However, today comedy is rooted in selfishness, which means we're often laughing at other people's expense/misfortune - and that's not funny at all.
There's a lot of abuse in comedy, but because it's veiled in humour, it's supposed to be okay - but it isn't. Abuse is abuse even if it's presented with humour.
Let's take a look:
- Insult comedy is popular, but it's simply verbal abuse. Insulting others to get a laugh isn't funny, it's totally unacceptable.
- Pranks are popular, but they're abusive - sometimes physically, sometimes psychologically/mentally, sometimes emotionally. If a joke is at the expense of others, it's not funny and it's totally unacceptable. Harming others (and animals) to get a laugh isn't comedy, it's abuse.
- Fails are also popular but laughing at other people's (and animals) failures isn't funny, it's cruel.
- Some comedy humiliates and embarrasses others, some comedy makes people squirm by putting them in awkward situations and some comedy makes people look stupid, ignorant and/or uninformed etc. This isn't funny, it's bullying.
- Roasts are also popular and sometimes they raise money for charity, but they're not funny, they're a strange form of torture.
- Some comedy has harsh and graphic language that does nothing to uplift others.
- Today some adult comedy has become crass and vulgar with endless references to genitalia (balls, penises, vaginas, breasts), sex, toilets etc. It's not funny, it's pre-teen giggly childishness.
- Self-deprecating humour is also popular, people make fun of themselves to get a laugh. Putting anyone down - even oneself - may foster negative thoughts in others. People may be laughing, but they don't realize they've just been influenced in a negative way. We should always be mindful of the influence we have on others.
Comedy is a great way to share ideas, to find honesty and to find humour in difficult situations. Comedy is a great coping mechanism, it's a great form of therapy and it's a great healing force because it makes people feel good to laugh.
While laughter is important to our happiness and well-being, we shouldn't be laughing at each other, we should be laughing with each other, together.
We are all one family and we have to start behaving like one family. One way to test your behaviour is to ask yourself, would you treat your mother that way? Meaning, would you insult your mother? Would you prank your mother? Would you laugh at your mother if she hurt herself? Would you roast your mother? Would you humiliate or embarrass your mother? Would you swear at your mother? Would you harm your mother for a laugh?
If you wouldn't treat your mother that way, then your behaviour is inappropriate. There shouldn't be two standards of how to treat people, being kind to one group and cruel to another. There should only be one standard.
The quality of bestowal is seeking to benefit others regardless of who they are. We are one family and we should start treating each other as one family.
Copyright © 2013, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
