...a thin line between humor and cruelty.

I like to kid people. I like to think funny situations. Situations that would be very embarrassing. For someone. I don't want to be cruel. But that doesn't stop me from imagining different situations. Some that, yes, might very well be downright embarrassing. And hurtful in some ways. But when they are shared between people, I think they can be humorous. I mean I can imagine myself in all sorts of embarrassing situations. But I sometimes learn to see them in a funny light. Even the day when Jeanne reached into her pants, pulled out a handful of poop, and put it on a shelf at the book store. Very embarrassing at the time. But really, very funny. That's what time and reflection can do. It can change embarrassment into something that can be taken as funny. Humor is strange in that way. It's a way to loosen up. I often practice straight-faced put-on humor. And it can be taken in different ways by different people. Some people have an innate sense of humor. And some don't. I often try to get people to laugh with hyperbole. Certain snob ladies that I know, for instance. Often, when they don't laugh, it makes me laugh. I see so much humor in people who take themselves too seriously. I split a gut laughing. But hey, I do understand. Much of humor is cruel. Awfully cruel. There's a thin line between humor and cruelty. --Jim Broede