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It should be obvious that it's okay to sometimes joke about what's serious...and that includes the environment.
Laughter is universal. Everyone laughs...except maybe Leonard Nimoy. When it comes to what produces laughter, well, that's a different story. After all, Jerry Lewis is revered as a genius in France. In Italy, Roberto Benigni packs 'em in. We Americans have yet to fully explain Andrew Dice Clay. Obviously, humor can be a matter of opinion. And comedic opinions fluctuate widely. Let's not forget what happened when Ray Liotta told Joe Pesci he was "funny" in Goodfellas.
There's gotta be something positive about a language with so many words for "laugh" (giggle, chortle, snicker, chuckle, cackle, guffaw, hoot, snigger, titter, snort, etc.) and "funny" (hilarious, humorous, uproarious, comical, droll, hysterical, amusing, witty, mirthful, etc.), and "joke" (gag, one-liner, witticism, wisecrack, pun, riposte, jest, prank, jibe, etc.). But somewhere over the years, we manage to lose a few hundred laughs every 24 hours. Children (of all cultures and eras) laugh, on average, 400 times a day. For adults, the number is 15. Subsequently, every house or apartment comes with a medicine chest...but you'd have to order the whoopee cushion.
10 Green-ish Jokes to Be Reused, Recycled, Repurposed (or Maybe Just Composted)
1. Q: How many humans does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Wait, are we absolutely certain the light bulb needs changing?
2. President Bush says he's really going to buckle down now and fight global warming. As a matter of fact, he announced today he's sending 20,000 troops to the sun" (David Letterman)
3. "Scientists say because of global warming they expect the world's oceans to rise four and a half feet. The scientists say this can mean only one thing: Gary Coleman is going to drown." (Conan O'Brien)
4. Lisa: "Do we have any food that wasn't brutally slaughtered?"
Homer: "Well, I think the veal died of loneliness." (Matt Groening, The Simpsons) 5. "I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases." (George Bernard Shaw, on flowers) 6. "Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong." (George Carlin) 7. "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." (Dan Quayle, former US vice president) 8. An environmentalist dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. Peter checks his dossier and says, "Ah, you're an environmentalist--you're in the wrong place." Thinking that heaven could never make an error, the environmentalist reports to the gates of hell and is let in. Pretty soon, the environmentalist gets dissatisfied with the environment in hell and starts implementing eco-friendly improvements. After a while, global warming, air and water pollution are under control. The landscape is covered with grass and plants, the food is organic, and the people are happy. The environmentalist has become a pretty popular guy. One day, God calls Satan up on the telephone and says with a sneer, "So, how's it going down there in hell?" Satan replies, "Hey, things are going great. We've got clean air and water, the temperature is better and the food tastes better, and there's no telling what this environmentalist is going to fix next." God replies, "What??? You've got an environmentalist? That's a mistake--he should never have gotten down there; send him up here." Satan says, "No way. I like having an environmentalist on the staff, and I'm keeping him." God says, "Send him back up here or I'll sue." Satan laughs uproariously and answers, "Yeah, right. And just where are you going to get a lawyer?" (Source) 9. Alanis Morrisette walks into a bar and the bartender asks, "Why the long face?" (This is somewhat green because she just turned vegan.) 10. Q. How many environmentalists does it take to change a light bulb? A. Ten. One to write the light bulb a letter requesting that it change. Four to circulate online petitions. One to file a lawsuit demanding it change. One to send the light bulb loving kindness, knowing that this is the only way real change occurs. One to accept the light bulb precisely the way it is, clear in the knowledge that to not accept another is to do great harm to oneself. One to write a book about how and why the light bulb needs to change. And finally, one to smash the #$^#&ing light bulb, because we all know it's never going to change." (Derrick Jensen) (insert rimshot here) Video: Living With Ed: Outting and Outtakes
