Poison Candy: The Politics of Black Comedy

POISON CANDY:

THE POLITICS OF BLACK COMEDY

By Trevor K. McNeil

A Laughing Matter

Life can be really rough. Precious few people really have an easy go of it and even those who do don’t tend to recognize it at the time.  A situation which can lead to what social-psychologists call “anomie.” This odd little word, which sounds a bit like a fringe French filmmaker, refers to a low-level anxiety and depression brought about by societal conditions. Fortunately we have a way to fight back. To “kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight”, as Bruce Cockburn once put it.

It Comes Naturally

Humor, is one of the most powerful forces known to humanity. It can comfort as well as cut and heal as well as destroy. It was one of the first things humans learned how to do. There is now research that suggests that early humans were able to laugh before they could speak. It is little wonder then that people have used humor to deal with their lot in society since the concept of society was conceived. Particularly in terms of Black Comedy and its partner Gallows Humor.

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