It's Bean Fun

Whatever happened to our sense of play? What happened to our lightheartedness? Why's it got to be so bleedin' serious all the bleedin' time? I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We've become so politically correct that we live in abject fear of saying the wrong thing. So we say nothing - we don't joke around, we don't goof around, we don't play. As one of the founding members of Sarcasm Anonymous, I've had to bite back words too many times to count. Would I ever intend to offend with my words? Nah. Most of what I say is in jest - I have too much in my life to be serious about to afford taking it all seriously.

The other day I showed someone the above ad with the idea that there would be a shared laugh over the silliness of it. Instead, I damned near got spanked myself for my insensitivity. How could I find funny something that fosters and supports spousal abuse?! How could I be amused by something that shows a woman being subjected to the upper hand of a man?!

Oh PUH-leeeeze!

I suppose I could share a bit of my (warped?) slightly masochistic sexual views and say that spankings can be kind of fun (ohhhh yeah). But we probably don't wanna go there, and that's beside the point. I could (nearly truthfully) say that I do believe that anyone who would buy and/or serve bad coffee deserves a beating, but that's just my own caffeine addiction talking and I really don't believe that I'd haul off and deck someone over a lousy cup o' bean. Though I have been known to hug someone as reward for a particularly good cup o' bean.
Point is, I'm a pacifist at heart. I don't like seeing anyone (unless they really are deserving of severe punishment) get hurt, physically or emotionally. Anyone who takes five minutes getting to know me ought to recognize that much about me. Point is, just because my wicked sense of humor takes me to (and through) some dark places, doesn't mean I'm wicked and dark at heart - or if I am, it's that sense of humor that keeps me floating above the murk and able to cope in the "real world." Anyone who's spent more than five minutes in my presence ought to recognize that as well. Point is, oh hell... lighten up!

Most humor is our way of raging against the dying of the light, of whistling past the graveyard, of staying buoyant on the big waves. Sure, sometimes it's used in ugly ways (such as ethnic jokes), which (I believe) is born of fear. Sadly, some unenlightened people find that's the only way to cope with fear. But, rather than take offense, I just feel sad for those folks.

Here we are heading to the darkest day of the year, with most cultures in some way celebrating a Season of Light. So, lighten your heads and hearts. Laugh a little, laugh a lot... it's okay. A sense of humor is the finest tool we have in our mental kits; it's the best gift we could ever have been given. Don't push it to the side and let it rust unused. Open it up... let it fly... light up the dark corners.

Laugh, dammit... or I'll spank ya!