Does seeing the funny side of things help at all?

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People often say that the English are very cold fish, very reserved, that they have a way of looking at things - even tragedy - with a sense of irony. There's some truth in it; it's pretty stupid of them, though. Humour doesn't save you, it doesn't really do anything at all. You can look at life ironically for years, maybe decades, there are people who seem to go through most of their lives seeing the funny side, but in the end, life always breaks your heart.

(from 'Atomised')

Someone kindly reminded me of this passage here

There's no way I'm going to cave into this crazy Frenchman's doomy nonsense, but I quite like the way he puts it anyway. I guess faith in a sense of humour is one of the cornerstones of my way of dealing with life. I don't know if it 'helps' or not, but until someone convinces me that it actually makes things worse then I think I'll stick with it.

Is is ever time to be humourless?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyway, isn't the notion of dismissing something because it 'doesn't really do anything at all' insufferably rockist?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

i'd like to think it helps. i've taught myself to laugh misfortune off to an extent, but not at the expense of just putting up with shit when i don't have to. balance is key.

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey this is a different translation to what I read, I think, but is that possible? I mean have there even been two? What about this idea - there are two ways you can be cruel without being censured, that's to be an artist or a comedian, and that's why everyone wants to be one of those guys. But about the idea above - I don't even think this is the point for me. I think TRYING to see the funny side is irritating. If you're sad, be sad, if you're happy, be happy and for sure don't be ashamed to be happy if you're happy and don't be ashamed to be sad if you're sad. And shout it from the rooftops either way. It's your responsibility to immediately and sincerely inform everyone you meet of any mood you're in. Except if you're blaming the guy you're talking to for the mood. Then the situation is infinitely more complicated, try to see the funny side or something.

― -, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 06:27 (twenty-two years ago)

t's your responsibility to immediately and sincerely inform everyone you meet of any mood you're in

I love this idea.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 07:36 (twenty-two years ago)

N, seeing the funny side of (most) things keeps me from indulging my homicidal side. Mind you, it can be tough when a mate can't relate to it.

Stevem is OTM: tis all about knowing how far you are willing to be pushed

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Seeing the funny side of things is classic. Being expected to see the funny side of things is dud. Especially when the expector isn't actually funny.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

David Brent to thread.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey this is a different translation to what I read, I think, but is that possible? I mean have there even been two?

I think the UK and USA translations are indeed different.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

that which is not purposeful is not beautiful!!!!

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:06 (twenty-two years ago)

That was some idiot architect, right?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

that serves no purpose and neither does your fucking face.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

My face is just this thing in the way until I wrap it around your fist.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

when have you ever seen nick's 'fucking face'?

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Seeing the funny side of things is classic. Being expected to see the funny side of things is dud. Especially when the expector isn't actually funny.

Tico absolutely otm.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I think we can all agree on that.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Stevem has made me feel sicky.

― Lara (Lara), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

omg.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

You were the one who asked to hide in the wardrobe.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Sicky or sticky?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

sucky

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

A friends of mine was saying yesterday that his girlfriend was 'retooling his whole personality', and that it was an ongoing, relentless operation. I was laughing and he was saying 'why are you laughing'? There's really no explaining the funny side of life to people who can't see it. Ironically, they're the funniest people of all - George from Seinfeld is a good example of that perhaps.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I point anyone who doesn't like seeing the funny side of things towards the Elliott Smith thread, not for the content but the subject. 50% of people in the Western world will suffer from a period of clinical depression at some stage. Quite a lot of life sucks; if you start ignoring the bits that don't suck where are you going to end up?

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

50% of people in the Western world will suffer from a period of clinical depression at some stage

I understand why people use the phrase 'clinical depression' but in statements like this, it kind of annoys me.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

people were making jokes on that Elliott Smith thread pretty quick!

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Clinical as in they will go to a doctor and be prescribed treatment. Heaven only knows how many people ought to but don't.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

You're saying 50% of people are presribed treatment for depression at some stage in their lives? That seems to dwarf any stats I've ever seen. What's your source?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, I think it helps.

Dave Berg.

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Much watching of Red Dwarf is helping my week along considerably.

I wouldn't be surprised at the 50% stat. There are really high stats for numbers of people who should get some sort of treatment for depression at some point in their lives but don't necessarily.

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

this is my source, and it's from 1999, so maybe 50% is low now.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Most bouts of depression last only a few months and once treated successfully don't return; they're related to individual turning points of stress and other illnesses. That's as much what I mean by 'clinical' as long-term depression is. I wish I didn't know as much about it as I do.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 23 October 2003 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't mean to be an arsehole, Nick. It's just when I've seen headline figures before, they have put the figure at 1 in 4 of us suffering from anykind of mental illness at some point in our lives (see the penultimate sentencehere for example.

I guess you can argue till the cows come home about definitions of mental illness, but you just seemed to pathologising most of human experience, and I guess that annoyed me for reasons I can't quite articulate or justify.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 23 October 2003 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

The 50% was a prediction for people who are alive now, who will experience it at some point in their lives. And it's not me pathologising most of human behaviour; it's the pharmaceutical companies.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 23 October 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

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