Laugh, Dammit!
About This Site
This site has one main goal: to foment rebellion against the modern cult of seriousness. I decided on this goal after meeting many smart, cool people who felt compelled to watch depressing movies, television, and documentaries. When pressed, these people confessed that such "entertainment" was indeed an obligation rather than a choice. They, like many, felt that witnessing suffering made them better people. I hereby announce that this is ridiculous.
With the advent of modern media, actual suffering is all too accessible. I will admit that I have met some ignorant, sheltered, or spoiled individuals who should be forced to witness the evil that men do. But if you already have little hope for the human condition, you don't need convincing. Watching depressing "entertainment" or reading endlessly about the Holocaust might make you depressed, but it will not make you a better or more responsible citizen.
At a certain point, I made the executive decision to take charge of my infotainment. I do not watch the news regularly and I do not watch depressing documentaries. Why? Because they don't just report suffering; they willfully reproduce it ad infinitum.
Before you send me angry letters, know that I am an informed citizen and I do vote. Being informed and being responsible are one thing; feeling obliged to submit to the constant stream of negative media is another. Watching incessant coverage of the dumb decisions your government makes is not going to make you a more noble person. It's just going to make you angry or sad, especially given the complete lack of political power most Americans feel.
So by all means stay informed, give money to good causes, write to your Congressperson, do something. But don't let watching the news give you a false sense of pride.
Me? I unabashedly prefer my entertainment to be entertaining. And I'll fight with anyone who tells me that this is the mark of a superficial person. Because, the assumption continues, tragedy is somehow better, more serious, more poignant. Not in the least, say I. To quote Jeffrey, "Tragedy is one note. It's boring." Amen to that.
Tragedy is also completely unrealistic. Even that bastard Aristotle admitted that tragedy showed people behaving more nobly than they really do. And yes, there is a certain genre of modern "tragedy" that claims to highlight the strength of the human spirit blah blah blah.
I don't buy it. To me, the triumph of the human spirit exists in the idea that prisoners were telling jokes at Auschwitz (this is a documented fact). And Mel Brooks (who is Jewish) has said that his mission in life is to make fun of Hitler. Now that's triumph: not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to create joy where there was horror.
If people would open their eyes and resist their prejudices, they might see that comedy is every bit as meaningful as tragedy, and far more influential. Lenny Bruce said he wouldn't be doing what he did if everything were right with the world. During the last two elections, one study showed that The Daily Show was the primary news source for many people. People may praise tragedy, but they watch comedy.
So welcome to my site, which encourages you to have a little fun in life, but also (paradoxically) to give humor its due as a meaningful form of expression.
