Latest news with #darkhumor
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kaitlin Olson Explains Why, Even on ‘High Potential,' Her Characters Always Find Humor in the Darkness
Kaitlin Olson believes that being able to create genuine moments of levity in depressing situations is the secret to compelling television. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans know that dark humor has been one of Olson's specialties since the Lethal Weapon sequels. On her smash hit ABC crime drama High Potential, Olson has had the opportunity to deviate from her typical TV type and play an intelligent, emotionally stable and productive member of society, as opposed to the mercurial addict roles she's used to knocking out of the park. Olson's High Potential character, Morgan Gillory, is a genius-level cleaning-lady-turned-crime-solver who helps the LAPD investigate some of the most grisly murders in Southern California while navigating her complicated personal life and raising her three kids on her own. Compared to Olson's other most famous characters on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Hacks, Morgan is a much more grounded and sympathetic figure to the massive High Potential audience, but Olson insists that, even on a broadcast TV police procedural, there's always room for a good laugh at a gory crime scene. In a recent talk with Deadline, Olson discussed her shift in focus from comedy to drama for High Potential, explaining that she still felt it was important for her to incorporate comedic elements into her performance, even if the show wasn't as joke-y as her usual projects. 'I wanted to create a character that was very well-rounded, and there's a lot going on in her life, she's always overwhelmed," Olson said. 'There's always a lot going on in her brain, and sometimes she's able to laugh at herself.' 'She definitely feels fine making fun of people, especially when they're underestimating her, so there's comedy in that,' Olson continued. 'That's just human nature.' And, even if Morgan's version of making fun of people is a calm, concise quip that deconstructs their facade, that doesn't make her casual destructions any less entertaining than when Sweet Dee drunkenly screams swears into a stranger's face. 'I think that the best character-driven dramatic pieces of material, whether it's TV or movies, have comedy sprinkled in, because that's life,' Olson posited. 'There are funny moments and there are snarky things to be said that can be funny, and you have to be able to laugh in dark times. That's just the way the world works, it's also just more fun to watch.' But, to be clear, Olson's dramatic chops are in no way overshadowed by her preternatural comedic timing in High Potential. Said Olson on her recent switch from comedy to drama, 'I grew up doing theater, so I've done all kinds of things and you get to see little glimpses of it in Hacks and the film Champions.' We also got to see her thespian side in a little regional theater production called The Nightman Cometh: Get more Cracked directly to your inbox. Sign up for Cracked newsletters at Cracked News Letters Signup.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
As missiles fly, Gen Z turns to dark humour, memes to let worries go viral, process war
When conflicts escalate between countries and headlines scream of missiles, invasions, and rising death tolls, many brace themselves for the relentless barrage of news and information. But for some in the younger generation, the first instinct is to open social media, scroll through memes, and laugh amid the grim reality. To them, this isn't being insensitive; it is how they process the chaos, understand what's happening and feel a little less alone. Experts say this kind of dark humour is often a coping mechanism, especially for those who have grown up surrounded by crisis with no real way to respond. To some, it may appear to be apathy. But for many Gen Z and Gen Alpha youth, it's the only way to cope with the weight of a world constantly in crisis. 'In a weird way, we're just trying to make sense of the chaos,' said 22-year-old Noura, who lives in Dubai. "If we don't laugh about it, we'll break down. And to be honest, sometimes we are laughing while we're breaking down." Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Noura, a Sudanese, said she doesn't see memes as jokes made at someone's expense but as a way to speak about things that feel too heavy to say out loud. "Sometimes it's the only way we can talk about what's going on without crying or feeling helpless," she said. "It's not that we don't care; it's that we care too much, and we don't know what to do with it." The internet has shifted the emotional register of how young people process violence. Memes have become the language of response, reaction, and survival. While older generations might turn to family or pray, this generation edits a video, adds text, emojis, and lets their worries go viral. Psychologists say it's not a sign of detachment but of a coping mechanism born out of overstimulation. "We're looking at young people who have grown up surrounded by endless bad news, with no real break," explained Dr Lina Farouk, a clinical psychologist based in Abu Dhabi. "They're bombarded with images of war, school shootings, climate disasters, and economic collapse, all on the same screen they use to talk to friends or watch cat videos. Humour becomes a way to protect themselves from emotional burnout." During the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war, jokes about WW3 flooded social media platforms. When tensions rose between Iran and Israel, TikTok users responded with skits pretending to be drafted soldiers or posting sarcastic 'fit checks' for the apocalypse. In Gaza, young people facing unimaginable realities still found moments to post memes that reflected both horror and resilience, sometimes even while the bombs rained down. "This is not mockery,' said Rami, a 26-year-old Palestinian content creator. 'Sometimes humour is the only way to tell the truth without being censored or shut down. Sometimes, it's the only way to stay sane.' The internet has made every conflict feel close. And in a culture where there's little time to pause, the reaction is often immediate. But the backlash can be just as fast. Critics argue that trivialising war through memes risks desensitising people to the reality of human suffering. Others say it can be deeply disrespectful to those directly affected. Still, digital culture doesn't always fit traditional moral frameworks. And for young people, the line between sincerity and irony is often blurred. A meme can be both painful and funny at the same time. It can criticise, grieve, and mock, all in one post. Experts suggest that this isn't a passing trend but rather a reflection of how digital natives now experience the world. "We're witnessing the emotional evolution of an entire generation," said Dr. Farouk. "They may not have the same tools we did, but that doesn't mean they're not feeling it. In fact, they might be feeling it too much."
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This Cemetery Groundskeeper Did An AMA, And People Had A LOT Of Questions, Here Are The Fascinating Things They Shared
Do you love all things weird, dark, and creepy? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre! It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Recently, Reddit user odd_fisch, a cemetery groundskeeper, did a very interesting AMA on r/CemeteryPorn (they also shared the really pretty photo below!). And, unsurprisingly, a lot of people had a lot of questions. Here are the best and top-voted questions and then the answers from odd_fisch: 1."What percentage of graves get visited?" —finalgirl08 "Roughly 30% but it varies a lot depending on holidays." 2."Do you have many regulars who visit a lot? To visit particular graves, or to take in the whole place, typically?" —turtle2turtle3turtle "A few, some people come to walk, and some who visit regularly at graves. One gentleman has been visiting every weekend for years now. We also have a lot of Pokéstops LOL." 3."How common is it for people to piss and shit on the graves of people they hated in life?" —Famous_Suspect6330 "Well, I've never seen people shit but, umm, I have seen other unsavory acts, if you're smelling what I'm stepping in…" 4."Can share any particular incident or burial which made you laugh?" —OGadminOP "Nothing that made me really laugh. But my first week working there, prior to me living there, I was a pallbearer because there was no family in attendance so I and the other groundskeepers stepped in." 5."I volunteer in a previously abandoned cemetery. We have lots of cave-ins where caskets collapsed over time in the wooded sections. Do you experience this at yours? How do you handle it if so?" —isuzupup__ "We do have some cave-ins, and unfortunately, one of our best options is just to fill it in. Most of the graves that collapse are 150+ years old so they get few or no visitors." 6."When a headstone is broken or pushed over, who typically deals with that? Would it be you if you just happened upon it or would the family of the deceased have to ask for it to be fixed? I pick up headstones if I find them toppled or kicked over, and I always wondered who is supposed to do that since some of the ones I've picked up were seemingly like that for years, and no one picked them up. But I know I saw the groundskeepers. So I wasn't sure if it was a 'can't touch it till a report is made' type of situation or not." —Individual_Ad_6777 "Typically, it is the responsibility of the family. However, if we're able, we always fix what we can! Some are just too big to move even with four people on it." 7."Have you ever had any issues with visitors (living or ghosts, LOL)?" —DistinctBell3032 "The house I stay in is almost 200 years old — it's been used as a funeral home/office, storage, and some other stuff. Sometimes, the house feels a little spooky. But nothing unfriendly! Unfortunately, the living customers always present issues. Always complaints to be made. At the end of the day, it doesn't bother me!" Related: "That Sentence Sat In My Head For Months": Men Are Revealing The Most Hurtful Things A Woman Can Say To Them, And It's Actually Fascinating 8."How many high school metal bands have you caught trying to film music videos?" — GivemTheDDD "Not many LOL, but we do have people come in at night for 'séances.'" 9."Any problems or accidents with the people having 'séances?'" —HanhnaH "Problems? Yes. Accidents? No. Mainly, they tend to leave trash, candles, and other items." 10."I was in a graveyard with my daughter yesterday. We met an older gentleman who was mowing a section of the lawn/graves. He saw us walking and pointed to the stone a little ways away and said, 'That one's mine.' Being certain he wasn't a ghost, how often do families preplace a stone and do maintenance? I'm guessing his family of yesteryear is buried there. It was a tiny cemetery, under 20 rows." —fugensnot "Preplaced stones are a great money-saving option and take a lot of stress off of your family when that time comes! It very well could've been his stone, especially if there was no death date!" 11."Is your job well compensated?" —alwayssearching2012 "It is! Room and board are provided, and although it's mostly volunteer work, anything after 20 hours is paid!" 12."Have you ever seen a ghost in your cemetery before? I think that is the question that everybody wants to know the most." — International-Sea561 "No, not in the cemetery itself, but the house is a different story. I like to think I'm safe as I take care of the place in part!" Related: Here Are 50 Pictures That Make Me Grin Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I've Seen Them, In Case You Need Them 13."Do you ever feel afraid, especially at night, or are you pretty comfortable being there?" —Wintermoon54 "It feels more like home than any other place I've lived!" 14."Have you ever seen anyone ever accidentally fall into a grave?" —No_University6980 "No, but we joke about hiding in them pre-funerals (death jokes are a norm)." 15."What's the oldest grave there?" —Bleacherblonde "Dates into the late 1700s, it's barely legible due to erosion, but we have a record of it!" 16."For those old sites, since no one is around anymore to help maintain them, do you guys get together and help those out a little more?" —Oy_theBrave "Typically, yes. We knock out entire sections at a time, usually a couple of acres a day. We encourage people to come and maintain what they want to, but we knock out our stuff independently!" 17."Do you have a list of your favorite headstones? What is it about them that makes them you're favorite?" —crapatthethriftstore "I have a few I really like. Mostly, it's because of their interesting names, or because they're funny; we have a Nimrod McGruber. Poor guy. Some of the stones have nice sayings or cool engravings as well." 18."Have you ever been involved in an exhumation?" —genzgingee "No they are very uncommon!" 19."Do you assist with burials (like, set up those things that lower the casket)? What are the requirements to become a cemetery groundskeeper?" —CHAIFE671 "All I had to do was put in the work, and the opportunity arose for me to move to the cemetery! And we lay out burial sites and currently hire out for digging/ openings/closing. We're in the process of repairing and replacing a lot of stuff!" 20."I also work at a cemetery, primarily in the office, but I also help the grounds crew from time to time. What's the dumbest complaint you've heard about the way you keep your cemetery? For us, I'd probably say the lady who complained that our trees weren't trimmed pointy enough." —starwishes20 "Oh man, we just got one this Memorial Day, the local paper printed a piece from the VA saying we didn't allow any flags for the veterans. This simply wasn't true. We even had hundreds of them ready to be placed by anyone who wanted to! Sat them outside by the office and everything! We also placed a few around our veterans' monument near the entrance, so clearly, flags were not a problem." 21."Why do I see really old headstones with 'perpetual care' on them, yet they're cracked, toppled over, or broken? Doesn't perpetual care mean they paid so that if it ever broke, no matter how far into the future, it would be fixed? What happens when those old mausoleums start crumbling? Does anyone fix it, or will it just continue to fall apart? What if the mausoleum gets so bad that the coffin is exposed?" —Inevitable-Plenty203 "Mausoleums are typically family property. I can't speak for other cemeteries, but for us, when something like that happens, we file insurance and have stones replaced. Very old stones don't get replaced for a number of reasons — the perpetual care didn't exist at the time of the burial, likely was family responsibility, or it's simply so old that insurance won't do anything about it." 22."What do you do during a typical day?" —ImDeepState "Mowing, trimming, stick removal, and decoration removal (plastic decorations are hazardous in many ways)." "What's your favorite part about the job?" —Queenielauren "The peacefulness of it! It's quiet and living there gives me a lot of pride in it." You can read the original AMA on Reddit. Note: Some questions responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Want to read about more weird, dark, and creepy things? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre! It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Also in Internet Finds: Holy Crap, I Can't Stop Laughing At These 28 Painfully Awkward And Embarrassing Conversations Also in Internet Finds: I Need To Call My Doc For A New Inhaler After Cackling So Hard At These 41 Funny Tweets From The Week Also in Internet Finds: People Are Sharing How What Happened In Vegas Did NOT Stay In Vegas, And This Should Be A Lesson To Never Go To A Bachelor/Bachelorette Party There
