In the wake of the sentencing of Lindsay Lohan to 90 days jail and the avalanche of "humorous" posting online, the quick laugh sound bite on the late shows, I started to think about some of the things that we find funny when we are told that it is suppose to be funny by way of how it is being presented to us.
Humor is found in the public dissolution of a marriage, infidelity,political scandal, drug abuse, a young girl spiraling downward. I wonder would we find humor in the situation if, for say, Jay Leno or Letterman were to send one of their "interns" to the site of a horrific air crash and proceed to make jokes about unused frequent flyer miles.
I imagine it is something like the banana peel skits where the humor is somewhat out of relief that it is not us. Even though I can sit back now and think of this, I will find myself indulging in a laugh that is at the expense of someone else. I am not proud of this and would like to think that it is an uncontrolled human reaction rather than a defect in me. I can only strive to be a better person and make every effort not to be the cause of adding to another's pain.
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