MATTHEW BURNETTE

Staff Writer

Humor and art are arguably the two most subjective concepts there are in our world.

You could line up 100 different people in a room and tell them the same joke, and there’s very well a possibility that you could receive 100 different reactions.

On the same token, it is estimated that around 30,000 people visit the Louvre in France just to view arguably the most famous and discussed painting, the Mona Lisa. Of those 30,000, it stands to reason that among the multitude of admirers at least one person saw it and asked, “Hey, why’s that lady smiling so weird?”

With that being said, why then is it so difficult to accept when somebody doesn’t think the same jokes or works of art are as great as you do?

I recently found myself taking a stroll around a craft fair with some family on a hot Saturday afternoon in Woodbury.

There were a number of woodworkers, jewelry makers, basket weavers and potters among others. We made our way around the circle of booths for a while before one in particular caught my eye.

The booth was manned by a gentleman named Lucas Antoniak, a cartoonist and artist from Tennessee who operates under the brand name LAB Ideas! Art (if you want to check him out). I’ve always been a big cartoon fan and have been known to buy a paper just for the comics, so naturally I gravitated towards his work.

Each one made me chuckle, and I even praised his sense of humor on a couple of occasions as I made my way around. I pretty much decided after the first couple of pieces that I was probably going to get one to show a little support.

But which one?

All of his work featured different characters in different situations making different jokes and commentaries on the world.

Then my eyes locked onto a one-panel cartoon with a one-word caption that, in that moment, was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I paid the artist and thanked him and walked away giddy with anticipation to show the rest of my group.

At this point you may be wondering “Wow, I wonder what it was that he found so funny?”

Well, it’s hard to explain. We all know that nine times out of ten when you try and explain something situational, it never sounds as funny in the explanation as it does in real life, so I’ve added it directly after this paragraph for your viewing pleasure.

Pretty great, right?

Maybe not, but that’s what I thought as I excitedly went to show the rest of my group what I had just purchased.

I even, earlier that day, had a conversation with someone in my party about how things just tickle me with no rhyme or reason to it, and I can’t really find the right words to explain why that is.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell someone why you like stuff.

I caught up with my group with a giddy grin and greeted them by saying “Look what I just bought. I think it’s hilarious.”

They all examined the piece for a few moments, and then unfortunately I noticed the inside ends of their eyebrows slowly migrating south towards the top of their noses. The worst thing you can see when you’re trying to connect with someone based off of humor: confusion.

My initial thought was that I had spent too much time in the heat that day and my processor wasn’t running at full capacity, especially as questions started being asked and I tried to verbalize what I liked about the comic.

I attempted to explain it for a few more minutes before coming to a realization:

“Who cares?”

Too often we find ourselves seeking out the validation of others so that we feel like we’re justified in enjoying the things that we enjoy. If someone else likes it, then it’s okay for you to.

But in reality, it is okay for you to whether someone else does or not.

We’re all individual people with individual tastes. We can like the things we like and let others like the things that they like. Bonding over shared interests is great, but not isn’t the end of the world.

That being said, please like the comic. I really want you to…