Warning: this article is drenched in heavy sarcasm, self-deprecation, loads of sass, lots of truth, and a wee too much confidence. You’re welcome.
With every friend group, there are obviously going to be different types of people and personalities; a way to describe the individual to other people and have them know exactly who you’re talking about. There’s the pretty one, the ditzy one, the one who’s always late, the alpha, the mom…and then there’s “the funny one.” This description often goes hand in hand with “having a great personality,” it has a negative connotation. It usually implies that the funny one doesn't have the best looks, but you can’t tell people that to their face because its mean.
The funny one will always break the tension. They will make absurd remarks that make you question their entire being, you’ll think things like “did you actually just say that?????”. They make random noises, can contort their face into the oddest of shapes, and can always make you smile when you aren’t freaked out by how weird the funny one actually is.
The funny one (aka TFO, because I’m lazy) usually knows that they’re TFO. They have eyes, they can compare themselves to their friend group and realize that they’re not the pretty one or the mom. Obviously, any one person in the friend group can have multiple titles, but TFO will always be TFO; that will never change. TFOs have some issues…from my experience. Confidence is usually pretty flexible, they might have some body issues (who in this world doesn’t), they usually have some kind of internal battle that they’re always waging. Jokes help. Whether they’re a defensive or a diversionary tactic, TFO always knows what to spew to be the jester for their court of friends.
Despite their internal struggle, TFO will always be there for their besties. We’re extremely loyal, our humor works because the people around us know that we’re joking. We’re not always the nicest people, we always have a bit of a tone of voice that makes people think we’re just being a plain old a**hole instead of cracking a joke. But being TFO pays off.
I won’t sit here and say that I’m ugly…my entire support group would smack me for saying that; but I am The Funny One. That’s not to say that everyone I hang out with is “unfunny”, it’s just that I’m the one who is, in all honestly, freaking hilarious.
I’m the one who brought a lemon to our best friend’s funeral because he was oddly obsessed with lemons and someone has to keep the joke running. I’m the one who will call my best friends stupid because I’m self-conscious that they’ve always had better grades than me in school. I’m the one who makes dinosaur noises and claws because my arms are freakishly short for a person of my size and, other than screeching like a T-Rex, I don’t know how else to express myself. I’m the one who makes a turtle face to cheer up my best friend when she’s had a fight with her parents. I’m the one who bakes and dances around to the top hits of the late ‘90s and early 2000’s in the kitchen like an idiot while the cupcakes are in the oven. I’m the one who says off-color remarks about movies or people and doesn’t really care who hears me. I’m the one who will always tell it like it is. I’m the one who will guarantee that when I love someone, family, best friend, or other, I will be there for them no matter what’s going on with me.
Cheering people up, being weird, not letting people know that I do care about what other people think of me but I pretend that I don’t, faking my confidence because someone has to be self-empowered even though I crumble with the slightest insult…it’s all the duty of TFO, and I love every second of it. Take pride in yourself if you’re TFO. Know that, sometimes, your jokes are what get people through their day even though they never tell you about that. Looks fade, people grow up and become more responsible, alphas are removed from their thrones, we might all become moms someday, but humor will always remain.
To TFO, you’re the one who will always endure, you’re the one who will always be relied on, and you’re the one who will have the truest of relationships. You’re the funny one and no one can take that away from you. Be proud that you’re TFO, love that you’re TFO, abuse the fact that you’re TFO. Keep those jokes rolling and enjoy every second of it. Be. The. Funny One.
