Here is a bit of a confession - I have a wierd sense of humour. Some find it very, very, weird. When I met the woman I call my wife, I was referred to as "the guy without a sense of humour and if he smiled, his face would crack".
The attached photo (view in browser if photos aren't showing up) was produced over 10 years ago, and was a large scale inside joke. Part of an inappropriate sense of humour is laughing at things that not everyone will laugh at. But, when you are familiar with the comedy material, and it is relevant to your lifestyle - you will laugh for a long time. The mantra in the bottom left of the image - we even put that on beer mugs (and I still have them).
Back to the discussion at hand.... I shared a meme that was obviously farsicle and not representative of the proverb it meant to represent - Sun Tzu, key author of "The Art of War" roughly around 2500 years ago. He is credited with many proverbs - ALL OF THEM, are interpretations of the translations that have been made over the years. In my mind - this is the style of image of him that jumps to mind when I am reading the book. Key to my judgement in this discussion is that I have read the book.
The writing in the book is what has been used to give boundaries to the doctrine pertaining to the use of violence in military operations for CENTURIES.
Most notable in the book is the way it is written. Sun Tzu would wax poetic for a day or two, then at the end of the chapter, a number of his trusted advisors and other generals would provide input. It is my opinion that some of the best quotes that are attributed to Sun Tzu were actually coined by these men..... Remember - that is purely my opinion - it might not be right.
So when the meme came out that was paraphrasing a proverb in todays vernacular (profanity included), I know that it wasn't a Sun Tzu quote. But, the intent of the quote spoke to the necessary focus needed by a warrior on the mission, vision,and leaders, to be successful without dealing with destractions. That is what I take from it. Again, likely as one of the few in the discussion who has actually chewed through the many, many, dry reading pages of the book that is how I took the joke when it crossed my facebook feed.
When I read the updated quote, in my mind I imagined Sun Tzu looking a little like the "master" from Revenge of the Nerds 2, and making the statement - which still makes me laugh.
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Keep in mind, that I found a gag Sun Tzu quote read by "the master" funny... so I shared it to my facebook.
Much military humour is like a great big inside joke. Many times it is about acronyms that each element, trade, branch, unit has their own vernacular. Which reminds me that most times when I watch Pirates of the Caribean I laugh when Barbossa says - "I am disinclined to acquiese to your request - means no"....as in my mind I remember a time in a ships operations room when one ship radioed ours to make a request, and the reply was "Lima Mike November".... I gave a funny look and was told "stands for - Lick My Nuts - means NO". I laughed then, and still laugh now.
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Not to make excuses, but black or dark humour is, and always will be, a coping mechanism for many. Many of the Sea King memes(before memes on the internet were popular) were made during a dark period of uncertainty, with a dash of fear, ounce of bitters, cup of frustration, and a bucket of resentment - stir well, strain over ice and garnish with lime wedge. My HS/MH (means Sea King folks) friends have all lost fellow aviators in the pursuit of the flying dream.
With any circumstance, there will be humour that only those that are experiencing it will get - Cancer patients are the same way - best laughs I have had in Edmonton have been with Hutch or Colin - and if someone overheard what we were talking about, they would have thought we were mentally unstable. But we get the jokes - has everyone understood the cancer jokes that I have posted on FB - probably not. If they did, then they could be offended.
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I laugh at inappropriate things.
I don't go out of my way to offend people - it just happens that way. Do I apologize - not usually. Should I apologize - maybe. In one of the comments in the threads, which has gone from suggesting people not attend charity events, digging up dirt on almost year old events, to threats of lawsuits, and a page with an Aussie guy that only had 5 likes at the beginning of this, is a comedian who talks about being offended. I can relate to him as I to, am offended by boy bands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceS_jkKjIgo
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