From our own experiences growing up, there were many instances when our peers made deriding jokes about us. In fact whenever someone made a sarcastic remark about us we either laughed it off or crafted a comeback. This is evidenced by the mchongoano sessions that we used to have where we had to craft a witty remark about our peers. I also remember we used to enjoy “Yo mama jokes”. The thing about those jokes is that sometimes they were very personal and told us the bitter truth.
The society has changed over time; nowadays you can get into serious trouble for saying something funny. We have lost our sense of humour. Our ability to express or even perceive something funny has systematically been muzzled and our funny bone is becoming extinct. We have become too serious, too sensitive, too politically correct that we have killed the creativity required to do or say something funny. Nowadays you can’t tell fat jokes lest the plus size activists start protesting and ‘cancel” you. You can’t tell short jokes, lest the chairlady of short people united sues you for defamation. Too many activists! There is too much censuring of creative thought. Some sensitive and fragile people who have a no sense of humour even prescribe the kind of jokes people should say. A joke is funny because it is unexpected. Go to a meeting of activists and you will meet the dullest people on earth.
We have become too serious for life. May be we can borrow a leaf from the life of Greek philosopher, Diogenes the cynic. Diogenes was famous for his wit and punch lines that left kings, philosophers and citizens scampering for safety. He chose to live a simple life in the streets and begged for food for survival. The phrase that some people live to eat while others eat to live is attributed to him.
Whenever people insulted Diogenes, he took it in stride. He was often derisively referred to as the dog. One day at a dinner, some people were tossing bones at him as though he were a dog; but he countered there insults by pissing on the bones as though he were a dog. Humour is a useful coping mechanism.
Diogenes did not care much about kings and authority either. One day as he was basking in the sun, Alexander the Great approached him and asked if there was anything he could do for him. Diogenes told him to “stand out of my sun! The great king was standing in the way of him sunning himself. The king was so impressed by him that he went away saying that if he were not Alexander the Great, he would be Diogenes. Nowadays you can’t even laugh, let alone joke in the presence of someone in authority.
Diogenes also pushed the social boundaries and norms. He would regularly masturbate in public and used to say, ‘If only one could put an end to hunger by rubbing one’s stomach!’ He was gangster. He also enjoyed showing disdain for sophists who made useless clever arguments. One time, after a philosopher made a convincing argument that motion did not exist, Diogenes stood and walked away to make his point.
When he was captured and was being sold as a slave, he was asked what his profession was, he said” to govern men” and demanded that he be sold to a someone who needed a master.
Diogenes had so much contempt for life that whenever he experienced misfortune, he would thank the gods for confronting him in a manly fashion, as he whistled away. Not even the gods would break his spirit!
Legend has it that Diogenes died by holding his breath. He died on his own terms.
Fabio