The Funny
By Danny Mac
You know, I was once a lot like you. I had a propensity to push the envelope, just to see how far I could go to shock people. I was always naturally curious to see how many buttons I could push, and see where the resulting reaction would take me. I would think it harmless and fun, and that whomever I was messing with thought it was harmless and fun too. Sometimes, it worked out, and other times, I got burned.
I thought that playing small practical jokes would nearly always be well-received. “What harm could it do? No one is getting hurt, right?” Wrong. Doing something as stupid as taking the cap from a tube of toothpaste and getting it to stay stuck inside the faucet was NOT funny to my uncle. He got sprayed, and I got “what-for” as a result. To say he was pissed off was an understatement! I’ll never forget it. Of course, I still giggle about it today, but the odds of me doing something like that are slim to none.
I found that as a result of these little jokes, pranks, and imitations, I could get a lot of something I didn’t get when I was younger; attention. And because I got the attention, I kept on doing it. I thought it was OK, and that I wasn’t doing any harm at all. I remember standing behind someone’s garage, imitating the voice of a neighborhood girl’s mom, telling her that she had to come home right now. She yelled out, “coming, mom!”
What’s funny? Her mom wasn’t even home at the time; she was away on vacation. What’s not so funny? Because she came home so early, her dad made her stay home. She annoyed us all, so it was a “blessing,” in one way. Actually, I felt remorseful later about it. She got into trouble because of my little prank. Of course, this was not my intention. I thought she’d go home, and come back, trying to figure out where the voice came from. No dice. It wasn’t to be. Not funny.
At age 17, I received a handheld CB radio for my birthday. This quickly became a great source of pranks and “fun.” I sometimes would disguise my voice and act like a jerk on the local CB channel, hoping they didn’t realize it was coming from the back seat! One night I decided to have a little fun with the wrong person, and it got me in some really hot water. The look on her face was priceless, and I knew that I had gone way too far. I could tell that she wanted to ram that antenna where the sun didn’t shine, and I don’t blame her. I was being a complete idiot. Not funny.
What’s the point of all of this? I was too concerned about getting attention. I was trying to get “cheap thrills,” no matter what the cost. I really didn’t seem to care if it ultimately cost me a friendship. All I cared about was “the funny,” and nothing else. Getting a laugh was much more important than not hurting someone’s feelings. Just like a junkie who has to have another fix, I pushed more boundaries to satisfy my “needs.” Sometimes you don’t realize it until it’s too late. And then it’s on to the next one, with history repeating itself.
Shock value is just like static electricity; it zaps once or twice, and then you have to generate more. Ultimately, the work is not worth the reward that is given; it is short-lived, and is never enough. The question is, how much of yourself will you sell, just to get a laugh? Only time will tell.
That’s your mini rant, and I’m Danny Mac on LG73, Vancouver’s Best Music Mix!