On my last trip to Disney World I bought a button which has a picture of scar, from The Lion King, on it. When you push on the button Scar says “I’m surrounded by idiots.” I love this button, because let’s face it; we all are surrounded by idiots. I mostly keep it locked away in my trunk (yes I have a trunk-just like Harry Potter) because I think some people might take offense at being called idiots, but I think about it often. Many times throughout the day I can hear a little Scar voice in my ear saying “I’m surrounded by idiots”
I have a lot of comedians in my life. They are funny. Not funny like "real" comedians, but funny nonetheless. This is both good and bad. Good because it allows us to tell each other things that need to be said, hard things, in a somewhat less critical manner; bad, because sometimes sensitive things are treated a bit too lightly.
My friends and I are very sarcastic-my family too actually. In fact in my family we show our love for each other almost exclusively through sarcasm. This works for my family and friends, cuz we get it, but not always with other people. Sometimes a "loving" remark can be misunderstood as hostility.
My best friend and I frequently tell each other that the other is fat, and not jokingly, but it's also not offensive. It's our way of saying "hey man you need to watch it or you're going to die of a massive coronary someday" just in fewer words. It is an act of love - without getting all girly and mushy we are able to say 'hey I want you to be healthy and don't want to see bad things happen to you.' The same goes for when my friends tell me I drive like a madman. It's kind of true, I am an aggressive and somewhat impatient driver at times...okay most of the time - and I take their remarks and criticism to mean that they want me to be more careful.
Other people however, who have not been introduced to our way of communicating...well they don't take "you're fat" and "you drive like a moron" so lightly. I understand why, but I wish they understood my actual meaning when I say things like that. I'd like to think that I am not handicapped by this inability to communicate like a normal person - but I probably am.
Likewise when I find myself in a sentimental mood or at stressful moments I too can find offense in the funny (and often hilarious) comments made by my friends and family.
I began to think about all of this the other night when a friend of mine pointed out that I laugh a lot. Like a lot a lot - at everything. In large part I laugh a lot because I have learned in life to see most any negative situation, comment, or experience in a humorous light. I also laugh a lot because there is a lot of messed up stuff in the world, and a lot of messed up people, but if you really think about it - it's all quite hilarious too. Especially when we consider how almost any awkward, negative, or even tragic situation can be (and probably was) brought about by someone just being stupid.
Thanks to modern popular media, we spend most of our laughter on stupid people these days. Zoolander and mean girls are not hilarious because the characters are intelligent people who make good decisions. The writers who wrote them are obviously geniuses but in real life we are also surrounded by idiots. Not all of them are actually idiots, but let's face it, we all have idiotic moments. The other day, walking down the street in Salt Lake City, I almost ran into a tree because I wasn't watching where I was going. That was funny. It would have been even funnier had I actually run into it; a lot funnier in fact.
That, to me, is why there is so much to laugh at in the world. Sometimes that stupidity can bring about serious consequences that put real people in real danger. Imagining the circumstances that brought that about can still be funny though. A friend of mine cannot help but laugh (and quite loudly) whenever anything funny/embarrassing happens, and I love her for it. It’s hilarious; both the person messing up and her lack of ability to control her laughter.
Often, people are willing to overlook the not-so-smooth moves made by others in order to spare them embarrassment or whatever, but come on - we all do it. None of us is as smooth, tactful, or cool as we would like to think we are. Half the chuckles and guffaws that escape my lips I make in reference to myself. Just the other day I accidentally sent a couple texts to exactly the wrong person - It was extremely stupid - but also extremely hilarious. My roommate and I laughed for a good long while. And it was fun. Many other laughs followed as I attempted to repair the situation and as I was teased about it by the girls who got the text.
So, what’s the point of this all? I think we all need to laugh more. Again I find myself the perfect example of what the rest of the world should be (don’t be too jealous- it is a heavy burden to bear). If only Disney still made the Scar buttons for everyone to carry around and push every time someone tripped, dropped something, said something stupid, or even caused a minor catastrophe, I think the world would be a better, happier place.
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