The Sooie Side of Life

Suicide just doesn't receive the humorous treatment it deserves. Leave it to The Onion to do it right. Actually, the article is not so much a rib-tickler about suicide as it is a satire on the fabric of today’s society, where technology has isolated us from each other. It is ironic that communication and travel are easier today than ever in history, but it is the soulless nature of these technology-supported links that furthers feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Emotion today is conveyed with an array of sterile acronyms and icons. “LOL” means “I am staring impassively at my screen, but will take a moment to recognize your attempt at humor.” A smiley face might mean “I don’t want to take the time to rephrase my communiqué so that you’ll realize my jocundity; let this icon reveal my intentions.”

The security and anonymity of isolation does allow unchecked anger to be the one emotion that is freely shared. Thus, we might find blanket statements profanely expressed by those who disagree with our opinions. This sort of close-minded and puerile invective is reserved not only for the BIG TOPICS (foremost of these being politics and religion), but also for opinions on pop culture: musicians you might (not) like, or even the particular songs you (don’t) prefer by that musician; the movie or TV series you prefer, or even the particular episode of that series; the sports (or team) you prefer; your feelings on why a particular sports team may (not) be doing well; or, and this is a big one, which actor or model you think is the hottest. Some contentious issues, these.

But this unfettered rage can lead to some humorous moments, tinged with rousing irony, such as when your typos are under attack by a critic who writes “Your such a looser. Your grammer sucks!”

The Onion's article captures all this about society, but at the expense of leaving the latently funny topic of suicide as but an afterthought. So, I’ll have to continue my search for good humor about self-inflicted death. In the meantime, refresh yourself on the reasons you might not want to commit suicide. Bookmark that page and return to it again and again. You might need it when Life makes you feel like a looser, as it so often does.