Do Those People Know Bernie Is Dead?

     Anybody out there a fan of "The Big Bang Theory" on TV? If you aren't, there is a character on the show named Sheldon who is completely humorless. He rarely, if ever, gets the joke everyone else is laughing at and his own jokes are enjoyed by him alone. He's very gifted at sucking the life out of conversations, parties, trips, and relationships with his single-minded, humorless monologues. Which makes him very funny on a TV show when he's doing it to someone else, but when you are dealing with people like that in your own life--not as funny.

     I ran into a few Sheldons in my forays this week--humorless people who wander through life never seeing the lighter side of things. You know who I'm talking about--when you're standing around the water cooler at work and someone says, "If the boss makes us work any more weekends, I'm going to sell my condo and just move in here," and everyone laughs except one guy who says with a straight face, "The boss is probably making us work extra hours because the country is in a recession and he is trying to keep the company competitive so we don't all lose our jobs." Hear that noise? It's the joy being sucked out of the room.

      We all know why we are working extra hours and we all know the shape the country is in, but why does that one guy have to remind us when we are sharing a chuckle? Just because it's true doesn't mean it's the right time and place to talk about it. It's like leaning over a little kid's shoulder as he's blowing out the candles on his birthday cake and saying, "You know, someday you're going to die." Also true, but kind of a buzz kill for the birthday boy.

     When I do run into someone who seems to have no measurable sense of humor, I wonder how they cope with life's little unpleasant surprises. If I couldn't laugh at and make fun of the irritations and complications of life, I would most likely step in front of a moving bus. I'm not one for exploring the deeper meaning of why my dog gets so excited about riding in the car that he throws up every time--I would much rather make a funny story out of it and remember, as I scrape the recycled Kibbles and Bits off the floor mat, the belly laugh that shook my husband when I told it to him.

     Obviously, not everything in life is a joke and not everyone finds the same things funny, but imagine watching the original Death at a Funeral and thinking, "Oh, that poor man. He was only trying to help and he got poop all over his hand," instead of laughing horrified laughter until tears stream down your face. Or imagine watching The Hangover and turning to your spouse to say, "That naked man must have been hot in that car trunk. Do you have any idea what the median temperature is in Nevada?" while your spouse can't hear you because he is pounding the table to punctuate his laughter. It must be a lonely feeling.

     Sometimes, it isn't a lack of humor. Sometimes, the person normally enjoys a good laugh, but they didn't take your words in the manner that you intended them or they misunderstood what you were trying to say. That's especially true on the internet where even a million smilies can't convey your tone and facial expression as well as you'd like. It's easy for your intentions to be misconstrued. That has started thousands of online arguments that probably wouldn't have happened if the two people were talking face-to-face and could read each other's body language.

     So for everyone who's ever read anything I've written :) I'm :) sorry :) if :) I :) offended :) you :). Please :) rest :) assured :) that :) I :) was :) merely :) joking :) and :) trying :) to :) give :) others :) a :) laugh :) or :) two:).  It :) wasn't :) meant :) to :) offend:). This :) applies :) to :) all :) future :) blog :) posts :), as :) well :).  (If I'm trying to offend you, I'll be sure to tell you outright.)

     In the meantime, your sense of humor needs exercise as much as your muscles do, so call a friend who "gets" you and you "get" or watch a movie that makes you laugh so hard your stomach aches or read a book that tickles your funny bone. Or if you can't find anything else that makes you laugh, just picture me scrubbing that dog puke off my car upholstery while behind me, the guilty canine lifts his leg on the tire.