Laughing the joyful expression that identifies humans as happy, joyous and having fun. So many things make me smile and laugh. The most usual though is seeing or hearing something that reminds me of my own actions or decisions that are so crazy they are funny. Some examples include, staying in a brothel, not identifying when men are wanting sex only, whilst I am happily daydreaming about commitment and marriage. The list is endless.
I find reflecting on my own behaviours is funny and in a way perhaps cathartic. Yet on this day we are encouraged to laugh at others expense on purpose. The French history for this holiday makes me smile as a person who is in process of settling in France. Yet I womder at the fact that laughing purely at someone elses expense makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Ihave often had the conversation about laughing at people for difference from outisde of that group. For example. the Jewish stereotypes of noses and money orientation. When we found Jewish roots recently on my Mums side of the family it was funny when my brother announced that had I seen my nose ! He isnt wrong it is on the pronounced and narrow side for a classically feminine face it is not. We laughed at this together, along with my buying a diamond eternity ring that I found and was both beautiful and an excellent price ! Something my brother and I also joked about. Him lauging at me about being very Jewish ( we are not officially Jewish as our great grandparents were anglicanised in name before the war. ) But still we laugh and joke about these stereotypes between us. However when I was laughed at for my features for other people to laugh at me I did not laugh. It wasnt funny. When my friend who is also Jewish had fun made out of him I didnt think it was funny. It made me cross and sad. I find jokes about stereotypes of women or cultures are not funny. Yet I still hear them on the television, and around me. It really makes me think what do I really find funny.
Satire is amusing and contexturally if it is about men who have white priviledge historically its actually hilarious. Laughing at people who try and hold power or violence is a massive act of defiance. The first time I shared comedy posts about plain clothes police officers and flying squad no being able to pee without covering the toilet floor. (Bearing in mind I had been brutally attacked by a couple of these males ) It felt great to be able to laugh. Knowing that the fragility of the ego of men who beat up women and children and rape for power, do not like to be laughed at! I found ths funnier than so many other aspects of comedy works, because it had a personal element. The life of Brian when the Jewish man and the soldiers laugh at the Roman rulers, it was hilarious. This is a way of truely finding some way of processing pain from the obvious fact that millions of Jewish people and slaves were murdered and tortured by romans and other power groups in history.
One of my favourite TV shows is ‘allo ‘allo. Where the Nazis occupying Germany are ridiculed and stereotyped for amusement. In the same way that the regime did a the beginnng using humor and satire against the Jewish population. This show makes me laugh because in itself it is rebellious and makes the Germans Nazi party look silly. What better way is there to really try and process the horrors that these men and women purposefully inflicted on a race and other minority groups. I find that very funny. So I think when refelcting on this question. I find that laughter is probably an act of rebellion for me….