Self-Care Sunday
Learning how to cultivate humor and laughing at the absurdity of the current situation helps you to endure it
This is the latest in my occasional series on the importance of engaging in some self-care in order to help you deal better with the fight against worldwide authoritarianism and fascism.
At times like this, it can be helpful and therapeutic to engage in some humor, even if your attempts at humor does not always go according to plan.
On April 1, April Fools Day, I made this post where I announced that I was stepping away from working on this Substack because I had gotten this important remote job with a Mexican company that is going to take up much of my time. I thought that most people would immediately know that it was a joke because of the date that I posted it (April 1). I also assumed that those who had either basic knowledge of Spanish or access to Google Translate would immediately figure out that the names of the hiring company, El Día de los Inocentes (whose name roughly translates as “April Fools Day”), and of the parent company, Uno de Abril (which means “1 April” or “April 1”), were April Fools gags. But I got congratulatory messages on my “new job” from a few people who took that post seriously.
I want to apologize to anyone who took my April Fools Day post seriously. It really was my attempt at bringing a little humor into a grim situation and I apparently failed with some readers.
Despite my April Fools prank failure with a few people, I'm still a firm believer in trying to find some humor in the situation as long as it falls under cerain parameters:
You are punching up by making fun of people with wealth and power instead of punching down by making fun of less wealthy people in unfortunate situations (like drug addiction, homelessness, and other types of social problems).
Knowing that some situations should never be part of humor, such as rape, war crimes, mental illness, homelessness, drug addiction, alcoholism, human trafficking, child abuse, animal abuse, famine, and seriously life-threatening health conditions (such as cancer).
The majority of the successful humorous attempts adhere to those two parameters and they can be enjoyable. In fact, according to this article posted on WebMD, laughter is a natural mental health remedy and the ultimate stress relief medicine. A good laugh can increase your intake of oxygen-rich air (which benefits the heart, lungs, and muscles), relieves tension and stress, and improve your mood.
This year I noticed that fewer companies were doing April Fools gags than previous years. I don't know if the current wars in Ukraine and Gaza or the threat that Donald Trump's campaign provides to American democracy have anything to do with this or not. One of the few April Fools gags that had me laughing was this one from the foreign language learning platform Duolingo.
That video had a link to SeatGeek.com where you can buy your tickets that's worth visiting because it's pretty funny to read. There was one other video that was supposed to be a song from that four-hour Duolingo On Ice show titled “Spanish or Vanish.”
Kudos to Duolingo for a well-planned and well-executed April Fools Day prank. I can only imagine what they'll come up with next April 1.
There are plenty of other opportunities to milk humor from bizarre situations. This promo video of Donald Trump hawking Bibles looks like a Saturday Night Live skit but it is real.
Saturday Night Live took up that challenge and did this hilarious parody that aired the night before Easter Sunday.
When I say that it's good to try to see humor in certain situations, it doesn't mean that I'm advising you to pursue comedy as a career. Being a comedian is an extremely difficult field to get into and it requires having exceptional talent that most people don't have. You can still cultivate humor and be a conossieur of comedy without becoming a comedian. The website Mental Health America lists ten ways to incorporate humor into your life, which includes:
List three funny things that happened to you each day.
Watch a humorous movie or TV show.
Watch stand-up comedy either live in a nightclub or on TV/DVD/streaming service.
Reach out to someone who gets your sense of humor. (It could be a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative.)
Get online and spend 15 minutes looking for YouTube videos, blogs, online comics, or memes that will make you laugh.
Have a game night where you and your friends play card games or boardgames.
Try laughter yoga.
Read a funny book.
Spend time with a child or an animal. Their antics are almost always good for a laugh.
Incorporate funny things into your environment, such as a goofy picture, a calendar with humorous sayings, a coffee mug with a witty saying, and humorous comic strip or cartoons.
Recommendations for Cultivating Your Sense of Humor
There are scores of funny books out there. One such example that I especially love is Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book series. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll just say that I now know the reason why geeks will sometimes revere the number 42.
As for finding humorous videos online, there are literally hundreds of humorous videos online. Many of the animal videos that I recommended in a previous Self-Care Sunday post definitely fall under the humorous videos category.
As for humorous card games and boardgames, I still have the old Mad magazine boardgame that my parents gave to me when I was a teenager. That one is a parody of Monopoly where, instead of earning as much money as possible, the winner is determined by who can lose all of their money first. You can draw cards that will help you lose your money faster by doing things like clucking like a chicken or imitating a rock. That game has gone out of print a long time ago but you can find it used on sites like eBay and Poshmark for prices ranging from $12-35. I occasionally bring it to a local boardgaming event and it gets people laughing everytime.
More recently I've tried playing Cards Against Humanity with a few friends and it's pretty hilarious what people come up with. Unlike the Mad magazine game, Cards Against Humanity is widely available in a number of different versions and themes.
These days whenever I'm in a good mood for a laugh, I'll watch a comedy movie or vintage TV comedy series either on DVD or on YouTube (which is my main streaming service because I really can't afford to subscribe to a half-dozen paid streaming services I would need to subscribe to if I wanted my full choice of what to watch—it sucks that if I wanted to stream reruns of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, I would have to subscribe to three different streaming services). Here are a few movies and TV shows I recommend. (IMPORTANT NOTE: It's not a complete list due to the limitations on the length of the email version of this Substack and the time I have available to devote to this particular post.)
Batman: This is the original 1960s TV show starring Adam West as Batman. The series is totally campy with wacky villains dressed in silly costumes with names like the Joker and Catwoman and incredibly silly dialogue. It's the ultimate in escapist entertainment.
I Love Lucy: This sitcom was made back in the 1950s and the jokes are still just as funny now as they were then. Lucille Ball's sense of comedy made her into a role model for other female comics who has followed in her footsteps since. Many of the episodes dealt with Lucy wanting to go into show business instead of just being a 1950s era housewife, which was a daring concept for its time (especially since women in real life were encouraged to be housewives and mothers and discouraged from working outside of the home) yet today these episodes still resonate with women who want to have careers. Her three costars (including Vivian Vance, William Frawley, and Ball's real-life then-husband Desi Arnaz) weren't slouches either. They did a great job at playing off of Lucy's wackiness.
The Honeymooners: Like I Love Lucy this show was also made in the 1950s yet it still remains just as relevant today as it did back then. While most TV shows of that era focused on middle class families who lived in the suburbs with their children, The Honeymooners dealt with the frequent struggles of two urban working class couples without children who lived in two apartments in the same building in Brooklyn. Jackie Gleason nails it as Ralph Kramden, a bus driver who frequently comes up with these hairbrained get-rich schemes in an effort to improve the lives of himself and his wife. Audrey Meadows, who played Alice Kramden, definitely stood up for herself, even during the times when, during their many arguments, her husband would threaten to punch her hard enough to go to the moon. (Ralph never carried out his threat.) You can never accuse Alice Kramden of being a meek submissive pushover. Art Carney and Joyce Randolph played the other couple, Ed and Trixie Norton. They were more low-key than the Kramdens. Ed would go along with whatever side hustle Ralph came up with while Trixie served as a supportive friend to Alice. The four friends played off against each other so memorably well that watching each of the original 39 episodes (which fans frequently nickname “the Classic 39”) is an incredible treat.
Monty Python: This British comedy troupe had managed to conquer television (Monty Python's Flying Circus), movies (And Now For Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Bryan, and The Meaning of Life), and even Broadway (Spamalot). Their comedy sketches could be surreal at times yet very hilarious. Only Monty Python would've been daring enough to make fun of the New Testament with The Life of Brian while also poking fun at the tendency of modern leftist groups to splinter into separate organizations due to the leftists frequently imposing purity standards on each other (like the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea). Most of the humor in their movies and TV show haven't dated very much, which explains why younger generations continue to like Monty Python despite not even being born when their TV show and films were originally released between the late 1960s-early 1980s.
Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts: There was a time when both Disney and Warner Bros. were major rivals in the field of animation. Disney focused on refining animation techniques as an art form to create classic films based on fairy tales (like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty). In contrast, Warner Bros. focused more on slapstick humor yet much of what they originally released throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s are still shown on TV channels and streaming services. The plots are vague and thin compared to a Disney movie but these animations are frequently silly yet hilarious. Warner Bros. churned out a bunch of memorable characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, Granny, Marvin the Martian, Road Runner, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, and many others.
Absolutely Fabulous: This British sitcom combines the physical slapstick comedy of I Love Lucy with making fun of celebrities and the latest beauty and New Age trends. Jennifer Saunders plays Edina “Eddy” Monsoon, who runs her own public relations agency in between trying out the latest hip recreational drugs and the latest self-help trend. Her best friend and partner in crime, Patsy Stone (played by Joanna Lumley), works at a fashion magazine who also frequently either gets high on recreational drugs or drunk on alcohol or both at the same time. Both Edina and Patsy have foils who happened to be members of Eddy's own family. Eddy's teenage daughter, Saffy (Julia Sawalha), is a very straightlaced conservative who strongly disapproves of her mother's excesses. Eddy's mother (June Whitfield) is a prim and proper lady who frequently sides with Saffy in family disagreements and she is the proverbial little old lady with a very sharp tongue. Each episode is hilarious as Eddie and Patsy go on adventures in experiencing the latest trends while frequently facing disapproval from Eddy's mother and daughter.
Splash!: If you like romantic comedy that's a little bit more off-beat than the usual man meets woman rom-com, this is the one to watch. Tom Hanks played a man who falls in love with a mysterious woman (played by Daryl Hannah) who has a secret—she was originally born a mermaid. Hijinks initially ensues when the couple first meet but it becomes even wackier when her secret is revealed. Everything works out for the couple so the film has a very upbeat ending.
Clerks: Kevin Smith made his name as a filmmaker with this low-budget (which was so low-budget that Smith shot this film in black and white) yet hilarious debut. The film takes a look at a day in the lives of two store clerks in their early 20s—Dante (played by Brian O'Halloran), who works in a convenience store, and Randall (Jeff Anderson), who works in the video rental store located next door. Along the way there are all kinds of crazy interactions with customers and friends who stop by their work that are frequently hysterically funny while Dante and Randall go into all kinds of hilarious philosophical debates ranging from capitalism to Star Wars to sex.
WKRP in Cincinnati: This hilarious late 1970s-early 1980s sitcom that was set in a radio station has surprisingly aged very little, especially since most terrestrial radio stations in the US are now owned by conglomerates like IHeartRadio and these stations tend to air programming that was originally recorded hundreds of miles away instead of using local on-air talent. Each November WKRP in Cincinnati is frequently mentioned on social media because of this Thanksgiving episode where an attempt to give away free turkeys as part of a station promotion event goes horribly wrong with hilarious results. While that episode is indeed funny, there are other episodes of this series that are just as good as (and, in some cases, better than) the Thanksgiving episode and they are definitely worth watching.
The Blues Brothers: Based on a series of late-1970s Saturday Night Live sketches, this movie featured Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as a pair of brothers who are on “a mission from God”: To help save the orphanage, where they spent their childhood, from foreclosure. They decided to organize a benefit concert for the orphanage and, in the process, managed to get pursued by various police departments, a group of Illinois Nazis, a country band, and even the ex-fiancee of one of the brothers (Carrie Fisher). The constant pursuit of the Blues Brothers leads to all kinds of hilarious car chases and other types of pursuits. In between the car chases and pursuits there are the musical numbers performed by the biggest names in blues, including Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, James Brown, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker. All in all it's a pretty fun movie.
The Gods Must Be Crazy: This South African movie was controversial when it was first released in the US because South Africa was under apartheid rule at the time and there was a worldwide boycott of anything that came from there. There was the issue of whether watching that movie in a theater would be supporting an apartheid regime and would it be possible to enjoy a movie made under such circumstances. When I saw it on cable with my then-husband we found it to be totally hilarious. The premise is that a Coke bottle is thrown from an airplane that happened to be flying over a San tribe settlement. Initially the San tribe thought it was a gift from the gods until people began fighting over it. A member of the tribe, Xi (played by N!xau Toma), decides to take that Coke bottle and go on a journey to return it to the gods because he felt that the bottle was creating too much tribal disharmony. Along the way he encounters white people who are portrayed as wacky idiots compared to his tribe. At times the comedy goes into surreal absurd humor that's reminiscent of Monty Python.
Ghostbusters: I've seen a few films in this series but I still maintain that the first film is still the best. The basic premise is that a group of parapsychologists form a business that specializes in trapping and removing ghosts in a manner that's similar to pest control. The acting is great and the special effects are awesome as well. Once you see this movie, you'll never forget Slimer the gluttonous ghost and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
The Odd Couple: It originated as a Broadway play then it became a movie, which led to this TV series that ran for several years in the 1970s. Two divorced men share an apartment in New York City while hilariously trying to navigate the single life. The two roommates are complete polar opposites. Felix Unger is a prissy neat freak and intellectual who likes the finer things in life. Oscar Madison works as a sportswriter who is more of a fun-loving person who is also a total slob. Most of the humor comes from their contrasting personalities. Yet they still remain friends despite their frequent conflicts. I personally remember the 1970s TV series the best (which is still aired in reruns on some channels) but there have been other versions of The Odd Couple that have been released over the years.
Young Frankenstein: This is a great parody of horror movies in general and the Frankenstein movies in particular. Gene Wilder is excellent as the grandson of the original Dr. Frankenstein who recently inherited his family's estate in Transylvania. When he arrives at the estate he meets the grandson of the original Igor (played by Marty Feldman) who was Dr. Frankenstein's assistant. While inspecting the property he gets the idea of continuing with his grandfather's work, which resulted in far more disastrous yet hilarious results.
Servant of the People: This Ukrainian political comedy series is unlike the other movies and TV shows mentioned here in that it can be hard to watch at times without thinking about current events. (There was one episode where one of the characters casually mentioned that he came from Bucha, which is the same town where a horrible massacre took place during the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.) But don't let the real life events deter you from watching that show because it is funny and the acting is pretty good. Volodymyr Zelenskyy plays a high school history teacher in Kyiv who suddenly gets elected president soon after one of his students secretly films him making a rant against corruption to a fellow teacher then posting that video online, which soon goes viral. As president he has the opportunity to battle corruption in the government and society despite opposition from those who had financially benefitted from that corruption. But then the sitcom turned into reality when Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to run for president of Ukraine in real life and he won. As the real life Ukrainian president he currently has to deal with one real life event that was never covered as an episode of his old TV show: Russia launching an ongoing invasion of Ukraine in an effort to forcibly reunite it with Russia once again.
There are two ways to view Servant of the People. One is to subscribe to Netflix, where it is available on that platform with English subtitles. A free alternative is to watch it on YouTube. There is a Servant of the People channel that now provides the episodes in numerous subtitles and they are also gathered into playlists, which saves you the trouble of remembering which episode to watch next. Here's the viewing order of the playlists with English subtitles:
Servant of the People movie (which was released in the year between Seasons 1 and 2)
Other Self-Care Sunday Tips
Contact current friends and make new ones.
Step away from social media for a few hours.
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