The great Shirley MacLaine (American actress and dancer) was once quoted as saying “The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.”

In light of the all-in-good-fun articles in this week’s Fitzhugh, we thought it important to mention that sometimes a little laughter is a good thing – especially if we are able to laugh at ourselves.

It is with this in mind that the Fitzhugh’s April Fool’s Day correspondents, Quentin Dalgado, Lois Brockman and Petra Ladytrestle went out of their way to provide some tongue-in-cheek coverage that poked a little fun, while being outlandish enough to not be taken too seriously.

The humour may be lost on some, but as our special correspondents explained it, it was a blast to be able to set aside the strict rules of ethical journalism – if only for a moment – to make light of the normally quite serious jobs that they do each day. As a matter of fact, they tossed aside their How to catch a celebrity in their underwear and Journalism for Dummies books with great haste as they set out to provide Jasperites with some unconventional news stories. These keyboard monkeys – oops, intrepid journalists – were more than happy to head out for the next breaking story. Journalists love breaking news – and statistics. In fact, according to a source, 92 per cent of all journalists prefer the use of stats over any other source more than 88 per cent of the time.

On a more serious note, and back to the original topic, it really is important to laugh. Reports have revealed that when laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Not only that, it has been said that laughter can strengthen the immune system, boost energy, diminish pain, and protect from the damaging effects of stress.

Norman Cousin’s memoir, Anatomy of an Illness revealed another interesting point. Cousins, diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful spine condition, found that a diet of comedies, like Marx Brothers films and episodes of Candid Camera, helped him feel better. In his memoirs, he stated that ten minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep.

To be sure, there are many things going on in the world that do not warrant a laugh. But, have you noticed that many of the things that make us frown are in that middle area of everyday life? That’s why it is important not to take ourselves too seriously. After all, is it really wrong to look for the humour in a situation? Or to celebrate the irony and absurdity of life?

It is with this in mind that the Fitzhugh enlisted the help of our special correspondents. We hope that you enjoyed our take on humour and were able to laugh along with us for a little while. And for those that began reading and put the paper down in a huff – not the least bit amused:

April Fool’s! Gotcha!  

“Humour has justly been regarded as the finest perfection of poetic genius.”~ Thomas Carlyle