Psychopathic sense of humour

I was reading Zork’s take on the question of whether psychopaths laugh, and found it to be somewhat lacking. He is a good writer and I recommend everyone check out his blog, which is a unique take on living with psychopathy, but this particular post was disappointing. You see, it’s a very long answer that doesn’t end up saying very much. And it becomes clear by the end that he probably doesn’t have a sense of humour at all, since he can’t give any examples of things he finds funny. So I’m going to try to write a more comprehensive answer in fewer words. Wish me luck.

One thing Zhawq got right is that he admitted he was only speaking for himself; likewise I can only tell you about my own sense of humour. I do not claim to be typical or entirely unique; doubtlessly I’m somewhere between those two extremes. But I have a broad sense of humour. Both in that I instinctively know what makes different people laugh and I myself also find lots of things funny. I have to admit that I don’t always ‘get’ the jokes I tell to keep other people amused, but I know they work and the lack of understanding helps with the deadpan delivery. So I make people laugh both as a means of manipulation and because I enjoy controlling their moods.

For me, puns don’t appeal because they’re too obvious, neither do slapstick (unless very well-choreographed) or shock humour (just try and shock me). Observational humour is uninteresting, unless the person doing the observing is a sick fuck, like George Carlin was.

But what about what I do find funny? I enjoy satire and really anything that ridicules or subverts. Jokes at somebody’s expense, even at my own, are the best. You could say I have a cruel sense of humour and you wouldn’t be wrong, I do take pleasure in mocking those around me; kicking people when they’re down may be bad form, but it sure is funny. On the flip side, I am more than capable at laughing at myself. Self-deprecation is a required social more in British society, so I would stand out if I couldn’t take what I dish out when it comes to piss-taking. Furthermore, one of my favourite genres, satire, is particularly known for allowing the powerless to attack the powerful. Anything that brings politicians and bankers and celebrities and royalty down to everyone else’s level is all good. The Queen’s shit is the same colour as yours and mine, didn’t you know? Similarly, comedy that highlights life’s absurdity and the majority of people’s hypocrisies is good in my books.

The best of the lot, that combines all the humour I love and some of the humour I don’t like, but makes it funny regardless? It’s The Simpsons, mainly episodes from the 90s of course. Especially anything by Conan O’Brien (the babysitter Bart has a crush on; Homer goes to college; the Springfield monorail scam) or John Swartzwelder (Hans Scorpio; the Stonecutters; the softball episode). If you don’t instantly agree with me, I’m not going to try to convince you, but seriously man just go watch The Simpsons.

So there you have it: a concise and, I hope, informative exposé on what I, as a psychopath, happen to find funny. Do I really think this has anything to do with being a psychopath? Well, maybe a bit, but on the whole not really. Just another insight into my life for you to ridicule on Facebook. If you’re shocked that you share my sense of humour, or want to tell me why I suck, leave a comment. If you are Zhawq or one of his representatives, contact my lawyer. Actually, don’t do that. I can’t afford a lawyer.

So, in the absence of anything witty to end with, I’m just going to stop writing. I need to get back to The Simpsons anyway.

Seriously, leave a comment or Poochie gets it.