Today, I want to talk about Laughter. Humour to be exact. Today, we are talking about Irish humour and Acme Sheds. We have just had a few intense days of political and social history and it is time to just take a day off and sit back and reflect.
Here at Patriotrealm we enjoy the company of a bloke calling himself Paddy. He is a bit of an Irish larrikin living down under. In fact, as a result of his jokes, we now have a saying on our blog that, when a joke is particularly funny, it is now known as a " Gladwrapper. " Why? Because you need to wrap your keyboard in glad wrap to protect it from the inevitable gush of tea, coffee, beer, wine, or water that invariably hits as you get to the punchline.
Irish wit is known for being self deprecating and is probably one of the last bastions of humour because the woke wankery can't shut down someone taking the mickey out of themselves.
One of the funniest Irishmen of course was Dave Allen. I watched this and laughed. Because it was so true.
He had been attacked for swearing, so he came back firing on all cylinders. Now that, my friends, is brilliant. Would he be able to deliver this today? Who knows.
The Irish have a remarkable knack for finding humour in their own flaws and the absurdities of life. Their ability to laugh at themselves is a testament to their resilience and charming humility. And when combined with a keen eye for the quirks of human behaviour, it creates a potent recipe for laughter.
But there's more to the success of the Irish joke than meets the eye. It's rooted in the deep-seated spirit of camaraderie and the shared experience of a nation that has weathered its fair share of storms. The Irish have mastered the art of using humour as a coping mechanism, a way to find light in the darkest of times. Through centuries of hardship, they have honed their ability to find joy amidst adversity, to turn a somber moment into a playful anecdote, and to use laughter as a salve for the soul.
And in many respects, Australians do it as well. We take the Mickey. We can laugh at ourselves. yet somehow, we always come out on top.
As do Kiwis. I genuinely believe that humour is what keeps us going in times of hardship. Is it a coincidence that Looney Tunes was born in the years of the Depression? People were craving a laugh.
In many respects, there is a similarity in the magic of Looney Tunes and the Irish sense of humour.
In the world of movies, it's often expected that the good guys triumph over the bad guys in the end.
Heroes save the day, villains are thwarted, and justice prevails. However, Looney Tunes dared to defy this convention. In the Looney Tunes universe, victory is not the ultimate goal, and nobody truly wins. Just like life really.
Instead, the focus is on having a bloody laugh. It is the unique premise of Looney Tunes: where winning takes a backseat to laughter and the joy of watching our favourite characters engage in simply being silly.
You see, in Looney Tunes, just like Irish humour, failure is celebrated as a source of laughter rather than a cause for despair. Whether it's a grand scheme gone bugger up or a simple mishap, the characters bounce back from their misfortunes with resilience and unwavering optimism.
Bursting onto our screens in the 1930s, Looney Tunes was created by Warner Bros. during the golden age of animation and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. I love the iconic "Acme shed" and its mind-boggling properties that allow our beloved characters to defy the laws of physics.
And who would have thought that The Acme Sheds was a subsidiary of Roadrunner Corporation? Sneaky old Roadrunner.
For the uninitiated, the Acme shed is a magical place where the Looney Tunes characters can find any object or contraption they desire. Whether it's a jetpack, a giant mallet, or an anvil, the Acme shed never fails to deliver. Hell Albo must have an Acme Shed somewhere in Canberra in my opinion.
But what makes the Acme shed truly remarkable is the characters' ability to emerge unscathed, despite encountering explosive mishaps. In one scene, a character might step into the shed, retrieve a stick of dynamite, and promptly get blown up, leaving only a puff of smoke behind. However, in the very next scene, they'll be back to their usual selves, without so much as a scratch.....
Sometimes we all feel like Wile E. Coyote , trapped in a world where logic doesn't work.
We are conditioned to anticipate a certain outcome in cartoons and films, with the hero triumphing and the villain being defeated. Looney Tunes defies these expectations. It's a world where anvils fall from the sky, characters miraculously survive explosions, and the laws of physics are ignored. In short, Looney Tunes make light of misery and celebrate the fact that life, really, is a bit of a shit show and if we don't laugh, we will go mad.
Much like the Irish really. And they have had their fair share of misery over the centuries .....
So let's take time out from the misery of the reality of the modern world and remember to smile and have time out. While we may never win this war against the evil that is all around us, we can at least die laughing.
I suspect we are all looking for an Acme Shed right now. What would you like to find?
