When I attended BlogHer this past summer, there was an awesome panel with the funniest women in the blogosphere: Wendy Aarons, Jessica Bern, Jenny The Bloggess, Deb On The Rocks, Kelcey from The Mama Bird Diaries and Anna from Life Keeps Getting Weirder.
Someone got up to the mic and said that she wasn’t funny, and asked how she could be funnier. At the time I thought that was an odd question. Now I’m not so sure. I seem to have completely misplaced my humor. Or maybe I broke my funny bone. Is that what that pain in my ass is? No, wait, that’s from being surrounded by Swiss people.
I know, that is SO NOT a politically correct thing to say. But I am in Europe now, people, I don’t have to be politically correct.
But, seriously: have you read anything funny from me in the past 4 months? Not really. What’s up with that? How do you simply become non-funny? Oddly enough, I have an answer to that: you stop being funny when you stop being able to make fun of yourself. When you start taking yourself too seriously, you become a boring mass of broken funny bones.
And that’s the problem, I started taking myself too seriously. I came here, and immediately started being a serious person. What??? Me? Everyone is already so serious here, I guess I felt a compulsion to fit in. Ok, not to repeat myself, but: what??? Me?
This ends now. Serious people are pathetic. A lack of self-irony is very unattractive. I know I may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I refuse to be pathetic. Especially for this.
Now, if you are Swiss or you are serious, chances are I offended you now. I would apologize, but part of me thinks you could use the wake-up call, so suck it up.
Plus, since moving back, I have noticed subtle changes happening here. Switzerland is changing, people.
Globus carries Benefit. People know who Jimmy Choo is. And they are getting their first taste of sample-sale-fever. In Zurich, there’s a Starbucks on every other corner. Also, less, charming but true, the once-neutral Switzerland now exports weapons. Such a joke, right? The peak of hypocrisy.
How about a good change? How about becoming less serious? How about instead of being tight-assed the whole year and then going completely crazy during the yearly Street Parade, how about just diluting fun throughout the 52 weeks? Or at least, say, 40 of those weeks?
Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. So applying that same principle, I have decided to be the change I want to see in Switzerland. More humor, less biting your tongue and holding things back. Relax people! Laugh. Yes, on the street. Heck, go crazy, even smile at strangers now and then. You can do it Swissies, I know you have it in you. Just try to remove that stick from your back side and give it a try.
I’m applying the Ghandhi principle on you. You’re welcome. You can totally pay me in chocolate.
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I think you’re allowed to laugh in Switzerland if you’re under 20. Which totally disqualifies me, but you may have a few years left.
Someone also needs to talk to the Swiss about their minaret ban. Not cool, Switsish. Not cool at all.
I see we have our work cut out for us, E.
.-= Gwen´s last blog ..Giving Thanks =-.
Being from NYC I couldn’t imagine living in a serious place. Everyone here is a comedian. Or so they think. I think that last bit earned you a chocolate bar. Swiss chocolate of course.
.-= Susie´s last blog ..Back To Knitting =-.
Hehe – Elisa, this post WAS funny! I love it and I love your new attitude. I hope you experiment with smiling at strangers and report back. AND I love being non-pc, even here in the states. It’s just part of me. (But I admit, I do apologize for it- ugh!)
Hope you’re having a great weekend! Super fun post!
.-= christy´s last blog ..She’s half-british after all =-.
You can be my Gandhi any time. Swiss people are rather serious, I suppose. My dad works over there, and he is having a hard time with that sometimes.
(PS I would KILL to go to BlogHer. At least a small furry animal, perhaps even a medium size one.)
.-= Mwa´s last blog ..Sex education for the faint-hearted =-.
That is one of my favorite quotes, and one that I strive to live by. Well done.
Go for it, girl. Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh! Or at least make them wonder what the hell you’re on.
Or you can do what I do here in the mid-west of the USA and just be that strange foreignor!!
Yes serious people suck! They also come in the form of sister in laws! Once while dining with two serious,boring,yawn, non funny, stale, sister
in …ech hem, ooops, um people. They were talking about Jamaica……..boringly…..so I just couldn’t help my self. I had to shake it up. I was on
a mission to get someone to crack a smile, chuckle, anything to show they were human. So I chimed in after one made a statement of how
spicy Jamaican jerk sauce can be. They took a boring bite of thier dinner, and I began.
“I used to work at a Jamaican resturant where I used to have to ask the guest, ‘Would you like your meat jerked?’
I got nothin……and she still hates…….So honey don’t think your not funny, there are just a lot of unfunny people out there! Keep em coming!
I totally have weeks where nothing is funny to me at all. That’s when I rely on my draft folder.
Also, I would send you chocolate but I don’t have any. I have some cherry cough drops though…
But I’ve heard Switzerland is jaw droppingly pretty
I have the large Sabrina I think. Thanks for the sweet comment, dear.
xo!
Twitter: aleciahoobing
December 7, 2009 at 1:43 PM
I have had these realizations in my life from time to time. It does suck when we take ourselves too seriously.
I saw a movie a couple of months ago that was a perfect reminder to lighten up and have fun with life. It is called “Happy Go Lucky.” Not sure what your taste in movies is, but it is definitely worth seeing if you are in an unfunny funk. I highly recommend it as it definitely made me laugh and put a smile on my face!
.-= Alecia´s last blog ..Fifteen Books =-.
I was totally at that panel, and remember that girl.
I don’t know how well I’d do in the land of the serious. Good luck starting a movement!
I think it’s really difficult to be funny all of the time. We just don’t feel funny all the time – most of us, anyways. We have serious days; worries, grief, deadlines, you name it. The Bloggess, to me, is one of the very few bloggers out there who somehow manage to find humor in everything. This is the mind of the comedian, and well, I certainly am not a comedian, which is why I turn to THEM for laughs!
Don’t stress yourself. Your writing is delightful, and it’s you. I think that people are so much more busy than they used to. Of course, when I first started this social online stuff, almost 15 years ago, it was easy to be a popular writer online. Not everyone was trying to do it. Now, everyone wants to be a writer, a blogger, you name it, so being able to shine on ones own is more difficult, I think. I sometimes have this angst for the days of Live Journal; the days before blogger and myspace and facebook and twitter took over, when we were still the savants, those of us who wrote. We were an elite group of online writers, and we felt special.
You’ve been through quite a few changes recently. You’ll get your funny back!
.-= Vennie´s last blog ..Gone to where the pain is… =-.
the fact that you were on that panel? um, hello! AMAZING! thanks so much for stopping by to say hi on my NYC post today! CAN’T WAIT to meet you at BlogHer ’10 NYC!!!
Elisa you’re totally fabulous and you’re funny and just all around awesome. Don’t change anything at all. And I also can’t wait to meet you at BlogHer ’10!!!
.-= Loukia´s last blog ..I quit, take 2 =-.
P.S What happened to your other post?
Twitter: bichonpawz
December 8, 2009 at 11:24 PM
But this IS funny!! At least I think you are funny. But that probably doesn’t count…it’s just my opinion!! You still rock, girl! You’re just rockin’ “swiss-like”…hahahahaha
.-= Jeanne ~ bermudabluez´s last blog ..Inspiration for the Day =-.
I think you’re being hard on yourself cause everything i’ve read has been funny. This post even makes me laugh in all of your seriousness.lol
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..“Last Call For Alcohol!” =-.
I’m with you — being too serious is a bad thing. Living in the northeast, I love sarcasm like a close friend.
.-= AnnQ´s last blog ..If an Engagement is broken off, who keeps the Ring? =-.
I had no idea the Swiss lived a life with their nickers in a knot. Go for it. Maybe you can be famous for being the least uptight person in all the land. Sure the entire country might look at you like a freak but think of the publicity and the page views