I got some tickets to a standup routine for my birthday and tonight, we got to go - two and a half years after I received the tickets. The tickets were bought in February 2020 and by my birthday in March, things were locking down. I did buy myself something though - a few hundred euros worth of Bitcoin, which was pricing around $5000 at that time.
Tonight's show was John Cleese, of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame and general silliness notoriety. The show was not like the usual standup these days - it was calm, quiet and was filled with nostalgia in a good way, using well know clips from the past to tell personal stories that connected with the world today. For someone circling the drain at around 82 years of age, it was funny, relevant and engaging enough.
In many ways, he is much like the typical grumpy old man, but at the same time - he understands what is timelessly funny and spelled it out for the audience through various illustrations of why the modern "woke" comedy is not funny. There has to be challenge in the humor and there has to be reality, but the funniest things are the uncomfortable realities, the taboo subjects, the pains - the darkness. People find it funny, as long as it is not about them, or how they identify. What happened to the saying,
Learn to laugh at yourself?
I have a pretty dark humor and at least in the real world, I don't shy away from the taboo and uncomfortable, often riding the edge of people's sensibilities. But the edge is not dangerous, if the intention is in the right place and I think that Cleese surmised it well by saying that it is funny, when it is done with affection. Sure, it might not always land, but if it is coming from a place of love, it can be excused.
It is like old friends poking fun at each other, trying to land a blow and "hurt" the other in ways, that build admiration and strengthen friendships, instead of tearing them down. But in order to be able to do this these days, one has to be serious about taking life lightly - rather than serious about taking things seriously.
Life is funny.
Death is even funnier.
It isn't morbid to laugh at pain and suffering, unless it is done from the position of a sadist, taking pleasure in other's pain, rather than pleasure in the absurdity of the situation of this life we are provided. The irony of having so much open potential, but not being able to take it. The becoming successful, only to have bad luck take it away. Funny is recognizing the futility of our attempt to control our journey, and being okay with it.
Before I die.
I don't want to die, but I am not afraid of dying either, because I don't place a lot of meaning on my own life as a life, even though some people might be currently relying on me doing certain things - my duty. But, duty ends at death, no more can be done, which also means that there is no point worrying about what is going to be left undone, the open cases at work, the unfinished project at home, the dishes in the sink.
As important as our life is in the current moment to us, in the grand scheme, it is not even a disrupted pixel on the scanner of universal relevance. Yet, our lives are not meaningless either, as they are all part of the greater conversation of the universe, even though none of us can move that needle very far, especially over time.
Just look at the past atrocities in our world and recognize how we have moved on as a society, left them forgotten and open to be blown away from our awareness. The most terrible crimes in history, go unwritten, but so do the greatest of loves. Have you ever thought about that?
One of my favorite movies is Life is Beautiful, which tells a story of some of the most horrific times in known human history, with a Nazi concentration camp as a backdrop. Yet, even then, there is the opportunity for fun and adventure, as a father makes a game for his son out of internment, to shelter him from the horrors of the reality of the situation. The reality was still there, but the framing had changed.
This is comedy, isn't it?
It is about love. It is about making people feel better about the terrible realities we face, to make them feel that they are not alone. That there are people paying attention enough to observe and understand them, and connect with them at an emotional level and treat them as strong enough that they can survive the ribbing, because relative to the reality, the jokes are nothing. There is no cruelty in humor, it is made to empower. If it is made to hurt, it was never intended to be funny.
Today though, people claim to be "sensitive" when in actual fact, they are the opposite. They take words literally and seriously, even when they know that it was never the intention for it to be taken that way. They take offence, even when the joke is not about them - they take offence on behalf of another, but enact the punishment as it was they themselves who were wronged.
We have caged ourselves with "political correctness" by becoming the very thing we hate, politicians. Pompous self-importance, believing that we know what is right for all others and we know how others feel. We talk about celebrating individualism, but if the individual finds the wrong thing funny, they are to be punished and outcast from society, because after all, they should know better.
Perhaps they do.
Maybe it is those who can laugh at the traumas of the world who do know better, because despite all the pain, they are able to dust themselves off and keep pushing through the futility. Having humor is to have an attitude of never giving up, because where there is laughter, there is hope, even when facing the inevitability of our own deaths.
And perhaps this is the crux of it all -
if you can't laugh at death, life is hell.
The show is called, "Last time to see me before I die", and I think that is what we are all looking for in life - someone to see us. Someone to see us for who we are and acknowledge that in some way, our life mattered, even if it didn't matter much.
And in a world where we are making each other increasingly less relevant, the sense of invisibility is growing to the point, people are literally pasting pictures of themselves to share with others saying, look at me.
Please look at me.
But what is actually seen?
Funny.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Wow. You are such a keeper . I would have lost the ticket or misplaced it if I had to wait for a year to use it.
Im glad you had a great time.
Perhaps laughing at yourself isn’t a border but allowing others to laugh at you is the main issue. I for one can easily say silly things about my life but can’t stand it for someone to use those very same words in a joke. I guess it’s okay if I do it to myself but it terribly awful when it is coming from one whom I don’t know. Sometimes jokes bring out this aspect of us if the truth is so glaring.
Imagine you have been fired from work and have been seeking for a job for a month now with no success. On your birthday you decide to go for a stand up comedy and all the jokes being made is about how lazy one is to have been sacked from his Job . And to crown it all, the last joke is about how stupid it will be for a jobless person to be at the show. I bet you won’t be excited about it.
Digital ;)
How about coming from a good friend?
This is the thing with humor though - it is meant to also cause reflection - like a work of art.
Circling the drain is a description so terrible it’s awesome 🤣
Glad the tickets were still valid (guess concessions had to be made in the idiocy).
Good show then? 😃
It was a good show and the next day, it was even better. It was pleasant, yet still felt important :)
I am no Boomy though
I have read your message, you have said a very good thing, we should know why we are brought to this world.
Finally, one day everyone has to leave this world and what will happen to us in the future, we know this only from one book which is the last book from heaven which was written by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was revealed to Prophet Wasallam. This is the last book of the world, it has been said about everything in the universe and it has been told about the world and the hereafter, that is the purpose of human being in this world and what will happen after death.
The name of this book is the Holy Quran.
Yeah - if there is a god, it won't write books.
You said absolutely right because you have your own faith and I have mine.
But maybe if you don't research about this, Allah will also be found. Sometimes look inside yourself and see who is moving the body. And God doesn't need to write. I request you to do research about the holy Quran and see that the things that are happening today have been told years ago in the Holy Quran. Don't get angry with me, I am just correcting you
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughin' as you go
Just remember the last laugh is on you
Such a great movie. The wife was saying how we should rewatch it, as this is her favorite. Mine is the the Quest for the Holy Grail.
Mine too, @tarazkp - can pretty much quote it word for word...
Very interesting look on the idea of dying having the whole theme of the stand up shoe behind it. Galen did something similar with his post about Vikings. Glad to see the other rside of the coin here with more humour.
I'm glad there are comedian talking about woke the way this guy does. I saw Ricky Gervais' Super Nature in Netflix some days ago and I laughed my ass off. The whole ideas of what makes us cringe and hate are too good to make for comedy material. Now, political correctness has come to spoil everything.
I wonder how many comedian get cancelled because of some things like this. I remember Kevin Hart being cancelled because of a tweet of 10 years ago. Egregious.
Anyways, glad to know the dark sense of humour lives on. Life is bleak. Why should try to hide from that concept? It doesn't make it brighter.
Ricky Gervais is great, isn't he?
Funny story - before the tickets for this, I was bought tickets for Father's Day to see Ricky Gervais in Copenhagen. It was postponed too and then, the date it was finally moved to meant that we couldn't go - so had to give them away.
And, all the people who laughed at the tweet are fine. Comedians play for their audience - they make jokes to make people laugh - whether they believe in what they say or not.
Life is bleak - may as well laugh at it :)
Ricky Gervais is effing great! He's a more ñosh George Carlin. That guy was the best. All that fury and wit. It was some lovely comedy. Too bad you had to give away those tickets. But hey at least comedians can do their work over there. Ours aren't that good, but all fled for their lives.
That's a bleak punchline right there.
Well, that's true. The audience is right. Even when they aren't.
That’s basically me too, with caveats. Not afraid of dying per se, but there are a couple of ways I’d rather not go — fire or drowning. Why those two in particular I don’t know. Pretty much any other way is fine, as long as it’s quick.
But my vision of hell is lingering while medical personnel struggled to keep me alive.
I admit, fire sounds terrible. However, as someone who has almost drowned (needed resuscitation), I can recommend it. After the initial struggle, it was very, very calming.
This is where it gets dicey with drowning - as I have read that there is still brain function for some time after. Though, I am not sure if there is thought involved.
"Political correctness" I like how you termed that, those that are politically correct are often the thing they seem to profess to hate the most and that is politicians, since they have become one.
So many comedians have taken bullets from the political correct crowd, it is amazing that they still try to bring laughter to the people.
And, what is interesting here is, comedians offer more political content than the politicians - there has been a flip - where politicians are the celebrities, celebrities the ones who talk about real stuff. Makes sense - talking about what is difficult is met with anger and criticism - politicians don't want that.
We are allowed to look, dress or act in many different ways. We are allowed to have sex with nearly anyone or thing we want. But we must think alike.
lol - the absurdity of the world today.
Did I matter? Was I loved? Will I be missed? Those are things my great-grandmother worried about on her deathbed. At the time, I thought it was funny that she wasn't more concerned about dying, but, it was more about who would remember her. I was young enough to wonder why she was worrying if she was going to hell. I heard her cuss a few times when the kids were out of earshot. The nuns led us to believe that was good enough for a pass to hell.
It makes more sense now than when I was a kid. I guess wanting to know if you had no effect on the world whatsoever is something people think about. I mean, what would be the point of your life?
On a different note, Life is Beautiful is very much one of my favorite movies - ever.
At the end - I wonder if I will be thinking about whether people loved me enough, or I loved enough. Which is more important? Do I want to be missed for being gone, or appreciated for having lived?
It is all about control, isn't it?
You aren't self-centered, so you will wonder if you loved enough and you want to be appreciated for having lived.
It IS all about control.
I have noticed that most people have lost their tolerance, perceive of humour, being open to criticism after the pandemic. Everybody in streets seem to be ready to explode like a bomb. Well, we have not been going through a good period anyway.
By the way, I thanked you in my post because I have reached 1250 HP :)
Perhaps it is the frustration of being so lonely and disconnected in life - avoiding intimacy, yet craving it.
Oh damn!
I also have your post open to read, but forgot! Congrats!!!
Thank you mate!
I trip out regularly on todays society regarding comedy. Shit like Narcos, Jeffrey Epstein, husbands murdering their wife or spouse specials is totally acceptable viewing pleasure but comedians are being attacked for cracking jokes. Knock-knock: Never mind, I don't wanna piss anyone off.
That and life coaches, that's what I call'em. Between my wife's Instagram, the New section on our blockchain and YouTube, there's no shortage of motivational speakers who know more about everything than me.
You seen Jo Koy's new one he just released a couple weeks ago? Check that out, let me know if you've seen a funnier standup in '22.
What I dislike at the moment, is all of the cheating scandals given air - even from absolute unknowns. "This woman got the ultimate revenge on her cheating boyfriend" - and no one has an issue with that? Fucking hypocrites.
Ever noticed how the motivational guru types on social media - are nearly all broken individuals?
Thanks for the link - will check it out :)
Living on this planet, I realized one thing - the Universe is very cruel to its creations. Billions of years of evolution on trillions of planets are billions of years of pain. Unless of course the Earth, this is not someone's evil experiment.
People so rarely do the calculations on all the suffering a god has inflicted on countless creatures for billions of years - what an asshole.
This is so very true, but we seemingly stroll along like ghosts through life, as everyone is blind.
Perhaps it is "get what we give"?
Perhaps, but then again both of us, you and I are givers at heart.
I bid you a Good Night Champ.
Night mate - hope you are doing well down there :)
Sorry, we are well, although we are battling with the 3 daily power cuts.
Did I tell you that I am booked for another 4 stents?
4?!
2 in each leg at the thighs. Blood is not getting through to my feet and it results in severe cramps when I walk.
It really seemed like a funny show, I would have loved you invite me but there is always a next time and before i will forget we are both march in birth month it is an honor to be birth month with @tarazkp it is really a great honor sir.
I am not sure I would invite randoms, but hey - might be fun!
I know it was.
oooh
You are new here - welcome!
As a helpful tip, adding value to the comments you make will get you further :)
Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!
Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more
Boy, you said it, @tarazkp - either all of it's funny, or none of it is.
Like Jimmy Carr - the comedian who was in hot water for this not long ago. I hated his joke, but I will fight to the death for his right to say it. The Woke Police have absolutely no sense of humour, and we are in danger of ending up in a society like this one from The Orville: https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Majority_Rule
Heaven forbid...
I learnt from this writeup not to take life too seriously. Do your best, be good and don't stress much over things you can't control, as you hope and pray for the best.
However, it's easier said than done. I'm sure everyone knows that death is the inevitable end of man but can't help but worry about things that aren't going right, in as much as that doesn't solve the problem. That's because we're human and we can try not to worry but can't really be without worries. Humor is good as it helps to give us a break from our troubles and other times brings us a ray of hope. However, timing is also factor here because some bad jokes about people's situation may not be appropriate at that moment and may drive them to the edge.
On one hand is humor which is good, on the other hand is being sensitive to other people's predicament and lowest point. A balanced combo of these two factors boosts our emotional support for our neighbors/acquaintances/friends as we try to cheer them.