I'm on a mission to defend our world against the war on humor. My position is not on the front lines beside the true soldiers of laughter such as stand-up comics, but I'm okay with defending the rear; this website being my M-16 rifle.
The demand to suppress laughter begins early in life when teachers banish the class clown to a desolate corner with little or no warning. As we mature, politicians preach that humor can be un-PC or an act of treason depending on which side of the political spectrum their affiliations lie. And let's not forget the religious leaders who scream blasphemy, or declare holy war, at the slightest jocular taunt toward their strict, and sometimes oppressive, customs.
Possessing a sense of humor can be dangerous. It can get you arrested, sued, fired, blacklisted, beat up, ignored, stared at harshly, etc. Here are two actual headlines I've read from various news sources: "Pair Arrested for Telling Lawyer Jokes." and "Church Group to Protest Bernie Mac's Funeral." Such tight sphincters make me want to snap.
Look at any dictator, cult, radical religious/political party, hate monger, past or present. Not only do they lack the ability to say ha-ha-ha, but they are crazy as hell too. So it's official: being able to accept humor into our daily lives keeps us sane.
How do we fight the prudes who relish the thought of criminalizing humor? Do we call them out? Verbally attack them? I guess you could. But I choose to tune them out, refuse to take myself as seriously as they take themselves, and continue to spread humor via the written word. Sometimes that's all it takes to win the battle. Please join me in getting our laugh on. You could start by viewing my blog via the blog tab above. I will also be posting links to some great humor websites.
Enjoy,
Michael Angelo, 02/23/2010