Complaint or Commentary?

I have a saying, a joke really, that I use frequently.  “I’m not complaining, I’m providing commentary.”  Not everyone gets the joke.  What others see as ‘complaining’ I see as ‘commentary’.  I notice little things (sometimes I notice big things too) and I comment.  My comments are often sarcastic and intended as humor.  Comics do it all the time – it’s usually what stand-up routines are made of; observations offered with a sarcastic overtone. 

It’s amazing to me how you can sit someone down in front of a stage, put a guy or gal on the stage and give them an intro and people will understand what’s coming next is comedy – jokes – whether they are delivered with sarcasm or not.  But, put those same people in their routine lives (or worse put them in front of their computer) and everything becomes something offensive.  People so often don’t get the joke. 

Now, not everyone finds sarcasm funny.  That’s fine.  But to get offended or to believe the person being sarcastic is being serious, I think is more a reflection on the one who is offended rather than the one who was sarcastic.  Most of the time anyway.

I point out little things and poke fun at them (usually with sarcasm); on my facebook page especially.  If you follow me on facebook, I hope you’ll keep that in mind.  My sarcasm is intended and implied and please infer it as such. If I’m ever serious, and there are things I am serious about, trust me – I’ll make sure it’s understood. 

But overall I agree with something that Bill Maher said:

‘When did we get it in our heads that we have the right to never hear anything we don’t like?  ….If it weren’t for throwing conniption fits, we wouldn’t get any exercise.  I have a better idea.  Let’s have an amnesty –

from the left and the right – on every made-up, fake, totally insincere, play-acted hurt, insult, slight, and affront.  Let’s make [one day a year] the National Day of No Outrage.  One day a year when you will not find some tiny thing someone did or said [offensive] and pretend you can barely continue functioning until they apologize.  I don’t want to live in a country where no one ever says anything that offends anyone…”

Providing running commentary, usually of the sarcastic (hopefully humorous) variety, is what I do – part of who I am.  Just remember, you don’t have to like me, I’m not a facebook status.

~Mari B.