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SPLITSIDER:The Uneasy Relationship Between Mental Illness & Comedy.

Posted by: Captain Obvious (a.k.a RotoHockey2013MainPort) on Apr 29, 23:27 in response to Baron_Darcon's post It depends on how it's done. some Leslie Nelsons...

https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_walters_on_being_just_crazy_enough?language=en

At TED's Full Spectrum Auditions, comedian Joshua Walters, who's bipolar, walks the line between mental illness and mental "skillness." In this funny, thought-provoking talk, he asks: What's the right balance between medicating craziness away and riding the manic edge of creativity and drive?

http://splitsider.com/2012/12/the-uneasy-relationship-between-mental-illness-and-comedy/

“The more taboo the thing you’re dealing with, the more relaxed and matter-of-fact you have to be about it,” he said.

Darkness can be funny, he believes, as long as there’s also a beat of relief — a moment where the performer steps back to add comment, or perspective. Darkness is funniest when it’s acknowledged, something that comes naturally when you are outside that horror.

Too bad Will Ferrell pussed out. We'll most likely not see many edgy comedies ever again; there's always somebody out there offended. goodvibe61 Apr 29, 21:53

Curious, do you have anyone in your family with dimentia? {nm} ~JPV~ Apr 29, 22:09

Yeah. Also, I doubt whether it would make much difference regarding the making of a good film. {nm} goodvibe61 Apr 29, 22:18

EXACTLY. {nm} goodvibe61 Apr 29, 22:22

It depends on how it's done. some Leslie Nelsons characters had dementia like defects. Oh and my mom has dementia.. sometimes laughter is Baron_Darcon Apr 29, 22:32

And that's the point, it's based on a real person. Heck, I wouldn't care if they did a satire on the Reagan presidency... ~JPV~ Apr 29, 22:37

Comedian Ruby Wax: What's So Funny About Mental Illness? Captain Obvious Apr 29, 23:20

And in some of these examples, it's those with the disease that's doing the comedy and thus bringing light to it. {nm} ~JPV~ Apr 30, 00:18

Hence coming from them, it carries far more weight. In the case of this movie, again, the point isn't to cause attention to dimentia ~JPV~ Apr 30, 00:20

What difference does that make? So, the only person that should make a film about a bank robbery is a bank robber. {nm} goodvibe61 Apr 30, 00:28

Nobody else with an imagination could bring any light to it. {nm} goodvibe61 Apr 30, 00:35

Apples and oranges. Mental disorder is not the same thing as bank robbery. I'm done. {nm} ~JPV~ Apr 30, 00:36