Overreactions - Why People Need To Calm The F*** Down

Ah, the Oscars.

Eighty-seven years of honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry.  Categories that run from Best Picture all the way to Makeup and Hair Styling.  Timeless speeches given by the recipients that bring tears to your eyes.

At least, that's what I expected to read about today when I checked out the news recaps.  I didn't bother watching them last night - between having the toddler run around and praying she'd go to sleep before The Walking Dead came on, I was not concerned.  I haven't seen any of these movies yet anyway.

Still, I was curious.  So I peeked at the computer today, and what do I see?  The first two stories that come up are about how the host Neil Patrick Harris made an "ill-timed" joke about an award recipient, and how Sean Penn's green card joke has "sparked controversy".  Nothing, NOTHING about who won what or any beautiful moments during the evening.

Like Neil Patrick Harris in his underwear.  Good times!

I've read both articles (feel free to check them out here:  Neil Patrick Harris Cracks Ill-Timed Joke ; Sean Penn's Green Card Joke Sparks Controversy

Here's my takeaway:  NEITHER of the people that the jokes were referring to were offended.  They both thought the comments/jokes were funny as hell.  But everyone else has decided that these comments are unacceptable and offensive!  How awful, how could they say those things!?

The worst of it is, by Thursday no one will even remember what the hell happened to make them so mad in the first place.

Everybody - please calm the fuck down.

I found a hysterical article on Cracked.com that gave six examples of Overreaction.  For example - a man throws himself in front of his wife's car.... to keep her from voting.  It made me laugh out loud (honestly, great stuff), but at the same time got me thinking - these are TRUE STORIES!  Is it any wonder that this country is plagued by the side effects of stress?  Just look at us!

Overreacting to a joke you didn't care for also induces stress.  It make you stress out, it makes others stress out that jump on the offended bandwagon,  it stresses out the people who thought it was funny but now are caught up in the dramatic debate, and it stresses out the joker because they are second-guessing the decision to try and bring humor to someone.  Stress causes the following:

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Thanks to helpguide.org, we see here many things that suck.

Laughter, on the other hand....

The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits: Boosts immunity Lowers stress hormones Decreases pain Relaxes your muscles Prevents heart disease	Mental Health Benefits: Adds joy and zest to life Eases anxiety and fear Relieves stress Improves mood Enhances resilience	Social Benefits: Strengthens relationships Attracts others to us Enhances teamwork Helps defuse conflict Promotes group bonding

The moral of the story:  Laugh at jokes.  And calm the fuck down.  Because let's face it, if we can't laugh at ourselves, then what's the point of it all?