On Laughs and being offended
I don't know why Ive been thinking about this so much lately, but I really don't get the concept of someone who says they're a "hard laugh" like its a point of pride. For that matter, of all the things to feel, why be offended? There's a lot of horrific shit happening out there and I can understand how a lot of people are just disappearing into the daily Facebook news articles and comment section arguments. All of this day to day dumbing and numbing of the country by this group of morons is infuriating right now. I've personally gone through my own stages of grief since the election. First disappointment, followed by confusion, outrage, frustration etc etc. The thing is, I feel like I have arrived at what I feel is the healthiest way for me to process the vast majority of these things that have been eating at me: my sense of humor. First, "being offended" seems to be a go-to emotion these days, and it's highly ineffective in my opinion. To me, it's like this: Someone says something you don't like and you have a choice to a) process it in context and respond to it or b) be offended. Being offended is a response but it's an impotent one at best. Being offended is like saying that you are incapable of controlling or managing your emotions and suggesting that it's other peoples job to do it for you. Why not wink at this stupid thought and respond with a little bit of wit? Take the piss out of this thing "attacking" your sensibilities. See? Doesn't that feel better? You didn't even have to absorb this asinine remark. Bonus: you probably got a laugh out of it. Feel those endorphins! And to the people who are self-proclaimed "hard laughs" aka "reluctant gigglers", I say: Why do you hate yourself? Why not be an easy laugh? Laughing feels amazing. It takes the sting out of pretty much anything you could otherwise feel powerless against. Even if the thing you're laughing at is stupid as fuck and nobody else gets it you get to reap the rewards. Where is the downside? You can take things like racism, sexism, homophobia, mental illness- all the things that make the world feel like a dystopian nightmare, and treat them like padded rooms where you can itch and scratch at your darkest and most embarrassing thoughts until the scratches become a tickle. Pretty soon you'll see why there's no point in being offended. Beyond that, you'll feel bad for the people that choose offense over wit. Because they're carrying all the weight of these things without the lightness that comes with a goddamn sense of humor, and they definitely don't get to cry-laugh at the absurdity of your use of the word [insert taboo word] .
