Tuesday, June 2, 2015

When Did We Become Such Ninnies?

So I wrote a piece for Eat Sleep Write in which I had a bit of fun with God, Heaven, grudges and purgatory.  It was done to play with the concept of how to reconcile being in a perfected state/place, and the petty, small and difficult things that clog up the heart and soul but it apparently upset people who read it because it was "too religious."

At first, I felt annoyed.  Have we become so fragile we cannot even endure someone else laughing about their own faith and failure to live that faith fully?  Did the very notion of such a person existing give vapors?  Do we need "Trigger zones" for those who wish to discuss anything other than the weather and everyone's health, a fine day and how do you do?   Because if everyone's feelings are paramount, someone will always be offended by whatever is posted.

How dare I post a picture of a sad puppy!  There are cat people out there who feel left out.  

or this...

People on diets, people lactose intolerant, and people who don't (for whatever reason), like chocolate again do not feel special.  

I cannot make everyone feel special anymore than I can make everyone laugh.  Humor by its nature is about poking at one's own or others misconceptions or faults.

But after thinking about it and praying about it, and wanting to go all Southern on those who felt discomfited by the fluff piece I wrote, I went back to the basics of humor writing.

1) The biggest fault a humorist can have, is the inability to laugh at one's self, to be a humorless prig about one's "art."

2) The second biggest fault, is to be "not funny." See #1.

3) The third biggest fault is to fight with people about the joke itself.  See #1,

So to those who felt the piece too religious, all I can say is, writing humor is a style, and sometimes, it doesn't suit everyone.

For the story that started it all, Why I'll Probably Be Spending More Time in Purgatory, the reaction probably added to my time as well for all those who appreciate irony.   For those irritated, take satisfaction in knowing, I'll pay for this...

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If you sneak my work, No Chocolate for You!