Let me preface with I worked in aged care, so when youcombine that with having a MI I think you can imagine just how dark my humour is. I am attracted to the absurd, the irrational and sarcastic side of humour which is why satire appeals so deeply. John Oliver's Last Week Tonight is a prime example of how satire can be used to educate through humour.
To me humour is also a defense, when you step back and look at the pure absurdity of a situation, deconstruct it and try to imagine it from the point of view of someone who has no understanding or even reference point it becomes hilarious. Serioulsy. Try it. think about some of the things we say to each other or too clinicians, heck think of some of the things clinicians say to each other and they become funny. Without going into detail,e ven the some of the termonology we used in Aged Care became hilarious once you were able to distance yourself a little. For example when working with a person new to Nursing you might forget taht 'finger painting' is a very different thing in their mind.
Lastly I take every opportuntiy to laugh at myself. Sometimes it may seem I have had a 'tragic life', but looking back at some of those moments when things seemed dark, I turn my head, shift my gaze slightly and the whole thing becomes a Patrick White play, absurd without context, beautiful in it's complexity and it takes on the beauty of a Supernova. Nice to see from a distance, anyone up close might disagree!
