Offending People 101

“A person without a sense of humor, is like a wagon without springs…it’s jolted by every pebble in the road.”

            A quote from Henry Ward Beecher seemed best to describe people with no sense of humor. It is sad when people can’t understand humor whether it is playful, malicious, satirical, or any other form. Satire, is meant to be funny, however it isn’t just toilet humor, and there is some thought behind it. I personally find satire to be an insanely amusing brand of comedy, and am rarely offended. Other people may not be so light-hearted though, especially when they are the butt of the jokes.

            It is people like that, who relentlessly bad-mouthed “Monty Python’s: Life Of Brian.” This movie takes almost every jab imaginable at organized religion, specifically Christianity and over exaggerates religious fanatics past an offensive level so that it is clearly humorous.

            Relative to the times, I think “Life Of Brian” may have been offensive, and some still believe it to be so, I personally find it playful and entertaining and nowhere near the level of current satire, but perhaps our generation has been desensitized to this brand of humor. This could partly be thanks to brutally satirical South Park, which leaves no topic untouched, and happily attacks BOTH sides. After making several episodes poking fun at religion, South Park creators were accused of being atheists…so they made an episode making fun of how absurd they though atheism was, and what the world would be like if Atheists ruled.

            “Life of Brian” definitely pushes people’s buttons, and I can see how someone who is religious would get offended. I would hope though, that people see that it was not their intention to maliciously ridicule an entire religion, and instead make people see how religion can turn people into crazies! The scene in the movie where the main character is desperately trying to convince his followers he IS NOT the messiah, and there is absolutely nothing he can say to convince them. Even the final scene, which mocks the crucifixion, one of the most sacred events, is a musical number. Although I had seen “Life Of Brian” before, it wasn’t until this viewing that I noticed that the song in the end of the movie, “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” is also used in the Broadway show “Spamalot” which is a musical adaptation of “Monty Python And The Holy Grail.”

            Overall, I think that although satire may come off as offensive at times, you have to take it with a grain of salt. Without a sense of humor, life is boring. Like the quote above says, if you can’t learn to take things lightly, then EVERYTHING will offend you. You don’t have to share the filmmaker’s beliefs to enjoy a silly comedy. If you don’t like it, then don’t watch it…but don’t ruin it for the rest of us who think it’s hilarious.