Humor in the face of tragedy

 Our readings today explore how humor is used to cope with difficult situations, from mental illness to death. Bob Grigg's anecdote on humor made a point that I resonated with when he said that there is an extent to which humor is healing before it crosses into a territory of harm: "I’ve laughed at myself with contempt and fierce anger, which can be emotionally self-harming. This doesn’t happen much anymore, but I still have to pay attention to what I’m laughing at." I thought it was interesting that he pointed out self-deprecation as a form harm when the other article for today explores how self-deprecation can also be a tool for tension relief and entertainment. This caused me to wonder, who is the judge of territory when humor is self-deprecating? Is it the joker or the audience? From experience, I know that too much self-deprecating humor is uncomfortable and concerning. Based on most humor types, I think its effects depends on the severity of the scenario and the impact of such mechanism. 

Additionally, I found the humor study in the Death Studies article to be accurate and thought provoking. I realized most humor surrounding death is really based on timing - humor debunks the fear leading up to death and eases the pain after death. This reminds me of comments be dad often makes, such as "I am worth more money dead than alive..." (He is usually referencing life insurance) It really bothers my mom because she'd rather not think of him dead, but I think he clings to this idea because he likes to remind us how temporary life is. There is irony in the fact that money would be rewarded for the loss of human life, which is invaluable. Ultimately, humor related to death reminds us that we share in humanity, so we can either cope together or suffer alone.