Laughter truly is the best medicine. When we laugh, we feel better. We enjoy comedy because it gives us an escape from the rigors of our everyday lives. However, we should be mindful to laugh WITH each other, not AT each other.
Insult comics defend their bits by saying it's just comedy intended to make people laugh. However, clearly not everybody's laughing because someone's the brunt of the joke.
If I make John laugh at Mary's expense, then I make John feel better but I make Mary feel worse. To make Mary feel better, I make her laugh at John's expense. So now Mary's feeling better, but John's feeling worse.
It's the perfect business venture because I'm both the problem and the solution. Through insults, I make people feel bad, and through comedy, I make them feel better. By making people feel bad, I ensure that my comedic services are always required because people seek comfort through comedy. Sneaky and wrong!
Do insult comics collude? Do they enter into some strange arrangement with each other, to keep each other perpetually employed? You insult my audience so they'll need me and I'll insult your audience so they'll need you?
Milton Berle said, "Laughter is an instant vacation." Insult comics give people a reason to need that vacation.
We love to laugh, that's true, but we should be mindful to laugh WITH each other, not AT each other. In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
