Speaking as a therapist, with a developed sense of empathy, and humor so dark the American police would shoot it, I think it’s possible to sustain both through awareness and choice
I walk that line very well. Dark humor helps me cope, and when combined with self-awareness, at least in my experience, allows me to keep my empathy/sympathy muscles well maintained. That is to say, making the dark joke with the awareness of its darkness allows me to continue to feel empathy. I dunno if that makes sense, but that’s how it works in my head and I continue to have an incredible sense of empathy, sometimes even to my detriment.
Yeah, that fits with my experience. Well said.
I love this
Truly
All humor is dark humor. Name a joke that doesn’t revolve around someone’s pain?
We laugh and cry for the same reasons. To cope with pain.
There’s a reason the best comedians are depressed.
“My mother never breast fed me, she always said she considered more of a friend” the late great Rodney dangerfield. His jokes are funny because no one loves him and he’s left as a husk emotionally. We laugh at that. One of the best comedians of all time and he’s funny because his life sucks.
Knock knock jokes. Puns. Fart noises. Picture of a pee pee.
Knock knock jokes: the pain is you have been made to look foolish. You did not expect such an obvious trick. “Boo who” why are you crying it’s just a joke.
Puns: how do people react to puns? With anger. People tell puns to get that reaction from people. The pain is how cringy the joke is.
Fart noises and penises. Embarrassment at a social taboo. Something private is now public and shame is the pain of the joke. Or if some purposely the pain is the vulgarity of the joke teller and the feeling of disgust it causes .
