I personally enjoy satire, irony, humorous anecdotes delivered in deadpan fashion. On rare occasions, I like a bit of slapstick, i.e a dash of Austin Powers, Ace Ventura, and maybe even a little Eddie Murphy.
Sometimes I wonder why certain situations depicted on TV or in films are supposed to invoke laughter. These 'mainstream funnies' are almost disturbing if you analyze them further.
First case study: Causing physical pain to the lead actor or some other form of humiliation
Evidence: Scenes that include but not limited to men getting kicked in the groin, people falling down a hill and injuring themselves, embarrassing situations that involve characters getting caught doing something they're not supposed to be doing (usually by parents or authoritative figures), sexual mishaps/rejections.
Movies which portray aforementioned scenes: Old Dogs, Grown-Ups, Meet the Parents, Dodgeball, and the list could go on forever
Is this what causes us to laugh at our friends when they fall down or hurt themselves accidentally? Sure, I've chortled at the occasional trip, but I would be very disturbed if I found myself laughing at someone else's expense.
Instead of making fun of people's misadventures, we should empathize and learn from their mistakes as well as our own. It would be folly of us to consistently tease a friend just because we can.
Second case study: Cross-dressing
It is somewhat shocking how many movies I came across that shared this subject matter. Why do we laugh at a man in a dress? Do the scenes imply that drag queens are a joke? Does the man not deserve to be taken seriously because he isn't oozing masculinity and testosterone? Is he supposed to be vulnerable and considered weak because he wears women's clothing?
I watched an interview that Oprah had with Dave Chappelle and he was reflecting on an occasion where he was asked to put on a dress and act as a prostitute because 'the scene would be hilarious'. His defensive statement was something along the lines of 'why do I need to be in a dress to be funny? Why can't I just say something hysterical and be done with it?' I feel you Dave, it's preposterous to imagine that intelligent comedians are taken for granted and belittled so they can get laughs.
Movies which portray aforementioned scenes (shocking number) : Tootsie, Mrs Doubtfire, To Wong Foo; Thanks For Everything, The Birdcage, Big Momma's House, The Nutty Professor, Norbit, Junior (Arnie doesn't dress like a woman, but he is essentially emasculated because he somehow manages to find himself on the delivery end of an immaculate conception, or some sort of artificial insemination [for men!!]), The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Sorority Boys, Juwanna Mann, The Hot Chick and White Chicks
While some of these movies don't highlight transvestism in a negative light the entire time, some scenes are somewhat degrading towards the actors and characters they portray. A man trapped in a woman's body or vice versa connotes serious psychological issues that should not be ridiculed or taunted.
Is it because of movies like these that influence pop culture to such a degree that we find ourselves judging real-life transvestites or effeminate males, since we associate them with humorous scenes depicted in said films?
On the other side of the spectrum, there were 2 movies I discovered that showcased transvestism in an even more twisted way. [Warning: these next few lines contain spoilers]
1) Psycho - Where crazed killer Norman Bates turns out to be obsessed with the death of his mother to such an extent that his schizophrenia compels him to adopt her identity
2) Silence of the Lambs - (This movie is creepy enough as it is) Where serial killer Buffalo Bill kills and skins women alive so that he can wear their skin as a 'human suit'. Chilling stuff.
I'm sure there are many other movies that fall into this category, but since I am discussing humor, I'll stick to what's relevant.
On Planet Venus, there are a few movies that have the other extreme, women dressed as men. However, these movies had a very different vibe as compared to the ones mentioned in the 2nd Case Study.
She's the Man, Shakespeare in Love, Boys Don't Cry, Transamerica, Mulan and Connie and Carla (this one was hard to categorize, because the lead actresses were portraying women dressed up as men dressed up as women, WHEW!)
With the exception of the first and last movies, the others have a very serious vibe, either with regards to romance, acceptance and/or approval. It is funny how Hollywood differentiates transvestism when it comes to women dressed as men. And I don't mean funny ha ha.
I have watched most of the movies I have discussed. Some I enjoyed, some not so much, some I have yet to watch. The important lesson I take from them all, is that while most of them are created for entertainment, we shouldn't disregard or make fun of transvestites, gays, lesbians, effeminate males, masculine females, or anyone confused about their sexuality in any way.
Similarly, we shouldn't laugh when someone gets hurt. How would we feel if someone pointed a finger in our face and laughed everytime we cried?
We are all God's children and we should be spreading Love, not Hate. We should learn to embrace people for who they are, even if we may not understand their practices all the time.
Acceptance is no laughing matter.
