Response to Madeline

This paragraph stood out to me for a few reasons: In Bo Burnham’s song, “Sad,” he begins by giving some examples of misfortune, ranging from “a diabetic kid trick-or-treating” to “a giraffe with a short neck.” While these are depressing ideas and would cause most people to become a little gloomy, they do not really have much effect on us. As Burnham continues his song, he begins to focus on darker subjects like “an old man getting hit by a train,” “a mother at her daughter’s funeral,” and even references the Holocaust and 9/11. When I was watching this section of the video, I thought about how intense those situations were. I don’t think it is acceptable to joke around about the worst terrorist attack on our country or about one of the most brutal genocides in history. But, for some reason, I found myself laughing during this section too. So, why do viewers laugh at these types of jokes and find them hysterical?

One thing that I was thinking about, involving the 911 attack is this: If there was an animation of the planes flying into the towers, little kids would find it funny because for some reason crashes are funny to little kids. But if you showed it to anyone that actually knows the attack, they would not find it funny, for the most part. 

Also when it was saying "a diabetic kid trick or treating" and "a giraffe with a short neck" it kind of sounds like a bunch of oxymorons. For example, its like saying the cold fire. It just contradicts itself. When I hear someone talk about a giraffe with a short neck, I don't necessarily find it funny. If I saw a giraffe with a short neck, then I might find it somewhat amusing. But heres whats funny to me: Comparing an image of that giraffe with someone that does not have a neck. It sounds awful but that is just funny to me.