The People to Avoid
You’re out with your colleagues after work at your favourite after-work restaurant. A massive project got completed today and you all knocked it out of the park. It was a huge accomplishment and you’re all out celebrating. You decide to go for All You Can Eat sushi because you want to spoil yourself tonight. The reason you all come here is the quality of service and how the chef prides himself on freshness. You’ve built a lot of good memories over the time you’ve been at this company.
The team orders drinks and there is a huge “CHEERS” and clacking of cocktails. The night couldn’t be going any better. Some of your colleagues invite their partners to join the group. Why not? Make it a night to remember.
You’re considered the comedian of not just the group, but the whole company. You make everyone laugh effortlessly, you brighten everyone’s day and you give a boost of energy in the workspace. Everyone thinks you should quit your job and go into comedy. People think you’re that good.
You’ve cracked some one-liners, some story jokes and witty remarks before your colleague's boyfriends and girlfriends arrive. You made the lead project manager spit out some of her cocktail, the joke was that clever.
The chemistry between the whole team is better than Walter White’s formula. And now tonight’s batch is ruined when your colleague's better half gets into the conversation.
They don’t fit the vibe, you’re not bouncing off each other as well as before. Something is off??? They’re not laughing, adding humour or bringing fun to the conversation. You say a few jokes…. *cue cricket noises*
You have a very dark sense of humour so you try a different approach. One of the girlfriends gives you a snarky look. “I don’t get it,” one guy said for the fourth time when everyone caught on.
The night is ruined and getting the bill is awkward. It’s all half goodbyes now, no hugs, no handshakes. Just half waves and half nods of acknowledgment and “see ya later”’s. When you get a taxi to go home you wonder what happened. How did the night of celebrating something amazing go so well and suddenly take a U-turn in an awkward, no-fun shit show?
It suddenly hits you…
Some people give us energy, some give us nothing and suck the life out of us. We call these people ‘energy vampires’. Sucking anything good out of the atmosphere, making everything dull and boring and just plain no fun. They’re terrible to be around.
They have no sense of humour. And that is what to watch out for. People with no sense of humour should be avoided at all costs. Life is too short to hang around with shitty people. Yes, they exist and we have to deal with them. But deal with them as you must, don’t let them into your life any further.
When legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld was on BuzzFeed Brews when asked about gender diversity in comedy, he, I believe, answered perfectly with, “Funny is the world I live in. You're funny, I'm interested. You're not funny, I'm not interested.”
If someone has no sense of humour, they take everything too seriously, they’re dense. They’ll get offended on purpose by twisting your words and then look at everyone else to see who will side with them in need of approval. Energy vampires!
Not all people with no sense of humour are bad, sometimes the deadpan, seriousness they bring is hilarious itself. But the ones incapable of having a laugh are the ones avoiding at all costs.
These are the people to avoid. Don’t let people with no humour make your life hell.
Protect your energy. Protect your peace. Have a fun life with fun people.
Laughter is the best medicine.
Until next time,
Brody
