Tim's NYTimes article

A reader also responded by letter to Hilary Howard’s Feb. 11 article on how comics are
increasingly turning their attention to the climate crisis:

IS THERE SUCH A THING as a topic that should be “off limits”?

Schopenhauer knew all truth must pass through three stages:

First it is ridiculed.
Then it is resisted.
Then it is accepted as self-evident.

Given that each stage is inevitable, we might as well get the ridicule over and done with as completely as we can.

The ‘That’s Not Funny’ Crowd, the latest self-appointed incarnation of the Society for the Preservation of Decency and Morality, prefers to shut down everything they disagree with. That is more dangerous than the ridicule we fear, as it only postpones acceptance.

Comedians are on our side whether they intend to be or not. Those with us lampoon our beliefs of “how things should be.” Those who seem to oppose us uncover those same prejudices.

When thoughts that are “not allowed” are driven underground, they silently fester and become malignant, erupting in the violence that accompanies resistance when we’ve tried to bypass Step One.

Comedy is healing, but only if we let it be,
rather than direct it to be.
The marker indicating your movement has succeeded is that it is able to laugh at itself, which only comes through (self-)acceptance.

TIM McNERNEY, SHUTESBURY, MASS.

The writer is a standup comic who also works
with startup electric vehicle companies.

Comedians Are Finding The Funny in a Heated Topic

The New York Times Metropolitan Section, print edition, Feb. 25, 2024

A reader also responded by letter to Hilary Howard’s Feb. 11 article on how comics are
increasingly turning their attention to the climate crisis:

IS THERE SUCH A THING as a topic that should be “off limits”?

Schopenhauer knew all truth must pass through three stages:

First it is ridiculed.

Then it is resisted.

Then it is accepted as self-evident.

Given that each stage is inevitable, we might as well get the ridicule over and done with as completely as we can.

The ‘That’s Not Funny’ Crowd, the latest self-appointed incarnation of the Society for the Preservation of Decency and Morality, prefers to shut down everything they disagree with. That is more dangerous than the ridicule we fear, as it only postpones acceptance.

Comedians are on our side whether they intend to be or not. Those with us lampoon our beliefs of “how things should be.” Those who seem to oppose us uncover those same prejudices.

When thoughts that are “not allowed” are driven underground, they silently fester and become malignant, erupting in the violence that accompanies resistance when we’ve tried to bypass Step One.

Comedy is healing, but only if we let it be,
rather than direct it to be.
The marker indicating your movement has succeeded is that it is able to laugh at itself, which only comes through (self-)acceptance.

TIM McNERNEY, SHUTESBURY, MASS.

The writer is a standup comic who also works
with startup electric vehicle companies.

Yes, I like my letter that much

PDF Downloads

There's more to the story, and maybe one day I write a whole article on this, but, if you are half as interested in thinking about this as I am, here it is:

Comedians Are Finding The Funny in a Heated Topic

The New York Times Metropolitan Section, print edition, Feb. 25, 2024

A reader also responded by letter to Hilary Howard’s Feb. 11 article on how comics areincreasingly turning their attention to the climate crisis:

IS THERE SUCH A THING as a topic that should be “off limits”?

Schopenhauer knew all truth must pass through three stages:

First it is ridiculed.

Then it is resisted.

Then it is accepted as self-evident.

Given that each stage is inevitable, we might as well get the ridicule over and done with as completely as we can.

The ‘That’s Not Funny’ Crowd, the latest self-appointed incarnation of the Society for the Preservation of Decency and Morality, prefers to shut down everything they disagree with. That is more dangerous than the ridicule we fear, as it only postpones acceptance.

Comedians are on our side whether they intend to be or not. Those with us lampoon our beliefs of “how things should be.” Those who seem to oppose us uncover those same prejudices.

When thoughts that are “not allowed” are driven underground, they silently fester and become malignant, erupting in the violence that accompanies resistance when we’ve tried to bypass Step One.

Comedy is healing, but only if we let it be,rather than direct it to be.The marker indicating your movement has succeeded is that it is able to laugh at itself, which only comes through (self-)acceptance.

TIM McNERNEY, SHUTESBURY, MASS.

The writer is a standup comic who also works with startup electric vehicle companies.

Yes, I like my letter that much

PDF Downloads

There's more to the story, and maybe one day I write a whole article on this, but, if you are half as interested in thinking about this as I am, here it is:

A reader also responded by letter to Hilary Howard’s Feb. 11 article on how comics are
increasingly turning their attention to the climate crisis:

Comedy is healing, but only if we let it be,
rather than direct it to be.
The marker indicating your movement has succeeded is that it is able to laugh at itself, which only comes through (self-)acceptance.

The writer is a standup comic who also works
with startup electric vehicle companies.