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GET MORE LAUGHTER IN YOUR LIFE!
David Granirer - North America's Psychotherapist/Stand-Up Comic
Volume 3, Issue 2
Editor: David Granirer, david@psychocomic.com
Publisher: David Granirer
www.psychocomic.com

Please help us grow by forwarding this e-zine on to others!

IN THIS ISSUE
1. Welcome from the Publisher
2. Joke
3. Fighting Back With Humor
4. What’s Good Stories
5. An Opportunity To Help
6. Classified Ads
7. Contact Information


PRIVACY STATEMENT: WE WILL NOT DISTRIBUTE YOUR
EMAIL ADDRESS TO ANYONE. PERIOD.


1. WELCOME FROM THE PUBLISHER

****We’re Back!****

My comedy nights start again on Friday January 11 at Flori’s Coffee Centre, 3851 E. Hastings in North Burnaby, 2 blocks east of Boundary. To reserve (604) 294-8505.

On Friday January 18, CBC TV is coming to do a piece on that night’s headliner, and one of my star comedy students, 69 year old Mavis Pickett. It’s a great story of how taking a risk (In her case taking my stand-up comedy course) and confronting her fears changed her life. Mavis took the course twice and is now a professional comic. One day she’ll probably be a star, and the great thing is she has no investment in it! So come on out and laugh with her!


****Comedy Course****

If you’ve ever had a dream to do comedy, my 8-week Stand-Up Comedy Clinic Course at Langara College starts on the evenings of February 5 and 6. (I’m running 2 sections this term, a Tues. and Wed. class). To register call Langara at (604) 323-5322. To see testimonials from people who have taken the course go to http://www.psychocomic.com/ComedyCourse.htm

2. THIS MONTH'S JOKE

To help you lighten up, Iíve decided to start every issue with a joke. If anyone has some good clean jokes that are reasonably short, feel free to email them to me at david@psychocomic.com

For those of you who don’t live in British Columbia, the new government here is doing some major budget cutting and laying off a lot of civil servants. For those losing jobs, it’s a classic case of not being able to control what happens to you, but still having some control over how you react. Here is a humorous response that has been widely circulated. And yes, it’s funny and angry, but when you’re in these situations you need an escape valve for some of your negative emotions, and humor is a far healthier way to express them than violence. Also I would imagine that the people who wrote it, and their colleagues who read it felt a bit more empowered. More on this in the section three article “Fighting Back With Humor.”

To: All Employees
Subject: British Columbia Public Service.

As a result of the reduction of money budgeted for department areas, we are forced to cut down on our number of personnel. Under this plan, older employees will be asked to take early retirement, thus permitting the retention of younger people who represent the future of our Province.

Therefore, a program to phase out older personnel by the end of the current fiscal year, via retirement, will be put into effect immediately.

This program will be known as SLAP (Sever Late-Aged Personnel).

Employees who are SLAPPED will be given the opportunity to look for jobs outside the Government. SLAPPED employees can request a review of their employment records before actual retirement takes place.

This review phase of the program is called SCREW (Survey of Capabilities of Retired-Early Workers). All employees who have been SLAPPED and SCREWED may file an appeal with upper management.

This appeal is called SHAFT (Study by Higher Authority Following Termination). Under the terms of the new policy, an employee may be SLAPPED once, SCREWED twice, but may be SHAFTED as many times as the Government deems appropriate. If an employee follows the above procedure, he/she will be entitled to get HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel's Early Severance) or CLAP (Combined Lump-sum Assistance Payment.

As HERPES and CLAP are considered benefit plans, any employee who has received HERPES or CLAP will no longer be SLAPPED or SCREWED by the Government.

The Premier wishes to assure the younger employees who remain in the public service that the Government will continue its policy of training employees through our Special High Intensity Training (SHIT).

We take pride in the amount of SHIT our employees receive. We have given our employees more SHIT than any Government in this area. If any employee feels they do not receive enough SHIT on the job, see your immediate supervisor. Your supervisor is specially trained to make sure you receive all the SHIT you can stand.

And, once again, thank you for all your years of service with the Government of British Columbia


3. FIGHTING BACK WITH HUMOR

Let me be clear. The reason I ran the above parody of a government memo to laid off employees is not to make a political statement. I’m running it because it’s a great example of fighting back with humor.

Humor researcher Kathleen Stokker wrote an essay entitled “Quisling Humor in Hitler’s Norway: Its Wartime Function and Postwar Legacy.” In it, she argues that jokes directed at Norwegian Nazi leader Vidkun Quisling and the German occupiers “…protected the self-respect of and granted a measure of control to a small nation caught in an uncontrollable situation.

According to Ms. Stokker, “Norwegian resisters used humor as one of their most effective weapons.” Their sizeable body of anti-Quisling jokes produced an alternative view of the Nazi regime and helped consolidate public opinion against Nazism. This alternative view was something the population needed, since the Nazis imposed strict media censorship, and all people got were glowing reports of Hitler’s war efforts.

Furthermore, Norway’s anti-Nazi jokes created a feeling of solidarity and group identity among the resisters by contradicting the Nazi’s claim that those who didn’t join them would stand alone. Having everyone in a country telling the same jokes is a great way to unite people against a common enemy. The jokes offered people the reassurance that “others see what I see.”

Whatever your struggles are, humor helps you regain self-respect, take control, make your point, and connect with people facing similar problems.

At a conference for mental health consumers, I worked with 25 of them to develop humor about their mental illnesses for presentation to the other participants. Aside from coming up with really funny stuff (One of the Top Five Reasons to Avoid My Psychiatrist: Because he thinks I’m crazy) it was incredibly empowering for the group to hear humor about their problems delivered by their own people. Suddenly they were united and in control, rather than being ashamed and marginalized. Coincidentally, the conference theme was “I am in Control.”

If you would like to print one of my articles on humor in the workplace in your newsletter free of charge, email me at david@psychocomic.com and Iíll send you a complete summary of all the articles Iíve written.

For other free articles about laughter go to www.psychocomic.com/Articles.htm

For free back issues of this ezine go to www.psychocomic.com/Newsletter.htm

*****GET MORE LAUGHTER IN YOUR LIFE!*****
Check out David's tapes, posters, buttons at www.psychocomic.com/Products.htm
 

4. WHAT'S GOOD STORIES

It's so easy to see all the bad things around us, that sometimes we forget about all the great things that go on. And we need to hear about good things because that gives us hope and inspires us to go out and do more good things.

In this section, I want to hear from you. What's happened in your life that's good? What things have people done that inspire you to be kind to others? What funny things have happened?

Email your short stories to me at david@psychocomic.com, and if I publish yours, you get a free copy of my tape "I'm OK But YOU Need Professional Help!"  
 

Jennifer Wells from Sundre, Alberta contributed this month’s story.

I took my elderly mother to visit my sister in Ontario last fall. The second night that we were there we went to Stratford, first to "Down the Street" restaurant, then to the theatre to see Twelfth Night.

In the restaurant Mum realized her purse was missing. We knew she had it when we entered the restaurant. She was quite distraught because all of her medications were in it, her airline ticket, and a substantial amount of cash for the trip. We asked the restaurant staff if anyone had turned in a purse, but by the time we left Mum was sure it was gone for good. When we left, we gave them my sister's phone number in case they found it when they shut down.

As we were waiting for the curtain to go up in the theatre, the woman from the restaurant arrived at our seats with Mum's purse. Mum had apparently set it down while she hung up her coat. Two women were eating at the table near the coat rack. The woman saw the black purse next to her chair and thought it was hers, so she tucked it under the table. When they were ready to leave, she saw the second purse and turned it in.

The restaurant staff had heard us talking about going to the theatre, so they phoned around to the theatres to find out which one had a booking under the same name as the restaurant reservation.

What surprised me most, seeing as this was my family, is that I was the only one who believed that Mum would get her purse back, and with all the cash still in it.

5. AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP

ARTISTS WITHOUT BORDERS brings psychological relief to the victims of war in the form of art and/or entertainment. They send performers and artists to refugee camps and zones of conflict. Theyíve been to Kosovo, East Timor, Chechnya and more. If youíd like more information, or to help out, (Theyíre a non-profit organization and could use donations) go to their web site http://www.artwit.org .

If anyone has a good cause they'd like to promote please email me at david@psychocomic.com
 

6. CLASSIFIED ADS

Speakers: Learn how to incorporate stand-up comedy into your presentations. Check out David's stand-up comedy skills coaching for presenters at: www.psychocomic.com/ComedyCourse.htm
 

7. CONTACT INFORMATION

David Granirer gives laughter in the workplace presentations helping hundreds of organizations throughout North America reduce stress, increase wellness, and cope with change. For more information on his presentations, stand-up comedy, products, and articles call (604) 205-9242 or go to www.psychocomic.com

Special thanks to www.e-zinez.com

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