Too seriously

Some years ago on Trio there was a great program on what was offensive (see Uncensored Comedy - That's not Funny! A NY Times review of it is here). The line of what is offensive has clearly changed over time. One of my English teachers in high school claimed that at one point, an unmarried man and woman simply holding hands without gloves was scandalous.

So, as someone who takes themselves too seriously most of the time - I find that's one of the more humorous concepts. Watching parodies of people who take themselves too seriously.

One movie that I saw only recently that exemplified this was "Orgazmo". Now, hear me out. The duo that makes South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker are often raunchy and distasteful. And at times brilliant. The best part of some humor is when it is uncomfortably true. And, it doesn't seem like anyone is exempt from the lens, including themselves.



So I'll grant you, the idea that a mormon missionary would leave his mission to star in porn is unlikely. The idea that a temple wedding would be so expensive that he would need to do porn to pay for it is also amusing (temple weddings are free, well, except for the 10% tithe of your income). Honestly though, the premise of a seemingly innocent mormon boy on a porn set is hysterical. My favorite line is when his girlfriend (the one he wants to marry in the temple) just shows up on his doorstep - saying that if she sleeps on the couch, maybe heavenly father won't mind. His quote is "Heavenly father is kind of tricky".

Is it mean-spirited fun? I don't know. I don't think so. Mormons can be fairly uptight.

Another show I've been watching recently is "Whatever Martha". From what I can tell, it's endorsed by Martha Stewart herself. (If so, this proves to me that she has a sense of humor). The hosts include Martha's daughter and a friend. They watch clips from one of thousands of episodes and give running commentary.

Someone asked if I thought it was mean spirited - I don't think so. Mentioning that one cheesecake with seven bars of cream cheese, eggs and lots of sugar may clog your arteries, well, that's just being honest. And pointing out that "make your own trough" day - complete with mixing cement may not actually be a simple project you can do with things around your own home...again - the honesty is refreshing.