HERO Marcelle Lives!
It’s been just nine days since I launched my HERO Marcelle Substack page, which houses all the writings that were not suitable for anywhere else. It’s my unleashed humor. The response has been shocking. As I keep saying, humor is difficult to write. It takes anywhere from two to three times longer to write, and it’s all about timing. And even then, if you don’t get it exactly right and spoil the mood for the reader, it’s just annoying. Humor is also personal to the reader. Some laugh easily, while others make it about them and are offended by anything. Some think it reflects badly somehow, while missing the whole point.
Apple famously fired a very senior guy when he quoted a movie in his off time in bad taste in attempt at humor. That’s all it takes sometimes. I know the guy, and while he's not my favorite person, he didn’t deserve to be fired over something that dumb. I know far too many talented people who have crass humor in their blood, and I’d never fire them over that.
We’ve become a humorless society, and that’s never a good thing. Humor, even if off-color, can lift spirits and get people over some tough stuff. The doctor who wrote much of the early theories about suicide noticed that it could have a powerful effect on helping people get over some very dark times. Holocaust survivors said it was their dark humor that aided in their survival. I believe it. It’s my jokes that get me through the tough stuff. So, to those who take offense, pull your head out of your ass, it’s not about you, have a laugh, and get on with your life.
The point I’m making here is that after just nine days, the response to my humor is easily 100X the response to anything I’ve written about all other topics. They aren’t even close. I conclude a few things. People are starved for something that cheers them up. Anything really. Second, it could be that I’m good at humor, but it’s best I not think that way and keep working to improve.
I’m glad I started the site now. Yeah, maybe I’ll write something that’s a tiny bit embarrassing, but it’s all under my pen name, so I don’t care anymore. I’ve tried since 2015 to keep things less humorous, taking the advice of those who have no idea what they are talking about. It’s not been a failure, but the contrast between the two is remarkable. HERO Marcelle will grow very rapidly, and that is gratifying. It already has 12 readers for every subscriber and is passed around more than anything I’ve ever written. I think I’ll keep doing it and if someone has a problem with it, well, that’s about their own narcissism.