Mar

A change from the usual depressing headlines about job losses! Okay, they’re still there, but stories in two major newspapers are urging people to cheer up at the office as a way to help cope with these tough economic times – and maybe even save their jobs.

The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. suggests that merely smiling at work, even if you don’t feel like it, “can relieve stress, make you seem successful and help you stay positive.” Sound like Stepford Employees, to me.

Meanwhile, The Globe and Mail examines the role humour plays in the workplace, and similarly notes that laughter can help reduce tension, although sarcasm is to be avoided and “lay-offs are often, if not always, a no-joke zone.” Best was their list of zeitgeisty zingers, including:

George Bush was asked today “what do you think of the credit crunch?” He replied: “It’s my favourite candy bar.”

Do dark times call for dark humour?

From the Cheap Seat