It has become clear that the western culture we live in has made the entertainment media a main source of our comedy intake. Now do not get me wrong here, I love dry humor and all things of the sort, but let's just talk about what this means for our generation. I want to specifically talk about how the words we say inevitably shape how we live and how we see ourselves. Most of the time people give themselves negative self-talk in a group setting it is for the sake of humor and unfortunately is met with approval and laughing (desired result or not.) Saying negative things about yourself cannot physically change how you appear but it can change your perception over time which can be just as real.

Some phrases I personally have heard in the past week while this topic has been in my head are: "oh my gosh I have no friends," "I'm basically a human trash can" and "I am actually the worst person ever." Unsurprisingly, each of these phrases were met with laughter by the speaker and their friends. This does not mean that the people who laughed at the joke are mean, they were simply reacting to the tone and laughter of the speaker despite the meaning behind the words that were spoken. As a college student it can be hard not to let the negativity flow, especially during exam week, and how many students do you see smiling during that week? I'm willing to bet the answer is "not very many," but think about another person that speaks positively about a challenge and how much easier it seems for them to stay upbeat.

Now what are some ways we can all help each other stop this trend of self-shaming for the sake of humor? Well for one let's stop laughing when anyone puts themselves down, even if it is for comedic effect. We need to give our friends positive reinforcement in the moments that it is needed, especially to the friends that speak negatively about themselves because even if they are joking there is a good chance that their "jokes" have a root in something they believe about themselves.

I love dry slapstick comedy, which is usually brimming with self deprecating humor, but with hard times coming at the world from all directions it is imperative we don't let our perception of ourselves be negative.