Tuesday 25 December 2012

The Insanity Of Funny T-Shirts And The Absurd

By Matthew Thatcher


Humor is a way for people to relieve stress. Laughing is just as instinctual and natural as sneezing, coughing, and farting. No one sits back and consciously thinks, "I believe I shall laugh now." It is something that just happens when the right stimulus is introduced, much like pepper to a sneeze. Of course, the same stimulus does not work on everyone. Some people like a certain type of humor while other people enjoy something completely different. Our laughter is hardwired, and mine comes from the absurd. Funny t-shirts that center on this type of comedy are right up my alley.

Wearing absurd, funny t-shirts is almost like playing a prank on everyone you encounter. You know that whatever inane joke you're telling with your shirt is going to be difficult to grasp, but that's okay. Once the observer understands the absurd nature of the humor, the shared laughter is genuine. It is a bonding experience to overcome the small challenge of absurdity. It is an absolute truth that laughter is the best way to join two people together in a common cause, even if that common cause is something so small as an absurd joke.

The whole point of being absurd is to force people out of their comfort zone and into a world of the unknown where anything can happen. Monty Python perfected the technique, and their form of absurdist humor is still popular today. When you deal with absurdist comedy, up can be down or even sideways. When people are jerked out of normalcy and into the absurd, every situation is a challenge. No one knows what could happen or where the joke could lead. This makes my insanely funny t-shirts the greatest social tool I own.

Someone whom I think would have loved the funny t-shirts I wear is Eugene Ionesco. He was the author of several plays that were so bizarre, that he invented a whole new form of theater. Ionesco was dubbed the king of the Theater of the Absurd, and his plays forced people to think about how insane the conversations we have every day really are. His whole point was to use the absurd to mock conformity and useless conversation.

Whatever your take on the art of absurdist humor, the funny t-shirts that follow this type of comedy always make me smile. Do yourself a favor and seek these t-shirts out online. They will make you smile and brighten your day. When sane people are faced with insanity, their first response is usually to smile uneasily. It is a coping mechanism that allows us a moment to process the absurdity before responding vocally. For people like me, that vocalization is usually in the form of a laugh.




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