Jarod,
It was good to see you the other day. Realizing that the show I brought (BBC's 'The Office'), didn't really fit your sense of humor, I wanted to offer some thoughts/ramblings about my attraction to dark humour.
In the past, I've mentioned my appreciation for the show South Park, and have been surprisingly amused by other similar programs. Both South Park and BBC's 'The Office' contain what might be considered mean or dark comedy, and they tickle me in ways deeper than perhaps I should be reacting. First, 'The Office'. Ricky Gervais portrays the character 'David Brent', an insecure and socially awkward boss. Brent deeply wants people to like him, which makes his role as a boss very difficult to maintain. The painfulness is watching him lie to himself about his ability to make others laugh, about his acceptance by his workers as an authority, and the fact that he is getting along in years. While he is busy 'mucking around', the others in the office are aware of his ridiculousness but are indifferent. The fact is, everyone is generally unsatisfied with their jobs, to the point where it doesn't matter who the boss is or how he acts. It is this intensely sad state of work environment that creates the fertile soil for a turn-around in emotions: bitter laughter.
There is a self-indulgence in seeing a hated scenario played out, but having the liberty to laugh out loud at the representions of people or caricatures who annoy. It feels good.
I wonder if this is normal, or if it is a perversion of humor. I think I know the answer. The reason humor is so loved is because it's powerful. It can empty something of it's worth. Good laughter finds ridiculous things and puts them in their place.
Perhaps that is the danger of letting humor run through you rampantly. It can turn dark and leave nothing sacred. But often humor is left unchecked, and is used as a guide to find truth. If something is mockable, you laugh at it and distance yourself from it. So often this happens in the theological/philosophical realm. If people find your view so ridiculous that they laugh in your face, you're much more tempted to reconsider your view. When one person finds something funny, and another doesn't, the emotional disconnect is painfully obvious. I wonder if I structure my ideas and arguments within bounds that are impervious to stinging humor.
But with South Park and BBC's 'The Office', nothing is sacred. And the wild popularity of shows like these speaks to the narcissistic/bitter feelings steeped within our culture. Nothing is sacred, and to a large degree, authority is powerless. We don't want it. We mock it.
