The Goofy Zealot: A Really Sad Joke

“I don’t have anything to live for”.

Even as a joke, this is one of the most bizarre responses I’ve received by far.

This happened not long after I submitted the last (first) entry of The Goofy Zealot.

Today’s entry isn’t as fun, but I promise that it ends on a good note.

In “The Mask of Masculinity” by Lewis Howes, he highlights how some use comedy as a way to hide behind the pain that they feel daily.

He brings up Robin Williams, and how he would have interviewed him if he had the chance.

This hit home for me as a friend of mine, the funniest guy I knew at the time, committed suicide a few years ago.

Although this person that I said good afternoon to yesterday was a woman, I still wonder whether or not the comment came from a place of true darkness.

She was with a friend at least, so I assume that she has some support system around her. And after all, it was just a joke, right?

Our generation is full of sarcasm and dark humor. I wonder if this is a sign of the times that we live in.

Due to the grave nature of this and my lack of experience in this topic, I’ve supplemented this entry with some research on mental health and some business insights.

In the British scientific journal, Nature, a study found that “Dark humour styles were associated with low interpersonal competence, particularly with poor ability to perceive other people’s emotions 30,31,32. Therefore, it is possible that individuals poor in the perception of emotions tend to use humour in compromising ways, because they do not (appropriately) interprete the target’s emotional feedback”.

In this case, I don’t know how relevant this research is to my experience yesterday, but I think that this may be a good direction to take this journal. If you are interested in how people use dark humor and why, I highly recommend reading the full study on “The Use of Bright and Dark Humor” here.

Another article cites this kind of humor as Gen Z’s way of “coping with reality” and that it’s much easier to face tough circumstances when they are taken in a light-hearted manner.

It goes on to explain that this mindset is responsible for most of what we know as “Meme Culture”.

It’s hard to address someone in a moment where they are being sarcastic or funny in a serious way, so I felt a bit powerless. Do I just go along with the joke or is there a better way/time/person to address an interaction like this?

Either way, this is a moment to check in with ourselves. How are we using humor on a daily basis to communicate with others?

Are we purely being funny or is there a deeper call out for help beneath our self-deprecating comments?

Are we addressing the things in our life that make us feel worthless or that life is meaningless with someone that we can trust?

On a more positive note, research cites that Generation Z is the most likely to seek help for mental health issues.

The rise of telehealth practices may also be increasing the accessibility of mental health care.

With a greater focus on social impact investments in the financial world, capital will likely flow toward growing this industry in the future.

In fact, according to a study released by Fortune Business Insights, the Telehealth category is growing at a 32.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and is expected to reach a market size of $636 Billion by 2028.

Before we get too carried away, mental health is key to performing at the highest levels possible. According to an article in Forbes, mental health has an impact on performance, productivity, and the bottom line within an organization.

So, it’s not just about us as individuals.

It’s about our friends, our family members, and our colleagues and their ability to survive and thrive every single day.