One Person's Joke Is Another Person's Philosophical Quandary

The best humor is the stuff that we are all familiar with, but rarely consider.  A prime candidate for humor is the fact that our society is completely accepting of violence in almost every form, but is thoroughly aghast at even the hint of sexuality.

A comedian can make this observation, give a few examples, get a few laughs, and move on.  And there's no problem with that.  Comedians are there to make people laugh and that's all people want from comedians.

But sometimes there is more than a good laugh.  Sometimes the point that a comedian may bring up is a serious one.  Sometimes it confounds the mind and demands attention.  The joke has become a philosophical quandary.

When we write, we have two options to take.  We can be comedians or philosophers.  Arguably, comedians are philosophers, but what I mean is that you can choose to take any situation and play it off lightly or take it seriously.

The choice is always yours.  It comes down to whether you want to look at an idea in depth or if you want to mention it as part of a larger whole.

And when the audience reads what you write, regardless of which choice you take, they could very easily have the opposite reaction.  A joke may be taken seriously and a serious piece may be joked about.  Of course, in that situation, all you can do is roll with the punches.  If you have gotten a person to think because of your writing, you are doing a good job.