Witty Banter Good for Friendships

In 6th grade, I had a crush on the class clown. Not only was he popular with the girls, but every guy wanted to be his BFF.

"In any clique, the alpha male might be the wealthiest, the best athlete, the most popular with women. But just as often, it's the guy who proffers the wittiest slander."

The article is written from the insightful viewpoint of a male. I think the same standard holds true for women, but to a lesser degree. It's perfectly acceptable, not to mention humorous, to drudge up ex-boyfriend stories. However, I would imagine men take it to the next level. Furthermore, I think men place a higher value of another man's ability to "ball bust" his friends than females.

Women, as a whole, tend to be more sensitive so insulting her may be walking a fine line. Even when one follows an insult with the infamous last words, "just kidding," we all realize there is an underlying truth to all jokes. An especially touchy subject may be a past relationship. For instance, ridiculing the former flame who broke your friend's heart and shattered it into a million pieces may not be such a wise idea.

One therapeutic and humorous tactic involves listing all the negative qualities of said ex-boyfriend. The loser who lived with his mom. The tool who spent more time on his hair than you. The reject who kissed like a Hoover vacuum. Remembering and bringing up such stories is a guaranteed laugh. The finer details are an additional bonus. Like the guy who used a coupon to pay for your first date. Another terribly amusing pasttime is to ridicule the current girlfriend of the ex. Mention how her butt looked gynormous in her jeans or how her new haircut made her look like a tranny or how she snorts when she laughs. Shallow as this may be, it's a temporary ego boost.

Go ahead, make fun of each other.