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mrfritz

- 5 months ago

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Are Death and Comedy a Good Mix?

Death? LOL, I say

With the unexpected news of North Korea’s infamous leader, Kim Jong II coming days before the New Year, 2011 will most certainly be remembered for Fate’s ruthless attitude towards dictatorships across the globe. In addition to Kim Jong II, Moammar Gadhafi and Osama bin Laden were both provided a ticket to their final destination.

This week, Tonic.com takes on whether the celebration of these deaths is really within the "right" part of the human spirit, and (shocker) I've got an answer. Surely while the rest of the civilized world took to the streets to celebrate the deaths of these evil widely despised leaders, there were a number of family members, life-long friends and sons and daughters who wept at the loss of their fallen comrades. While most of the world’s population viewed these men as merely bloodthirsty tyrants, innocent children and a number of significant others depended on these men for life, for protection and for a future. As far as they were concerned these men were good people; they provided the required shelter and resources needed to survive in their war-torn counties. In the eyes of their children, these powerful leaders weren’t masterminds behind horrific acts of terrorism or brutatlity or tyrannical rule, they were just dad.

Facebook posts, tweets, viral memes and videos spread across the globe like wildfire at the news of their deaths. Comedians cracked jokes, radio personalities poked fun and late-night talk-show hosts dedicated entire “Top Ten Lists” to their deaths, yes- their deaths. Personally, I have zero sympathy for sick and demonic animals: justice was rightfully served. But just because they got what they deserved doesn’t necessarily give me the right to laugh, or celebrate for that matter. I could nod my head and shrug my shoulders before moving on with my day just as easily as I could go out of my way to laugh in the face of death. But I can't seem to get there, because I simply love laughing about it instead.

Is laughter truly the best medicine… even in the face of death?

Team SP

mrfritz NYC

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If life must not be taken too seriously - then so neither must death.
- Samuel Butler

Death is inevitable. Laugh while you can.

Why do they lock on the cemetary gates at night? Because people are dying to get in. :) That joke always kills !!!!

I do not care for celebration of someone's death as in "yeah he died let's feast" but i certainly love and appreciate laugh even in the face of death. You have to laugh, you need to laugh I don't know if it's the BEST medicine for all of us but it is for me.

Yes but only in movies...Like Death at the funeral.. kickass movie

Where the Portuguese & Irish come together. Yes, yes yes!

Grief is an extremely complicated thing. I wish I was more well equipped to deal with it when I will have to in the coming years.

Yet, I think being ill-equipped gives me some perspective on what I can say to this question. I do think laughter is part of grief: remembering the life of somebody, poking jokes at them, whatever. At some point along the way, people became afraid of death because they were greedy for life. People cling to it like Smaug clings to his treasure in the Lonely Mountain. It has become natural. We crave time like we crave food. When things start to change with time, we do not know how to deal. I think when people close to us die, it only reminds us of how short our lives are and how short our time is becoming. We loved somebody so much that we do not want the present to change. We want life as it was, but we cannot change it. We have no power over time, so in the face of a wall un-scalable, what can we do other than laugh at the absurdity? What can we do other than remember good times when they were alive and laugh like they used to in life? What can we do other than to try and remain optimistic and laugh about the good things that comes of a Tyrant's death?

How else can we shield ourselves from a blow so powerful that we would die from the mere sight of it?

Laughing at death makes it easier for us to accept it as a part of being alive.

Death as a medicine is one thing. Often times we laugh so we do not cry. I don't see anything wrong with that. After any disaster I think it is ok to laugh, to make fun or to stir up some humor. It helps people move on with their lives. That is in fact proven and there is nothing wrong with that. Yet, when the situation has no stake to us, is it really ok to laugh. If I told you my father died I don't think you would crack a joke. So why then is it so OK to laugh at Kim Jong II? For some reason all the material is funny, it tickles the ole' funny bone. But I don't think it is ok to laugh. Mostly because if all you have to do is laugh at it, odds are it didn't have that much of an effect on you and therefore it really isn't your business.

Yes! Have you ever seen the movie Hot Fuzz? Lots of death, but really funny.

YES! YES! YES! We gathered to figure out what to do with my grandmother's passing in 1999. She was the matriarch of the family. She was respected by all of us. The issue we had before us was that she NEVER wanted a funeral or a viewing. To make matters more complex she was not a spiritual person and no religious affiliation in the least!!
We all gathered at the funeral home to discuss the issue. ALL OF US... aunts, uncles, cousins, grand children, great-grand children. We all filed into the office. We packed ourselves in. About 40 of us. As we began to discuss "arrangements" one person made a joke. That spark ignited a laughing joke fest that was so therapeutic. When we finished the director said that she had never had a meeting quite like that. I am sure she never will again. The laughter and jokes continued as we placed gag items in her casket with her that she would have laughed her a*s off at if she were alive. We all watched in the distance as each person visited the casket to pay their respects to this great woman. Each one went up so somber and with a feeling of emptiness. We would chuckle as each face went to shock and confusion then to a smile as they viewed the false teeth on her pillow, the little other gag items loving placed around this woman that was so vibrant in life and now lay still.
Everyone came up to us to say...At first I thought how inappropriate! this is not the place or time! Then I changed my mind to this is exactly what she would like. No tears and lots of laughter.'
Then we handed them the memorial cards. That was a bit of a trick as well. Again not a religious woman...what to do. We cropped a photo of her to be the "free space" in the center of a bingo card. (Her favorite game and past time.) The warmth that we received from all that came to see her and knew her was overwhelming.
I don't know why we don't have more celebrations of passing. Why do we so mourn a beautiful life? I have told my children this is exactly what I want when this becomes my time. Laughter is just as healing as crying. I think it is just as honorable to laugh and have a wonderful time in a person's name. I know many do not agree with me on this approach. Many will mourn losses. As for me I will go on with my approach to death smiling, laughing, and warmly remembering what made me attracted to the person's spirit. Why I was drawn to the comfort of their soul and knowing that this is not the last time I will see them. Knowing that their energy is still around me and with in me.

As Jack Handey says, "Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why
several of us died of tuberculosis."

Insert rimshot here.

ONLY If the person who died allows you too, or if you ABSOLUTELY know they wouldn't care if you made jokes about them. I for one wouldn't care if only they were JOKES not intense hate messages.

The lot of a dicator when he falls from favor is death. One speculates if a benevolent dictator exists somewhere that the people would benefit from quick and decisive actio. Today when the fear of God's displeasure seems to be absent I don't guess that the relatives are much worried about wher he would rank in the heareafter and the tears they shed are probably are from worry of what they will do hereafter. Sieg H or pardon I salute your site for worry about that instead of what they taught their kids to be or not to be.

It's not the use of humor that offends me, it's the dissonance in the callous snarks. It's okay to target disdain on those who, like terrorists and dictators, clearly lack respect for the lives of others. There's a line between showing disrespect for the target and showing disrespect for life itself, so when a joke crosses it I can't laugh condescendingly because the joke and the target seem morally equal.

I think it's ok to make jokes about the death of people like that. It's important to keep a sense of humor in my opinion and it can help us see things in a more optimistic way. However, actually celebrating the death of anyone isn't right. Even if the most terrible person in the world died who nobody liked, though it would be for the better, I don't think it should be celebrated because it's still the death of a person.

Humor is one of the most brilliant and effective ways to get through the process of a death. My dad's sickness and passing would have been even more difficult had we not been able to share the funny side of things.

I believe that death and comedy are indeed a good mix. This is based of my affirmation that through comedy, we are able to speak the unspeakable. One way or another, someone will find humor in a situation regardless if it is in a positive or negative light. Comedy often seems to mix very well in more negative ways such as death then average everyday occurrences.

death is complicated, it's something we all have to deal with or experience at some point or another, it happens every single day, often times it can be incredibly tragic or even unexpected.. and just the idea of 'death' itself seems like it's something that would be the complete opposite of laughter and comedy, and while it's definently something that should be respected.. i think laughter has its part in everything, we're only human, another girl mentioned it can be used as a coping mechanism, i've also seen people on their death bed cracking small jokes to their loved ones before they go, horatio sanz actually made the arguement when a comic makes fun of something particularly dark or tragic - it can be themselves dealing with something that makes them very uncomfortable. i know when witnessing my boyfriend and his father and 2 uncles drinking in a bar and moarning the loss of his other uncle - telling jokes and hilarious stories about him was the only thing that broke the silence and helped get them through, and i'm sure that happens all the time too.

i don't know if laughter is truly the best medicine, but it absolutely plays its part.

You made some very interesting comments. Most thought provoking which I think is what SouldPancake for me is about. I thought the celebrating of the dictators deaths most distressing. Not the celebrating by the people who had lived under their tyranny but other countries using the opportunity to display their bad manners for the world to see. Nobody is wholly bad or perfectly good and how dare we negate anyone's grief by making light or fun of it. Sure, laughter is the best medicine. We should be discreet where it is displayed.

SoulPancake

mrfritz

Are Death and Comedy a Good Mix?

Is laughter truly the best medicine… even in the face of death?

idamines

If life must not be taken too seriously - then so neither must death.
- Samuel Butler

geekinacardigan

Death is inevitable. Laugh while you can.

Schrutedit

Why do they lock on the cemetary gates at night? Because people are dying to get in. :) That joke always kills !!!!

Santuli

I do not care for celebration of someone's death as in "yeah he died let's feast" but i certainly love and appreciate laugh even in the face of death. You have to laugh, you need to laugh I don't know if it's the BEST medicine for all of us but it is for me.

rockheadpankaj

Yes but only in movies...Like Death at the funeral.. kickass movie

allypow

Where the Portuguese & Irish come together. Yes, yes yes!

Morivou

AdaezeLovesYou

Laughing at death makes it easier for us to accept it as a part of being alive.

AddictedtoDirt

TheSlyJester

Yes! Have you ever seen the movie Hot Fuzz? Lots of death, but really funny.

jyoung401

northstop

As Jack Handey says, "Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why
several of us died of tuberculosis."

Insert rimshot here.

RyanCantDrum

ONLY If the person who died allows you too, or if you ABSOLUTELY know they wouldn't care if you made jokes about them. I for one wouldn't care if only they were JOKES not intense hate messages.

Hali

Bombill

mmerberg

CheekyJD

Humor is one of the most brilliant and effective ways to get through the process of a death. My dad's sickness and passing would have been even more difficult had we not been able to share the funny side of things.

ApplePython

brainsnotbombs

learner

Are Death and Comedy a Good Mix?

Is laughter truly the best medicine… even in the face of death?

If life must not be taken too seriously - then so neither must death.- Samuel Butler

Death is inevitable. Laugh while you can.

Why do they lock on the cemetary gates at night? Because people are dying to get in. :) That joke always kills !!!!

I do not care for celebration of someone's death as in "yeah he died let's feast" but i certainly love and appreciate laugh even in the face of death. You have to laugh, you need to laugh I don't know if it's the BEST medicine for all of us but it is for me.

Yes but only in movies...Like Death at the funeral.. kickass movie

Where the Portuguese & Irish come together. Yes, yes yes!

Laughing at death makes it easier for us to accept it as a part of being alive.

Yes! Have you ever seen the movie Hot Fuzz? Lots of death, but really funny.

As Jack Handey says, "Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is whyseveral of us died of tuberculosis."Insert rimshot here.

ONLY If the person who died allows you too, or if you ABSOLUTELY know they wouldn't care if you made jokes about them. I for one wouldn't care if only they were JOKES not intense hate messages.

Humor is one of the most brilliant and effective ways to get through the process of a death. My dad's sickness and passing would have been even more difficult had we not been able to share the funny side of things.

What's Next?

If life must not be taken too seriously - then so neither must death.
- Samuel Butler

As Jack Handey says, "Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why
several of us died of tuberculosis."

Insert rimshot here.