Some Strong Opinions

Aristotle has some strong feelings about comedy as it pertains to everyday life. First off in Poetics, he describes the comedy mask as deformed and ugly. He goes on to say in Nicomachean Ethics, that a person's lot in life can be seen within his view of comedy. Aristotle uses the archetypes of a buffoon and a boor to mark the extremes. He looks unfavorably on each end of the spectrum claiming that neither have much to add to society. He further states that the well breed man will not take offense at comedy but also will not create it.

It's interesting to me that he makes that distinction. I read a novel this summer which partly revolved around the fact that comedians were minor celebrities and had a respectable following. So it would seem that our modern society could find fault with this argument. Although I would argue that being slightly reserved will get a person further in his/her career. On a personal level, I work with two different types of coworkers. First there are the older women, who have grown or nearly grown children and have held professional positions before. They make occasional jokes and we have a productive and enjoyable shift. However some of the younger crowd, have a nonchalant attitude and are very fond of practical jokes. Consequently there is a good deal of clean up work done by the next shift and some hard feelings. So I would have to agree with Aristotle that a delichttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ope-1Zb5t-kate balance must be struck. But I'm not ready to give up my fan-girl crush on Eddie Izzard any time soon.