Bemused Embrace of Nihilism

“Yooooooooow, Kelly CLARKSON!”

The most famous (or is that infamous), quote from The 40 Year Old Virgin where a lovely little waxing turns our poor little Catalyst into a Man-o-lantern.

In a Warholeon effort for life to imitate art, Mike Golic – of the ESPN sports commentary show “Mike and Mike in the Morning” had a waxing of his own this morning because he lost a NCAA bracket wager to his co host. To say the loss was painful is not a metaphor.

Ok, but here’s the weird part……I scheduled extra time in my day to watch it, and I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Look, at this point in my blog history, announcing I’m a bit of a Sadist is hardly alarming – although for the most part Sado Masochist is a more apt description. The part that is alarming is that most of America would watch with me, and probably will today over YouTube, and chortling in perfect harmony.

Which begs the question, why is certain types of pain – when happening to other people of course -  funny? Are we a nation of sadists? And if so, where’s the line where its no longer funny, and just, painful……or maybe even repulsive?

Some wince inducing examples……

The Three Stooges. Truly the pioneers of comedy via injury. If you don’t think Larry Moe and Curly are funny, than you are probably one of those “mature” people I’ve read so much about. While I’m unsure on Einstein and Hawking (although his voice is undeniably sexy), there is simply no doubt Larry Moe and Curly are pure genius. Of course, their humor is based on pretend pain, not real pain, which might be the line.

America’s Funniest Home Videos: The TV show that pioneered the random object to the groin humor. Ok, this is defintely less funny than the Stooges. I think its at least partially because you know Bob Saget actually has a really perverse sense of humor, yet he is being limited to the lamest jokes ever written by man. That and the distinct feeling that all of your fellow viewers are Wallmart regulars – the sixth sense…..trailer awareness.

Don’t Want to Name This One: I’ve tried to avoid talking about this, but feel compelled to do so. Apparently there are gruesome pictures floating around the internet of a fatal car accident of a teenage girl, causing her family unspeakable trauma. Seriously, if you are compelled to view or forward this monstrosity please consider living on another solar system and/or universe. I don’t want to live on the same planet as you.

Wow, what a downer way to end what I was hoping to be a relatively humorous blog…….unpredictability is funny though right?

In fact, one could say its Painfully Funny.