An article by Ceit Butler(c), under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
I have hilariously witty friends. My day-to-day life is filled to the brim with bouts of hysterical, comedic genius. I cannot count the number of times each day that we all burst into gut-busting laughter, the kind that ends with tears streaming down our cheeks, in response to something brilliantly funny that one of us has said. It doesn’t matter what personal challenges we’re facing, it doesn’t matter whose turn it is to be the butt of the joke; the ability to poke fun at anything and everything - most importantly ourselves- brings laughter and joy to our lives. It lifts us above the petty miseries that bog others down, it renders impotent the daily strife that comes of existing on this planet, the trivialities that the majority give such importance and weight to. We soar on the wings of humour, we rise above the insignificant; we weed out the inconsequential and look to the bigger picture.
The inspiration for this piece is derived from an amalgam of events, the most recent being a conversation that I participated in earlier this week. It was a variation on a theme that pops up with escalating frequency, generally trailing behind moments of comic artistry like an annoying little dog yapping rabidly at one’s heels. I’ve touched on the topic of “political correctness” before but given recent events, both around the globe and closer to home, I feel that it’s time to revisit the subject for a more thorough exploration. We’re going to look at great comedy, sensitive global issues, censorship and the whittling-away of your personal freedoms, the very real threat that lurks behind the words ”I’m offended”, the future of the human race - and how all of these things are connected.
I’d like you to take a minute to compile a mental list of your favourite comedians. Now, examine what it was that made each of them great. I bet that you find they have one defining characteristic in common - they cover current hot topics, but in an accessible way. They strip away the anger, the resentment, all of the negative emotions that controversial social and political issues carry. Things that you can’t say among friends, family members, or strangers, without starting an argument that could escalate into violence, you can get away with saying on the stage of a comedy club. Humour bridges the gap, it temporarily disconnects from the severity of the topic, allowing people to detach personal bias and emotional reactions from an issue and laugh freely without reservation, guilt, or hate. It opens a dispassionate dialogue on what would otherwise be considered emotionally-charged subject matter.
This may sound silly, but I feel that a great deal of the future of our species as a whole pivots on everyone developing a sense of humour. The words “I’m offended” appear innocent on the surface but the harm is not in finding something offensive, it comes in the aftermath. If you offend someone, have you actually caused them any harm? No, the only wound is to their pride, or “honour”, things that don’t actually exist. Somewhere in the world, as I type these very words, people are being physically harmed, tortured and killed, for “offending someone’s honour”. Men, women, and children are suffering and losing their lives over immaterial, non-existent injuries. Some of these events, such as the recent tragedy in France at the offices of the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, are paraded across the media and become a national debate. Others are mostly ignored, like the “honour killings” of Muslim girls who dare to refuse to enter into an arranged marriage, attempt to seek a divorce, or “allow themselves” to be raped; the journalists, bloggers, and social media users who have been flogged, imprisoned, stoned, and beheaded for the “crime” of speaking their minds and holding an unpopular opinion towards their government or religion. In all of these examples, physical harm is inflicted as punishment for an imaginary crime. How different would life be for everyone if no one ever resorted to violence as a response to hurt feelings? Adults and children around the globe are killing people - themselves and others - over words.
As a result of pandering to hurt feelings, blasphemy and “hate speech” laws are gaining popularity with each passing day. They’re sold to us under the facade of “protecting the public”, as if we are so collectively weak and defenceless that we must be saved from ideas and words. Words; a string of letters, syllables, and sounds. Words cannot actually hurt, only the manner in which you choose to react to them has that power. Imagine if, while on your way out today, you found yourself riding in an elevator with a total stranger; someone whom you’ve never seen before and, likely, will never see again. If that stranger made an unfavourable comment regarding your appearance, what would your reaction be? Would your feelings be hurt? Would you dwell on it for some undetermined period of time; the rest of the day, maybe even the week? Could the opinion of someone that you do not know, whose company you spent mere seconds in, and who will never impact your life in any measurable way, affect you in the slightest? Would it have the power to change how you see yourself? To toss out the offending article of clothing, invest in new beauty products, diet, exercise, or go under the knife to alter the maligned physical feature, all the while ignoring your own personal opinion of it? Is your self-concept so fragile that this meaningless interaction could prompt it to shatter, causing you to doubt and question every appearance-related choice that you make from here on out? Do you really care what a complete stranger thinks of you? Sadly, if polled, most people would say yes. Sadder still should be the realization that you made those choices on your own. At no point did this snarky stranger put a gun to your head, hold a knife to your throat, or physically impact you and your decision-making process in any way. You chose to have an emotional reaction. You decided that your feelings had been hurt, and the only remedy for mollifying your bruised ego is a complete overhaul. Remove the possibility of anyone saying mean things to you again! But what if tomorrow, the situation plays out again, different elevator, different stranger? You’re never going to be able to please everyone and, really, why would you want to try?
This is a disturbing concept that has been slowly drilled into our heads; the idea that we are in need of hand-holding and protection from every facet of the big, scary world around us. Each generation grows up a little more coddled, more emotionally inept than the last, with our benevolent government leaning closer and closer, watching over us all for everyone’s safety. No need to worry our innocent little heads over the nasty problems of the day, let the people in charge take care of that mess. As judicial supervision gains an ever-tightening grip on all of our lives, the result is not a perception of safety but the exact opposite. This all serves to foster the global victim mindset, the sense of being powerless, unable to deal with or even be aware of the reality of the world we live in. This is helped along by the media’s constant fear-mongering, amplifying the impression of helplessness and dread. If we are told that we need to be protected from something and it’s important enough to enact legislative control over, the average opinion is that it must be dangerous.
Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but not the right to force others to share it. If you find something offensive, you have the right to choose not to watch, listen, or participate. As long as no one is being physically harmed as a result of the offensive material in question, this is where your rights end. With the total population of the Earth currently sitting at over 7 billion and rising, the odds of everyone agreeing on everything are too infinitesimal to even contemplate. Either we legislate absolutely everything out of existence so that no one is ever offended by anything again, or we grow up and get over it - there really are only two choices here. You can spend your days stopped by every minor annoyance, inconvenience, or offence that you encounter; you can live out the rest of your life in a constant state of emotional panic, but know that you are falling directly in line with the prescribed program. While you’re busy worrying about all of the extraneous minutiae, other people are making the important decisions that influence your life. Amusement and dismissal is a far more effective response. The confidence which comes from being truly comfortable in one’s skin, paired with a fabulous sense of humour, is the perfect counter. No emotional investment means there is no dwelling on the issue. Your mind is unclouded and better able to focus on the things that truly matter; reacting to insecure behaviour only validates it. The easiest way to defuse a bully is by not reacting in the manner that they are expecting; take control of a situation instead by responding with the amused derision that is so justly deserved.
In closing, I’m going to leave you with these words to live by:
Laughter really is the best medicine.