h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just saw this movie ... it was called 'Sullivan's Travels', and it's from 1941. The story goes that there's this movie director called John Sullivan who's making a tragic movie about the homeless folk of America, so he decides to go out and experience their lifestyle for himself. Accompanied by a ditzy blonde, he travels around the country, though often ending up back in Hollywood. Finally, while everyone back home thinks he's dead, he winds up sentenced to six years' hard labour. While there, he discovers that laughter is the way his fellow inmates overcome their problems. So when he gets rescued (and I'm giving away the ending, here) he decides that instead of making the serious movie he's going to make movies that make people laugh.

And wow, I agree. I admit that I have a habit of laughing at importune moments and at things that no one else thinks are funny (for example, when I failed my last math test, or when I was travelling with a school group and we missed our plane back home). But sometimes there are things so terrible and frightening and awesome (in the negative sense) that you can't do anything but poke fun. Allow me to give an example: the Holocaust isn't, as a rule, an amusing subject, but 'Springtime for Hitler' or Monty Python's 'Mr Hilter' sketch are both hilarious.

Laugh - it's good for you. I'll start the ball rolling:



Oh, and at risk of possible embarrassment, I think I'll post this anyway. If one was convinced that one was in love, what would be a wise course of action?

"Oh, and at risk of possible embarrassment, I think I'll post this anyway. If one was convinced that one was in love, what would be a wise course of action?"

Try not to, despite your newfound love of it, laugh in the young lad's face for starters. Unless he makes a joke, in which case pretend it's very funny.

Hi Echo

Laughter is what makes us human. I had forgotten that film thanks for reminding me.

As for falling in love well, remember that 'love' is very different to 'passion'. The modern interpretation of 'love' is often 'passion' dressed up in romance and can rarely survive without a solid friendship and deep understanding of the other person. See my homepage for more details to prevent me repeating myself ad nauseum.

Oh yeah I was once a fourteen to seventeen year old lad. I can assure you that such creatures are pitiable slaves to hormones and will say and do just about anything to get a girl into a compromised state.

I am also the father of two girls and so unreasonably protective of young women. If he breaks your heart I will get old-time druid all over him

Love is never wrong, but it should not be blind either.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\

Aye I'm with Matholwch, men are bastards. I should know, I am one. There are a good few nice ones out there but they can be hard to find; methinks test the waters first.

Speaking of the holocaust and laughing, you'd be surprised how much of that's been going on since I moved into university halls. Feel kinda bad, but devilishly good at the same time.

If your love is based on "like", but really really really, then you're probably in good shape--just make sure you keep the upper hand.

I'm a tad lost over the "dont worry be happy" philosophy. I mean, some things need being serious about. A serious documentary about homeless people will get a more active response then a funny one.

Thanks everyone.

The guy in question has been a good friend of mine for some time, but I've only just decided that I'm 'in love' with him. I doubt he'll ever do anything stupid to me, as that depends on my likelihood of doing anything stupid like professing my love, which is never going to happen.

Leo, in the movie the thing was that Sullivan thought he was going to make this movie to show how miserable a selected few are and how we should do something about it. When he got out into the world and realised that everyone's got problems - just some a bit more than others - he realised that rather than wallowing in more problems he should help people laugh to make them overcome these problems. There's a great scene of the chain gang laughing uproariously at a Mickey Mouse cartoon, which is his moment of realisation.

I suppose that comedy in this case is really just escapism, but what's wrong with that? If your life is really that miserable, maybe laughing occasionally is what will prevent you from ending it and will give yourself hope for the future.

Though there is always a place for serious stuff, what really is popular and gets the message across among the masses - a serious report about people dying in Iraq, or the satire presented in cartoons and in late-night comedy shows? People listen to what the comedy is saying at the same time that they're laughing - at least, that's been my experience.

I do adore satire, but the trouble is people often miss the point of it, mostly the people that its aimed at ie BrassEye's paedophile special or Ray Winstone's Scum (I think that was the one), quite a lot of skinheads idolised the character in that instead of seeing his shortcomings.

Purge the masses, that's what I say

Maybe people enjoy the satire more, but they rally about the s.

Yeah, people should laugh at their problems. Laugh at how stupid they can get over life. That's what comedy TV is for, right? We all have these issues, and lets face it, their funny.

What gets me mad is when people laugh at other people's problems. Particularly people who have problems that need more than a laugh, because they're terminal problem.
(*Resisting saying vitriolic things about university students who can joke about people in serious pain.*)

And yeah, don't profess any love to any guy. Make him do it first.

*sigh*
That should read: "Rally about the de#ths."

if he really is a good friend you should feel comfortable telling him about your feelings, and he won't react badly even if he doesn't feel the same way.

Oh, and I love the philosophy!

Traveller in Time watching another movie
"The way to keep facing life in whatever circumstances is finding the balance between *Don't worry be happy* and *Always look at the bright side of life*.

Besides, a grin and even laughter is basically an expression of fear. That is what monkeys do . . . "

Wisdom and love are seldom seen fused together. I admire someone with great ambitions.

You haven't mentioned this, and it can be quite important; do you care if he loves you back?


You have asked for a plan of action, so I am presuming ahead of time that your thinking about the matter is finished, but this is a guy way of thinking. Since your theme is laughter, what's his sense of humor like?

Perhaps I automatically see more options because I am a gay man. I need to have some idea about what sorts of things a violinist does regularly, to know how to approach this. What particular actions are you-EMR not doing now that you think someone in love would do? What particular actions are you-all not doing now that you think someones in love would do? Are you intending to do this in a girly way? Have you used your brains on him yet?

Sea Change, he's been my friend for a long time, and he wouldn't be my friend if he wasn't smart and funny. But it's taken me five years or so to figure out that the fact that I enjoy his company so much might be because I've got a crush on him.

We like to talk and everything, but because I hang out with this group of guys and I dress in androgynous or male clothing, I think he'd have a hard time seeing me as a girl and not just 'one of the guys'. I wouldn't want to act 'girly' either - I think that's a bit beneath me, if it doesn't sound too condescending.

I think about him a lot, and how he would respond to certain things that I do/say, and how I would respond to things he does/says. But I could never tell him. I'm worried he'd just laugh in my face. In the past he's dated girls who are, while not as smart or don't have as good conversational skills, are definitely attractive in the traditional sense. At least his last relationship (I'm friends with that girl, too) was completely physical - it's his guy friends, and me, that he talks to.

Basically, I don't want to lose him as a friend by being his girlfriend - I've put a lot of work into this friendship and I don't want to see it go away. Besides, I've never been in any sort of relationship before and I don't know what I'd do or say. And I'm mostly just worried that he'd say no.

I hope that wasn't too much unburdening of feelings for one post.

Humor, love, and high intelligence:

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/geeks

Affairs of the heart always involve a gamble of some kind, the question is: if the end is positive, will it be good enough to risk the negative? Or, will going out with him be so good that its worth the POSSIBILITY of losing him as a friend?

Maybe its because I'm of the Romantic ilk that I'd say gamble all but that's coming from the perspective of a guy who thinks that a chance to progress a friendship with a close female friend into something more special is not one that should be neglected. Maybe test the waters, throw in some flirting or some gentle hints, test his reaction. Though they could be fallacious so I'm just gonna say talk to him, I can't imagine you'd be so close to someone who'd become estranged as a friend because of a minor hiccup like this. Maybe he's just gone out with physical girls before because he didn't think people liked his personality, or maybe he doesn't respect women and you can be the one to change it.

If you like him enough, go for it.

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I wish everyone was like you, T2T!

Your post is very inspiring. I think I'm going to give it some thought.

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While cautionary words (quite understandably) aren't quite as interesting, allow me to point out that the posts about hormones, though mentioned jokingly, were not unfactual.
If your guy has not yet progressed beyond purely physical guy-girl "serious" relationships, you may not want to get seriously involved with him just yet. (I'm presuming you're interested in something a little less superficial.)

At the same time, you might want to consider that the guy in question may respect you too much to enter such a relationship with you. (ie: "Echo? She's too cool to be a girlfriend.")

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"Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone"

I think that's from a song - don't remember which one.

Meanwhile, feeling you're in love or at least have a crush on someone and not wanting to say this in case it's deemed as somehow *intimidating* . . . gaaaaaaaa!

First most important factor in *any* relationship, be it just friends or something more, is COMMUNICATION. So trying to second guess someone's response to something you might like to say, or creating 'lines' that people shouldn't cross really isn't communicating. Is it?

Be brave. Be you. Say what you want to say as long as you know it won't hurt anyone unnecessesarily and you can never go wrong.


az

excuse obvious typo . . . unnecessessessarilyyyyy??


az