Humour, That Makes Me Cringe

Something which causes amusement, makes people laugh, or has a hilarious quality to it, is what is called humorous. There is no two ways about the fact that there are many many different kinds of humour, and each has its own kind of appeal, more importantly, each one us enjoy different kinds of humour. And while somethings may make me laugh till I have tears in my eyes, it may do absolutely nothing to someone else. While I am very bad at making people laugh, whether through my writing, or even trying to re-tell tried and tested jokes(they fall flat the way I narrate them), I simply love having my laughs, and I can never stop admiring, people who have the ability to make others laugh or put a smile on their faces. It is indeed a rare gift.

I can laugh at pretty much everything, I enjoy getting my laughs, but humour at the cost of someone else, just never ever amuses me, infact it infuriates me. Toilet humour, grosses me out terribly, but I understand, when people find it funny. But laughing by poking fun at others, something I just cannot stand. It happens pretty much everywhere, all around the place, and it simply sickens me. It has the cruelty label of high-school bullies, it has the markings of insensitivity, and add to that, its usually a group of many picking on one.

Laughing at one self is a quality few posses, and those who do, live their entire life like a laugh, but laughing on others is just a quality of the weak minded bullies in my opinion. One of the most obvious ways to poke fun of someone is by targeting their weight, this obviously applies to the overweight or obese. No one, enjoys being fat, being laughed at about that does indeed hurt. Then of course, there is being picked on because one does not fit in to whatever surroundings the person is in, it can be colour, place, accent, family, anything, absolutely anything at all. Its not funny to laugh on others, it simply is not. And even if you are not the one actively doing it, but just joining in with the laughs, it is not done.

When I was working, and that was eons ago, I remember one of my colleagues, who joined us, and was this very very tall man, shy, reserved and he hardly spoke. He was not good looking, or impressive, belonged to in fact he was reticent. Coming from a small town in Rajasthan, he could not speak English too well, and hence preferred keeping to himself. The older guys in the project, felt it was their birth right to poke fun at him. This was done openly, and their attitude about it, was like that is what is expected of them. It sickened me to the core. I was a fresher, much much junior in the corporate hierarchy, and kept quiet. The guy himself, passed feeble smiles at every joke, and pretended to enjoy them himself. I can never forget those incidences, and more importantly, I cannot forget the nauseating feeling it created within me. Picking on the weaker for a few laughs, what else would better define a bully?

Whatever the reason, I have never been able to join in with laughs, at the expense of someone else, even if they are my sworn enemy. I think its just cheap and demeaning to laugh at someone, it is insensitive and mean. My personal opinion absolutely. Some think its quite OK, done in the spur of the moment, just for laughs, and should be taken in the right spirit, I have never been able to take that line of thought. The nothing personal often added at the end of such sessions, just makes it more disgusting to me. What surprises me, is the way such things happen beyond the walls of high-school, in relatively educated and elite circles. People may have a great sense of humour about themselves, and while most can take being laughed on within a circle of people with whom they feel safe and secure, I doubt anyone, really enjoys walking into a pub and being made the butt of jokes for the evening. I don't think poking fun of others is humorous in anyway at all. A person who can really get laughs, never needs to poke fun of others to do it.

I enjoy santa-banta jokes, adult jokes, situational laughter, comics, humorous blogs. Those are all my kind of humour, what is your kind ?