The last time I checked in with Facebook (sorry!) I stumbled across a fart prank reel...
FINALLY, something suggested to me that's worth watching.
I have to say I find farts and toilet humour more generally HILARIOUS!
What adds to the hilarity of these videos is the additional implication that the guy may have followed through in some of the pranks....
I found them so funny I had to find some more on YouTube...
I'm not sure if this is the same guy as on the reels, but it's the same sort of thing.
All in all I think I've spent around 30 mins over he last few days watching these... it's as much about the reactions as the farting pranks!
I got to thinking about how some of my ex gfs most definitely WOULDN'T find these videos funny, and how many of them are totally anti-fart, whereas I'm more of a 'better out than in' kind of guy...
I then got to thinking that finding farting amusing kind of goes to the core of my being... I mean OK not ALL farting, but farting in public where it can be aired and there's no horrible smell lingering, and when it's not around food which can be off-putting, but in the context of the good old out of doors, let's face it - farting is just AMUSING....
It's a harmless bodily function that we're not supposed to let rip in public, so when someone does it's FUNNY... Kids know it, you can always just kids as a barometer of humour.
However I can think of some people who would take issue with my finding fart pranks funny, might get upset not just about the farting in public, but by the fact that my gut-reaction to it is of just finding in HILARIOUS.
So onerous is farting that I should hide my easy-go attitude to it and instead put on a demeanor of disgust on witnessing it.....
NB the kind of thing I'm thinking about here is when you see fart or toilet humour on TV or someone lets one off and you laugh and your GF gives you the evils just for laughing.... not exactly first order oppression, but oppressive nonetheless (and maybe a sure sign the relationship is doomed).
On shaming amused reactions to farting and conversion therapy
So then I got to thinking about conversion therapy and how some Christian groups think it's possible to get someone to change their gender-identity as if it's a basic attitudinal thing, rather than that being part of their core-being.
It's the same with finding fart humour funny - I have ALWAYS found farting funny (even the concept of someone following through, lord I am chuckling to myself right now), so I think we can safely say this is part of my core-identity.
So oddly social pressure to shame people into not reacting to public farting with a belly laugh... it's actually got something in common with conversion therapy.
Jeez, no wonder people say I over analyze things....
And what about farting itself...?
Well I think I'd stop short of saying we should all be free to just fart whenever, they can smell bad, and there is a small risk of follow-through, neither of which would be pleasant for anyone in close vicinity in a closed environment.
So there is a small amount of social harm associated with farting in public in some contexts, but outdoors in the fresh air, facing away, FINE!
Yeah OK another 10 mins wasted!