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What a Comedy Community Could Look Like

Dream a Funny Dream with Me!

By Lightning BoltPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 9 min read
19

I wrote a Plea for Parody. In it, I explained that in my view, one thing that Sucks Ass About Vocal is the lack of commitment to Comedy.

Check it.👇

Now Imagine This…

Vocal commits to Comedy!

A Funny Forum is formed, a place for people to be their quirky, sarcastic, silly selves. What would that look like? What subcategories should exist under Vocal Comedy?

I have recommendations.

⚡😁👍

But before I get to those, let me first address the pink elephant in the room.

What will not be allowed?

Vocal.media is an association of authors supporting other authors. When we are at our best, we all learn from each other to better perfect our craft. We assemble here because we all share the same dream… roughly. (I’m thinking we all want wealth and fame, but I’m not sure everyone covets their own Netflix series as much as I do. 🤷‍♂️)

There is a classic form of comedy known as Aggressive Comedy, that which "leans more toward offending than humor.” This should be disallowed. There is no need to be insulting or aggressive, or engage in tactless shock comedy. We don’t make fun of victims in the aftermath of a disaster; we don’t make fun of other Vocal authors’ work.

There are ways to be clever without being cruel!

Context matters. The words we chose also matter. Perhaps there should be a place for more aggressive insult comedy when dealing with celebrities? You know, like Kardasians. Or Tucker Carlson. They can put on their big boy pants and take it. Shouldn't we all pick a side in the war between the Rock and Vin Diesel?

We need a safe space where punsters can describe their pratfalls in painful detail…

Where readers can expect humor meant to delight, not incite.

Village Idiots of the World Unite!

A careful read of the current Community Guidelines suggests that aggressive insult humor is already forbidden, because it can be perceived as hate speech. Jokes predicated on hurtful prejudicial stereotypes aren't funny! So we shouldn’t be hating on our colleagues here… and they won’t be hating on us. We have each other’s backs!

All for one and one for all!

Bottom line, when it comes to what won’t be allowed in our dream version of a merry-go-round 👇, it's a victimizer pretending to be the victim!

"Your story has not been approved."

So when we put together this New Comedy Club of Tomorrow, we simply apply the same Terms and Conditions we use today. Summarized in this specific context, those guidelines amount to: 'Be funny; don't be hurtful'. What Vocal needs is something exactly like...

Cable 10 Aurora Illinois Community Access Channel! 👇

As I mentioned in my article: 'What Sucks Ass about Vocal: No Sense of Humor'— there are several different possible names that might fit our new Wit network. For now, let's say "Comedy" wins the day. Readers would see that word— Comedy— in big bold letters at the top left of a writer’s work and instantly know the overall tone/intent of the piece. Here’s some possible subcategories, starting with the obvious ones first…

Comedy/Futurism or Comedy/Sci-fi. A place for the writer conceiving a new kind of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Back to the Future again.

Comedy/Horror. Think Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Or the Addams Family. This is the niche for the writer conceiving a Younger Frankenstein. An even better way to sell this, in my opinion, is to call it “creepy” instead of “horror.” Or Comedy/Dark might be cooler still.

Comedy/Workplace. A newer, funnier version of The Office.

Comedy/Confessions. Unlike what is written for the Confessions community, the confessions here could be ludicrous spoofs.

There could be Comedy/Geeks, Comedy/Poets, Comedy/Gamers, Comedy/Families, Comedy/Via, Comedy/Photography, Comedy/Relationships, Comedy/LQBTQ+ (or label it Comedy/Pride, for humor to be appreciated by that community), and Comedy/Pop Culture.

I suggest all these classifications working with a basic premise: giving writers more (clearer) options is a good thing. But, admittedly, I’m old and not tech savvy... so I have no clue how many virgins you’ll need to sacrifice to the computer magnates who can create all these shiny new options. I understand it could be cost prohibitive.

I’m going to take this next wish to the extreme of having a sub-sub-category! Let’s talk now for just a moment about the serious subject of parody.

There are so many different forms of parody! Wouldn’t it be sweet if the reader was given additional information, beyond simply ‘Comedy/parody’? Besides Horror and Sci-fi parodies, there could be categories for Real Life parody, Fantasy Parody, Song Parody, Romance Parody, TV Show Parody, Movie Parody, Superhero Parody, Book Parody, even throw in Mash-up Parody for that person who likes to include everything but the kitchen sink! That might be overdoing it, 🤷‍♂️ but Comedy/Parody should definitively be an option!

Other Comedy Subcategories (that could have a dual function as writing prompts)...

We could use Comedy/Review niche. Anything written along these lines currently seems to end up in Geeks under pop culture.

An Odd Couple category could be for two Vocal authors who collaborate on a humorous piece.

A My Sitcom subcategory, where people publish situation comedies based on their own lives and the people they know! Wacky friends and crazy neighbors!

My Celebrity Romance— its so self-explanatory!

❤️💍💰🤵‍♂️👰‍♀️💥💕💲🤑😤🤯🤩👀👀💕💲⚡

Over in the political Swamp on Vocal, there is a way to write Donald Trump and Theresa May. But what about everyone else we want to write? We need a Dear X subcategory under Comedy, where the writer fills in the X with a celebrity of their choosing! Writing to corporate mascots, cartoons, and fictitious characters would also be highly encouraged!

I hesitate to pull PetLife into this. Isn’t every pet story ever told both uplifting and amusing? Still… perhaps in our dream Comedy Club we should give Pet People the option of joining us. Comedy/PetLife.

There should be a Comedy/List category, a home for classic comedy like this. 👇🤣😂🤣🤣🤣

Some others…

Comedy/Anti-Humor. Comedy/Interview. Comedy/ Mockumentary. Comedy/Anecdotal. Comedy/Fake Product Reviews. Comedy/Script. Comedy/Sports. Comedy/Continuing Series. Comedy/Surreal. Comedy/Hyperbolic. Comedy/Irony. Comedy/Rant. Perhaps even Comedy/Self-Deprecating.

Wouldn't a Comedy/Cartoon option be exciting for the artists among us?

Comedy/Heritage— a genre in which a comedian discusses humorous traits about their own culture or heritage. Think Jeff Foxworthy, Jackie Mason, George Lopez, and/or Richard Pryor.

Comedy/Burlesque (or Vaudeville, or Vintage)— a place for the old stuff, the gems that have stood the test of time. (again: not insult/hateful humor. NEWS ALERT: White people in black face telling racial jokes is no longer considered acceptable.)

How about Comedy/Unappreciated Elsewhere category? This could be a space where an author reprints something they thought fell flat when it was posted in a different Vocal community… and turn it into a routine, explaining why it’s actually quite hilarious.

A Comedy/Holidays classification would always be handy, regardless of the season!

And hey, while we’re at it, how about a straight-up place for Comedy/Jokes?!? Let that inner jester in all of us be free! Perhaps even decrease the word limit just for this one category to 200?

Some jokes do stand the test of time!

👇😂😂🦉🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

So what about TikTok?

This is tough. 😕

Do we fear that, if we establish a Comedy Community, it will be bombarded with an incessant stream of TikTok videos with people being punched or falling down? To me, that seems like a reasonable fear.

We could put a strict NO TIKTOK sign on the door. Is that too extreme?

Here’s an idea! For every TikTok video you add to an article posted in the humor department, it increases your needed word count by 200 words! So if you put ten TikTok videos in a post? You owe us an additional 2000 words! That’s in addition to the minimum of 600 words you started out with.

Yet another idea is just concede writers are losing the war to TikTok 😥 and create a Comedy/TikTok niche. There would still be the normal word count requirement so it couldn’t be just TikTok videos, but it would allow someone to do commentary on stuff found on TikTok.

The TikTok magnates wouldn’t send hitman to kill us for tampering with their product, would they? If so, disregard this suggestion… obviously!

Dreaming of a Vocal Comedy Club Coming in 2022... with HYSTERICAL Contests!

Just think of the Contests we could have if we had a humor community! Instead of giving out thousands of dollars every time, Vocal could dish out weird amounts like $127.33 to the winner, along with a badge they could display on their profile. Badges would be sweet!! Don’tcha think? 'Top Jester of January 2022'! 'Biggest Buffoon on Vocal February 2022'! 'Prince/Princess of Puns'? Or maybe just 'Reigning Comedy King/Queen', an honorary position that changes constantly!

Contests could be very topical: a call for spoofing some event(s) currently in the news. Maybe a contest where writers are prompted to pick any one of the Top 10 Netflix movies airing at a particular time and spoof it. How about a Celebrity Hot Tub Party contest, where an unlikely group of people-in-the-news all must appear in one story?

My God, shouldn't there be some space right now dedicated to those crusaders who want to take credit for getting Britney freed at last?!?

Okay, I’m getting out of control. I’ll stop now. But realize…

🎼🎶 You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And then we all will laugh as one 🎵

What do you think? Isn’t my vision sweet?

Join the #Commit2ComedyonVocal movement!

The joke you save may be your own!

⚡⚡⚡

One final thought, yes, there is a place for humor already under Filthy but shouldn't there also be a place designated Comedy/Blue Humor? This final video 👇 I give to you is hilarious to the extreme but Be Forewarned: it is incredibly dirty! 👇

You're welcome. ⚡😁👍

⚡⚡

Thanks for joining me as I lived out a fantasy, inspired by one of the things that Really Sucks Ass about this place.

One correction to end this: I realize late, since these are communities of people even more than literary categories, Comedians might be a better classification than Comedy? 🤷‍♂️ Whichever!

Here's hoping Vocal gives wacky people the pulpit they need to preach their own original gospel of gobbledygook!

If you'd like to read a comedic romance that I wrote, check out A Demonic Love Story. 👇

Love is Hell. 🔥

Please tip me $24,800.00.

Daddy really needs the money.

🤷‍♂️

I thank you kindly for your support!

________________Bolt

[email protected]

product review
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About the Creator

Lightning Bolt

From out of the blue, _Bolt writes horror galore, Sci-Fi, Superheroes & strange Poetry + MEME-ing MADNESS X12.

Vocal needs a Comedy Community!

Proud member of the Vocal Social Society on Facebook.

Reader insights

Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

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  1. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (2)

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  • Mike Singleton - Mikeydred2 years ago

    I agree, there are many communities that overlap , there is a women one but no men's, there is no funny / comedy 01 could merge with futurism , Gamers and geeks could be merged , so could Potent and Proof , The Chain and trader , and Cleats and Unbalanced . There is room for Comedy.

  • Heather Hubler2 years ago

    YES!! I'm ready to be a contestant! Or tribute? Or whatever? #Commit2ComedyonVocal

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