Humor is like virtue, one of few things that can't be taken from us. Only we can take it from ourselves when we believe the world is too horrible for humor. The irony is that the most horrible things are usually pretty funny in their absurdity. This was a great piece, Sam.
Seneca:
“We should bring ourselves to see all the vices of the crowd not as hateful but as ridiculous; and we should imitate Democritus rather than Heraclitus. For the latter, every time he went out into public, used to weep; the former used to laugh. One saw everything we do as wretchedness, the other as absurdity. Things should be made light of, and taken more easily: it is more civilized to laugh at life than to bewail it."
So true. Although I have never been in war there are those days were it seems every appliance in the house died at the same time and there is a huge party about to happen.
"You can either laugh or cry, so you might as well laugh."
The humor in the trenches depends on fatalism. Out of war environment, humor wouldn't be so "expensive." Its expensiveness comes from the possibility of life loss. The circumstances were such that the mind accomodated two opposing emotions, grief and laughter.
I love this emergent trait of the mind. A sort of survival in style. Indeed "wearing nothing but (our) bare skins" (bare within) some of us manage to spark humor belittleling circumstances, ourselves or even those opposing us in unmatching warfare.
Who then can suppress this humor?
It bears an inc in our heads, immovable.
The platformization of humor however, is wrongly perceived as a right. It is an expectation.
The cencorship of humor is a hoped outcome of the narrative. Humor is censored only if we launder it to a belief. Means our consent is needed. Maybe this is the real target.
When dressed in tuxedos addressing large audiences that are attracted by the platform providers, humor has a different ingredient in its midst. Profit.
Our attention does not change the narrative. It supports it.
To expect justice from transaction driven sight economy is a mistake many of us fall for.
The "overfed and uncorcerned" as God called the ancient Sodomites, wants the expensiveness of humor while sipping sodas. There is no match to the humor you mention in the trenches.
What we got is cheap manufactured, throw a bone in from time to time (reverse woke) so we don't lose ratings, and call it entertainment.
Thanks for triggering some thoughts in me. Nice work.
There is deep truth in this. I've never experienced war, but I do understand gave yard humor. It is hard to maintain, though, in a regular society that does not understand it.
I believe the humor is the same. This was simply one example among the many forms of graveyard humor, all of them necessary, and all of them unlikely to be tolerated in "regular society" as you put. Thank you for jumping in, Erik.
My experience was long spells of boredom (punctuated with micro terrors). Comedy is what got us through the long days at GQ. And it was outrageous humor too. I still find that a lot of my comrades have the same sick ass humor as I still have (suppressed around gentle folk).
John, I am not sure where you got the impression I was recommending "using human sacrifice via warfare to revive humor." I attempted to make it clear that war is not the answer, but that we could learn the lessons of warfare through a simple comparison - if we are free to laugh in war, we should be free laugh in peace.
Humor is like virtue, one of few things that can't be taken from us. Only we can take it from ourselves when we believe the world is too horrible for humor. The irony is that the most horrible things are usually pretty funny in their absurdity. This was a great piece, Sam.
Seneca:
“We should bring ourselves to see all the vices of the crowd not as hateful but as ridiculous; and we should imitate Democritus rather than Heraclitus. For the latter, every time he went out into public, used to weep; the former used to laugh. One saw everything we do as wretchedness, the other as absurdity. Things should be made light of, and taken more easily: it is more civilized to laugh at life than to bewail it."
So true. Although I have never been in war there are those days were it seems every appliance in the house died at the same time and there is a huge party about to happen.
"You can either laugh or cry, so you might as well laugh."
Those days are the best... thank you for the comment, Thalia.
The humor in the trenches depends on fatalism. Out of war environment, humor wouldn't be so "expensive." Its expensiveness comes from the possibility of life loss. The circumstances were such that the mind accomodated two opposing emotions, grief and laughter.
I love this emergent trait of the mind. A sort of survival in style. Indeed "wearing nothing but (our) bare skins" (bare within) some of us manage to spark humor belittleling circumstances, ourselves or even those opposing us in unmatching warfare.
Who then can suppress this humor?
It bears an inc in our heads, immovable.
The platformization of humor however, is wrongly perceived as a right. It is an expectation.
The cencorship of humor is a hoped outcome of the narrative. Humor is censored only if we launder it to a belief. Means our consent is needed. Maybe this is the real target.
When dressed in tuxedos addressing large audiences that are attracted by the platform providers, humor has a different ingredient in its midst. Profit.
Our attention does not change the narrative. It supports it.
To expect justice from transaction driven sight economy is a mistake many of us fall for.
The "overfed and uncorcerned" as God called the ancient Sodomites, wants the expensiveness of humor while sipping sodas. There is no match to the humor you mention in the trenches.
What we got is cheap manufactured, throw a bone in from time to time (reverse woke) so we don't lose ratings, and call it entertainment.
Thanks for triggering some thoughts in me. Nice work.
Many excellent thoughts, and you are most welcome.
The "cheap manufactured, throw a bone in from time to time" is often even worse than the suppression of humor. Why can we not just be free?
Freedom is a choice dear Sam, and we can.
I’ve long wished that Monty Python was in full stream in our current times. Their death humor was brilliant.
Classic!
It seems that half of the country cannot laugh. My acid test is slapstick comedy - if you don’t laugh, you’re in the wrong half!
Absolutely. Chris Farley would do our world some good right now.
Oh oooo yellow triangles coming…
There is deep truth in this. I've never experienced war, but I do understand gave yard humor. It is hard to maintain, though, in a regular society that does not understand it.
I believe the humor is the same. This was simply one example among the many forms of graveyard humor, all of them necessary, and all of them unlikely to be tolerated in "regular society" as you put. Thank you for jumping in, Erik.
My experience was long spells of boredom (punctuated with micro terrors). Comedy is what got us through the long days at GQ. And it was outrageous humor too. I still find that a lot of my comrades have the same sick ass humor as I still have (suppressed around gentle folk).
A lot of people never get to experience that kind of unrestrained humor. It is a gift.
John, I am not sure where you got the impression I was recommending "using human sacrifice via warfare to revive humor." I attempted to make it clear that war is not the answer, but that we could learn the lessons of warfare through a simple comparison - if we are free to laugh in war, we should be free laugh in peace.
No