I'll say it again, I am not Mark Twain. Not even close, that isn't what I'm saying at all.
What I AM thinking, is that I can finally start to understand a lot of his works, in their context. When he writes stories such as Huck Finn, and includes all the racist talk, and the general flavor of moments. He isn't necessarily being literal, but he is lampooning the situation by placing on a pedastal and showing how ridiculous and over the top some attitudes and customs can be.
I find myself doing that today. Probably not well. And taken out of context, this piece is awful, and plainly says I need therapy, before I hurt someone.
But I'm not supporting such activity or attitudes. I'm making fun of them, I'm showing how ridiculous, how over the top they can be. In my own small way, with my limited example.
So it's the tiniest whisper of what Mr. Clements did. Although certainly not the same.
Check out #112 Blames The Victim, on the morrow. Decide for yourself.
I think I get that. I mean, I laughed at Gilbert Godfried's post-tsunami jokes, and I laughed at the 9/11 jokes, and going all the way back I laughed at the Challenger jokes.
ReplyDeleteI think lampooning a situation, particularly awful ones, is one of the ways that healthy people deal with unhealthy or awful situations.