Humor is no laughing matter. Yes, there are the obvious benefits of humor - laughing releases helpful endorphins and a good joke allows us to "lighten up" and relieve stress. But there are much darker things masked behind the smiling face of comedy. We must confront the clowns of our nightmares and bravely ask, "Why do you frighten us?"
I will not here address the gestures of the jester - the actual act of relaying comedic information to an audience. But I will say this: Do not underestimate the lengths a man will go to for the sake of a joke. Harmless pranks soon become violent; so many tragedies begin this way. Amidst the chorus of laughter, we often forget that though sticks and stones will break your bones, words still can hurt you.
Humor itself is a powerful force of social incentive. In a relationship of any caliber, people often look for someone with a sense of humor, but the problem lies in what we find amusing.
Of all the emotional responses, humor differs widely between individuals and societies. If you read ancient works, you will be moved by the romances and haunted by the tragedies. Yet, you may not recognize the jokes. In Shakespeare's comedies, there is often a footnote describing how something dull to me would've been found hilarious by his audience. Indeed, humor evolves over time: In America alone, one can trace the descent from Groucho Marx and Woody Allen to Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. The strings of comedy are woven through human history; however, in its current form, the threads of humor threaten to tear the fabric of society.
To those unfamiliar, let me describe what is now popular in mainstream adolescent comedy. Cruel parody has replaced witty satire. Classic satirists, such as Voltaire or Mark Twain, used to mock something to point out its intrinsic flaws
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