How to deal with funny people

People are like music. Some speak true words, while others are just noise, Anonymous.

If people are trying to bring you down, it only means that you are above them, Anonymous.

Funny people are those who frequently make funny, ironic or sarcastic remarks and comments. They are always cracking jokes and making witty retorts.

Laughter improves our health, for example, it relieves emotional stress and pain. It helps us to see the big picture, reduces our fears and anxieties, makes us happy and live longer, improves our relationships (nobody wants to be around someone who is gloomy), cope better with problems, worries, and struggles, and improves our overall attitude towards them. In short, it provides us with many resources for overcoming them or, at least, coping with and accepting them in the best possible way.

When you need to win over an audience, persuade someone, make a great first impression, or easy the stress of a difficult situation, starting off with a a light joke, a funny quote or anecdote could be the best way to go.  

However, some funny people use humor as a weapon. When you are less ready, they deliver their nasty blow where it hurts the most. Under a harmless guise, some unwelcome comments or remarks that could apparently be seen as naive, irrelevant, funny, and superficial by others, are indeed toxic, damaging, and even cruel. Sometimes, they could be even worse than a violent fit of anger or a bitter discussion because they take advantage of our weaknesses, shortcomings, and human frailties, and make us feel ashamed and ridiculed.

Some jokes about sex, religion, stereotypes, politics, race, color, and disabilities should be avoided. Using humor to ridicule, embarras, humble, or discredit your co-workers, customers, clients, or company is a big no-no.Cracking jokes when people are stressed, busy, or a combination of the two may be perceived as insensitive, inappropriate or distasteful.

What can you do about it?

• It is very important to accept the most basic rule. The person is not going to change. I insist, just face it, you are not going to change him or her. Accept this fact. Recognize and accept them as they are.
• Don’t boast about your achievements, knowledge, looks, skills, and wealth, it will only exacerbate the problem. Don’t toot your own horn too often. On the contrary, be humble, kind, and meek. Be confident, but not over-confident.

  Accept that we all make mistakes, have flaws and erroneous zones with humility. Avoid bragging about yourself as you will become one of their targets! Remember, it is very easy to find faults, flaws, and mistakes in others.

• It is important to constantly grow, learn from our mistakes, be honest, and demonstrate personal integrity. Do not fight against him/her, it will only make matters worse as more inappropriate things, rude remarks or disguised insults might be said. You could answer something like: “What’s wrong with you? Do you really find humiliating or insulting people fun?”
• If someone has been mean to you, has upset or hurt you, don’t retaliate by bullying them back, being nasty, mean or rude. Talk to them sensitively, respectfully, and assertively and let them know that this behavior is not acceptable and you are not going to tolerate it.
• If this approach does not work, ask for help from someone you can trust or with enough authority, e.g., friends, parents, managers, human resources, headmasters, psychologists, psychiatrists, educators, etc.
• If humor in the workplace is inappropriate, rude, insensitive or offensive, and crosses the red line or impact your coworkers or employees’ performance and productivity, talk to them and address the problem. Sometimes, the boss, manager, or someone from human resources should handle the issue.
• If you are using humour, make sure to read the room, understand the mood, tone of the situation to be able to adapt on the fly. Keep it clean, relatable, and in good taste. Pace your humor carefully, because it is cool to hear a good joke every now and then, but do not go overboard.
• Do not use humor to ridicule, embarras, humble, bully, or discredit anything or anyone. If you have something against someone, say it directly to their face.
• We live in a mad world, so who’s to say who or what is crazy and what is not? It is very difficult and dangerous to walk the fine line between what is funny (which differs from person to person) and what could be considered or interpreted as disrespectful, harmful, offensive, or even hateful by other people. This fine line is very blurry and, even worse, it’s constantly changing over time.