfields vs McCoys, tribes vs tribes, city states vs city states, nations vs nations, and now alliances vs alliances.
It's human nature.
When we judge people, we "other" them. That's pushing them into the cross hairs of more overtly violent people.
If you push someone in front of a train and the train hits them, you don't get to blame the train.
Laugh at a fat person, and next think you know, someone who heard you is bullying the chubby kid at school.
And maybe you're thinking "what, so I can't judge supremacists?"
I mean, you CAN, although it will other them and make them even less likely to change their minds. But the really important thing is just to ask, "does this person justify violence towards them?"
If it's a white supremacist ranting against the Jews - doing violence to Jewish people - then maybe you're completely okay with hitting them back.
But if it's a poor woman feeding her kids mcdonalds every day because it is cheaper and more filling than stuff from the grocery store, is it violence she needs? Or help?
If it's a worried mom of an autistic kid following doctor advice, does she deserve violence? Or education?
If it's a really fat dude, does he deserve violence? Or empathy for his struggles and assistance?
Think before you judge, and before you crack a joke.
Punch UP. Not down.
