On The Dark Side

In the early 1980’s, a friend in Chicago told me that I had a Gary Larson sense of humor. I asked if Larson was a new comedian and she replied “No, he’s a cartoonist”. I asked the name of the strip and she told me “The Far Side”. I had never heard of the strip because I was a reader of the other Chicago daily newspaper.


I soon became an avid fan of the “Far Side”. Larson’s humor was on the “Dark Side” (Black Comedy). When I moved back to Maryland a year later, I was overjoyed to find that the Washington Post carried "The Far Side” on their comics’ page. I would clip them out and post them on the bulletin board at work. Occasional other employees would ask me if I understood what Larson was saying. And most of the time I did.

The other day a friend sent a link to an on-line Sense of Humor Quiz. I usually don’t go to these sites because they require you to put in an email address for your results and afterwards you get bombarded with a flurry of spam. This site was different. It only asked 10 multiple choice questions and was a very quick quiz to take. After you finish your results are there immediately.

I answered all of the questions honestly as they have no way of knowing who I am. The results which follow didn’t surprise me one bit.


YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR IS DARK!
Who says Goths don't have a sense of humor? Goth or not, you certainly seem to appreciate the dark side of life, and it shows in your sense of humor. You might like dark (or black) comedy, because it pokes fun at our fears and anxieties. Life can be scary, and a lot of people try to avoid thinking about things like violence, death and disease. But not you. You look fear in the face and laugh. This can be a little disturbing to people who don't find the macabre very funny, but cracking jokes can be a harmless way to deal with harmful things. So, turn off the lights, put on that creepy Tim Burton movie and enjoy.

The Beach Bum