Holy crap! This thread has caused me to break my vow of silencio. So much to say.
It all begins with Bennie’s -
“you know the worst thing about Pedophilia?
being caught!”
I wonder why Bennie capitalized the word Pedophilia..? No other words were, why this one? I read it again. I don’t know what to say... should I waste my time replying? Is this a comment on ‘being caught’ and advice on how to avoid ‘being caught’? Maybe it’s a crude attempt at humor. I don’t know and move on to other boards.
Later I notice Lrod has replied. I click it on. Maybe he knows what this is all about. Sure as shit stinks, LR writes in his first line:
“I think this statement is wicked funny”
I pause.... Strange thing to write, I sure didn’t laugh at it. I didn’t even giggle or break a smile. As truck wrote later on this thread, I felt sympathy for the victim. Surely LR must take the line, “being caught,” as being
the wickedly funny line... the first line certainly has no entertainment value for me, as LR would add in his reply - “
I doubt if all of the members will think so ” He’s right... I’m one that didn’t. I wonder if his finding "being caught' funny has anything to do with his days of drug dealing and the time he served in prison... you know, 'being caught' got him there. Is there a connection? Hmmm...
You know the worst thing about being a drug dealer?
Being caught!
All this talk about humor over what Bennie wrote. But Bennie did not post this on the Humor board or even the Creative Writing board. He chose instead General Discussion. All in all, in looking at how this has gone on 4 pages, he picked the right board to post his comment. Note I used the word ‘comment’ versus ‘joke’ as he later implied it was (intended) with his page 3 comment: “
The joke was shit!” Now that I could agree with. But since Bennie has decided to not reply to anymore of this, I will never know the answer to why he would even post something he personally felt “was shit!”
And to make this entire thread even more absurd, LR comes in first with a defense for Bennie when Doreen felt the words were not funny at all. He writes: “
it was a joke”...”
something called irony” and “
he was being sardonic” all these gleaned from Bennie’s
original 9 words.
And thus began a series of comments such as
“people who want to tell you what you can laugh at” but nowhere on the thread (yet) have I read where someone says what you can laugh at. This is confirmed by Doreen with her “
People can laugh at whatever they want.” Nobody denied that.
Interestingly, Doreen by now has written ten replies in her own defense to some degree or another, when in steps LR with his commentary on Joy Behar’s T
he Bitch in the Red Hat routine. Pretty funny that would follow all of Doreen’s replies. Or is it sardonic..? Doreen was quick to catch the hint - “
I guess you are trying to say that I am the Bitch with the Red Hat for this "joke" of Bennie's.” Personally I didn’t find the remark anymore funny that Bennie’s original post, but apparently Dor's did with her smiley.
What
is funny? I don’t know about others, but I can swear to anyone that would question me, I laugh in varying degrees, of course, spontaneously. It just happens. I don’t invite laughter into a conversation, nor to I forcibly laugh at something I do not find humor in. And this is the entire problem with this entire thread. Note on page 3 LR comes back to a post of Dino’s with a rather accusatory “
I never pegged you for such a prude. how many shades of brown does your nose come in? ” solely because Dino comments on his take of humor and when it’s appropriate, etc.. (does that qualify for name-calling?)
And once again, LR steps up to the plate with : “
somebody's feelings are always going to be hurt by comedy and these are the people who need it most, to be disturbed because their thinking is obviously lodged on whatever the topic of the humor is ”
I pause again... page 3, this comment “
these are the people who need it most, to be disturbed” disturbs me. Whose to judge who needs to be disturbed and what to use for this so-called ‘needed’ disturbance? A professional counselor? ... a psychiatrist? ... maybe Robin Williams? ... or some hack of a wannabee comedian? Which of these would I ever consider one worthy of disturbing me? I find no answer to that. I personally would find anyone disturbing me to be like an annoying mosquito who needed to be slapped silly. Now that may bring me a smile, come to think of it. But, really now! LR has the humbleness to declare “
The people that are 'affected' by my humor are the ones that need to be.” Whoa! What’s up with a comment like that??? Is he really saying, “If you are affected by what I think is funny, then you damn well deserve it, be it by laughter or disgust” ?? Moving on...
And thruout the thread it’s been tossed about that humor is/should be words that bring laughter and along with that, it may bring some thinking. Certainly nothing wrong with either. I see a problem when one is amused by some words or actions, while another sees nothing funny in what the other has. It’s easy to follow up with name calling.
It is far easier to condemn, annoy, belittle, curse, abuse or attack than it is to console, please, befriend, console, hug or have compassion. It takes a strong person to avoid the negative and find the positive in others. The world would be a far better place if more or us did just that.
[enough]
