Response to "5 Bad ideas..."

The blog:

So, while browsing through the blogosphere went to Cracked.com a class mate came upon the article "5 Bad ideas for Dealing With Bullies You Learned in Movies", another post in a column about Hollywood and Main street's bad ideas. It seems that Hollywood and the rest of life is full of bad ideas... not a big shocker.

The column highlights everything from why Hollywood doesn't understand technology to why web designers don't understand the internet, to things people get wrong about everyday life. The column always focuses on (about five) things people get wrong about "X".

The dilemma:

My classmate was reading other articles on Cracked, which describes itself as a humor site., when he came upon the article in question. The articles before had been lighthearted and very funny. When he started reading "Dealing With Bullies" he was shocked at how real and personal the author got about bullying.

The author talked about his childhood and difficulties that he had with bullies, difficulties ranging from getting beat up every day to having to move away because his life was threatened. For someone who was expecting another humor filled, uplifting article, this didn't deliver.

My classmate asked the question: should a humor site should have a warning if the topic is going to get to serious?

My take:

After hearing about this situation in class, I decided to investigate for myself. True enough, Cracked.com is very funny and uplifting for the most part. Comparing it to the article however, I saw the disconnect. The article makes dozens of pop-culture references and gives pretty decent advice in the end. But it is a downer.

That being said, I found the post to be very compelling, and interesting. After reviewing the site and the post in question, I feel that the author was not really out of line. The article was not dissimilar from most of his other list of things people get wrong - it was clearly the same column.

The difference is that this subject is more somber than his usual fare. While this was off putting at first, I read the article again and noticed that he was asked to talk about bullying and give his advice. Considering that he runs a humor/advice column, it is not unfair that he respond to a request for advice even if it is not very humorous.

I think that for someone who was bullied, the article would not be a downer: he talked about what really happens and how people are confused about the subject and build up a mythology about nerd revenge. You can find the humor there, with plenty of zingers and movie references it was a good read.

Final word:

In my opinion, if your readers ask you to talk about something that is normally out of context with your writing, as the writer you should have the option to respond. Just be courteous and give warning.