Quickies With Kyle: On Being Self-Deprecating
Air Date: July 21, 2017
Description: When I make a joke, often I am the joke. Something I do, or did; some part of who I am – if it gets a laugh I’m happy with it.
TRANSCRIPT:
For this morning’s quickie I want to talk about being self-deprecating. What I mean by that is putting yourself down – which is something I do quite a bit. And, my mom’ll tell you I do it because I’m a “Cunningham”; she’ll say that’s what her dad, my GrandPa Mel, did, and even though my last name isn’t Cunningham I’m part of that family, and so that’s what I do, that’s why she does it… and there’s that explanation. Then there’s the explanation that a, uh, psychologist gave me: which was that it’s a reflection of how I’m made to feel by all the people around me, like my, uh, family, and, um, people I was associating with at school and whatnot… this is, ya know, back in, like, middle school/high school era. And, um, they’ll say that I’m self deprecating because it’s a reflection of how I feel on the inside. And… both of those aren’t necessarily untrue because, when I say it is rooted in truth, but a lot of the times it’s just a safe way for me to get a laugh. Uh, I don’t like making fun of other people, but have no problem making fun of myself. I’m happy to laugh with people, or be laughed at; I can make a joke, I can be a joke; ’cause a lot of times I do something stupid I am doing it on purpose to get a laugh, or when I say something stupid, uh, or somebody makes fun of me, I am, you know, okay with it because it doesn’t hurt my feelings – as long as people are laughing… And, you know what? Yeah, there’s bullies that make you feel terrible by being mean, but, um, I’m pretty much past that point in life, so, that’s great! Anyways, when I say something like “I have the physique of a sack of oranges.” or “At this point in life, there’s nothing that’s going to make my face any better, I’m just trying to stop it from being worse so I don’t have to wear a mask or learn how to do makeup from YouTube tutorials.” um, I am saying that I know I am not a fit person, or an attractive person, and are they the, uh, most reasonable things to say? No. Do people laugh when I say them? Yes. Is it a pity laugh? Probably. Hopefully it’s entertaining to somebody. Now I’m just stuck talking with this speech pattern. Anyways, I’ve read so many lists that say “oh, people that are successful don’t put themselves down.” uh, “People that do XYZ don’t do ABC.” and I’m doing ABC all the time. And, so, that’s actually probably true… actually, now that I think about it. Uh, I am not a successful person. So… this is a moment of realization for me. Just kidding! I’ve known I’m not successful for a long time. And that’s what I’m talking about with being self-deprecating. Hope you enjoyed this quickie, I did.
https://soundcloud.com/thekylesouza/on-being-self-deprecating