avatarDon Martin, real-life writer

Summary

The article discusses the decline of humor as a social emotion, particularly the ability to laugh at oneself and others, and its potential endangerment in contemporary society, with a nod to the author's own contributions to this shift through their writing on Medium.

Abstract

The piece, titled "Humor is an Endangered Emotion," delves into the etymology of humor, tracing it back to ancient Greek humoral medicine, and emphasizes the importance of this definition in the context of the article. It suggests that the author's work on Medium has played a significant role in altering societal attitudes towards humor. The article cites polls and studies indicating a reduction in the capacity for self-deprecating humor and an increasing sensitivity to jokes at the expense of others. It reflects on the current state of humor, noting that only a few subjects remain fair game for jokes, and even these are under threat. The author describes their own short humor pieces as navigating the "minefield of disgust" in today's climate,

Humor is an Endangered Emotion

I accept full responsibility.

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

Etymology has little to do with insects

“Humour or humor is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours, controlled human health and emotion.” Wikipedia

For some reason, quoting this definition seemed massively important to the construction of the story at this point.

Polls and studies show that our ability to laugh at ourselves and insensitivity to laugh at others has slowly gotten us into a jam, thanks primarily to my efforts at MEDIUM.

Can the lifeless even become extinct?

We are now left with only a few intimate objects we can joke about.

And people are closing in on those even as we speak.

Counterintuitive though it may be, my short so-called “humor” pieces are among the few safe items around. Nowhere near as long as a Mark Twain piece or a PJ O’rourke tale, these are small enough to duck and weave past the minefield of disgust in today's climate that I may have single-handedly created.

The way I use the word humor refers to any of my commentaries built around senseless drivel and claptrap, shorter than a real joke, but longer than a pun or a Three Stooges slapstick scene, and involving absolutely nothing of real value.

Someone suggested a crowd-funded, grassroots museum for them, but that train already left a long time ago, when one comedienne punches out another comedienne over a joke.

Which may be enough to make bodily fluids find their way up from our stomachs. -Wikipedia

Thank you for your time.

P.S. You could read my profile, or even better, you could bust on over HERE and I’d be happy to send you a note whenever I publish one of these “stories.” Don’t miss out!

Writing
Humor
Illumination
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