Inside the opening pages of my new book, comedy takes a hit on the chin by way of exposing its true identity…there shall be no laughter unless an act of relating unfolds.
Capitalizing on that very gene is Hollywood actor and writer Seth Rogen whose brand of showmanship makes being a dumb klutz with behind closed doors shock and awe an incredibly cool adventure.
But why are we laughing?
Bathroom humor to a radio jock is the one place station program directors fight daily to keep us from reaching, claiming listeners don’t want to hear about toilet paper sticking to the bottom of your shoe then walking out and the first person you meet is a sharp dressed, hair perfectly combed potential client. Yet it’s become almost embarrassingly legal for shows like Two in a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother to set things up on network television in ways that influence us to reach for the computer to locate the punch line on an easy to locate website.
But why are we laughing?
The New York Times recently printed a story that claims laughter is an instinctual survival tool for social animals not an intellectual response to wit. Wait wait! Harold the rescued Maltese loves to socialize with every neighbor on the block. Do you mean to tell me the wag of his tail and the way he squints his eyes is a puppies way of saying, “The funniest thing happened to me on the way over to your house.”
People don’t like to confront…so they use comedy as a way to smooth things over. Insert laugh here…who can’t relate with this? Quickly look to the floor, good no toilet paper on my shoe. Move forward slowly.
Proper discussions no longer take place at work or at home…the mere suggestion of having a meeting of thought sends a well protected wall straight up ten miles. Whatever it takes to keep confrontation away from the gates leading to the front door of the world we call our own.
Teeth that have been ground down to the nerve have suddenly started showing up at dentist offices. Being the confrontational type, I took on the doctor and said, “Stop trying to reinvent ways to boost my bill!” Not a lick of fear in his eyes, “Then stop holding back on letting people know how you feel. I’m starting to see it on your chewed up lips, your teeth and along the inside of your mouth.”
Ignoring a problem won’t make it go away. Although we’re addicted to walking entire football fields away from chronic behavior, we’ve chosen a much easier route to deflate…bathroom humor that usually starts with someone saying, “Ok, I’m probably going to cross the line here, so if you’re easily offended…you might want to roll your chair back into cubical number 22.” But you don’t…our top goals in life aren’t fame and fortune…it’s to be and feel accepted! So, we elect to stay and sure enough, it went the Seth Rogen way.
The New York Times writes, “People choose to move rather than remove.” A story about apartment living, the man next door snores so loud it rocks the Rocky Mountains. Calmly knocking on the door is so 1985. If NBA and NFL players refuse to locate roots in the cities they play…we find acceptance in playing the same game. The sleepless neighbor felt it was his part to move across town while the noisy snoring machine lived live like nothing was happening.
Face it…nobody is from here anymore! I checked out of Montana fresh out of high school because I just couldn’t deal with my family. I can’t imagine what life would be like today if I had taken the time to sit down and weigh out both sides of the separated planets.
“Where you from?”
“Everywhere…”
“What brought you here?”
“Neighbor had toilet paper on the bottom of his shoe. Freaked me out!”
Painted is the picture of a generation that truly doesn’t get along. Facebook and Twitter might serve as avenues of communication but how many times do you find yourself discussing the really good stuff without radio or television doing it for you? If you do get locked up in deep heart wrenching self discovery…did you achieve it because nobody could see you or you’ve assumed the role of thumb typist and it’s the only way to play without getting busted for rolling your eyes?
To avoid is to suffer. Andrea Kay who authored Works a B**** lays it on the line to help land faith back on the path that once fed your career a reason to move. She speaks of a boss who hems and haws while fake laughing her way through conversation. Her employees fear the idea of discussing anything because a true identity has never taken shape.
How many times have you heard, “Who are you today?” Is this why the divorce rate is now 52%? The Stock Market and banking industry might not have crashed if they would’ve set aside their competitive ways and discussed a few options before leading the entire train down a clueless path.
I call it the art of bend and flow…as if to be a willow set free to grow along side a riverbank. Let it flood, doesn’t matter, we have roots and a stem that bends with the wind.
The best are not at the top of the company ladder…they’re hidden within the ranks of an honest wage for a good days work. No need to climb any higher when being truly effective on the business front requires nothing more than loyalty and dedication without corporate hesitation.
So…where’s the comedy in all this? If laughter doesn’t exist unless there’s an act or event that we can relate with…make me laugh! The shock isn’t Seth Rogen or Charlie Sheen, they’re the awe…the release, the letting go because we’ve located people we can relate with and in doing so; we accept them into our living rooms and theaters. No need to dress them up in fancy clothes…we are the Family Guy not Dr. Welby MD or Mike Brady.
RollingStone Magazine calls Will Ferrell one of the top 100 geniuses who will change the world in the next ten years. A master of improv, point the camera that way, whatever is…is and what isn’t shall not only decorate the cutting room floor…but will make great bonus material to lift DVD sales. In the Chinese restaurant world this is liquid gold….American’s love their Egg Rolls.
Is there is solution to our delusion? Nope…not in the mood to listen.
Steal my art…
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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