Daniel Sloss’s Dark is the first of his two highly popular Netflix Live Shows that debuted in September of 2018. Daniel Sloss’s Dark is his explanation of why his humor is seen as dark. “I understand my comedy isn’t for everyone, I would never want to be a comedian that appealed to everyone.” Now if you are easily offended and put off by swearing, then Dark is not for you. Because it is exactly what the title of the show implies, dark!

In Dark Daniel Sloss holds nothing back. It’s ballsy, edgy, and unapologetic. Sloss tackles the taboo to the irreverent. He goes in on some heavy topics, like death, disability, pedophilia, obesity, sex, sexuality, male anatomy, politics, America, religion, abortion, vegans, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Beyoncé. In typical comedic fashion “nothing is off limits in comedy". Keep reading if you want to know why your breakup is a big joke.

Daniel Sloss’s Dark makes Jigsaw look like rainbows and unicorns. Dark packs a punch. Take note, it’s not for the delicate. So, be forewarned. Sloss challenges you to think and to examine your own opinions and perspectives on some heavy topics. Now, if you're up for the challenge, then Dark delivers. Also, if you're like me you're always looking for the lessons in life, Dark doesn't disappoint. In all the dark humor there is a powerful lesson that emerges towards the end of the show that you really don't see coming.  And Daniel breaks it down brilliantly.

The big idea in Daniel Sloss’s Dark is how to find the "comedy in the chaos" and to laugh instead of cry. Sometimes in life we find ourselves in some "dark" places especially after a breakup. Breakups shatter us into a million tiny pieces. They break us and turn us into someone we hardly recognize. Not only that, they make us do and say things we normally wouldn’t. Because, when our heart is crushed, and our world is turned upside down, the last thing we want to do is laugh. It's impossible for us to find the comedy in the emotional chaos. So, instead we lash out.

Even though Daniel Sloss’s dark humor and style of comedy rubs a lot of people the wrong way he shows us that if we are willing to see what is on the other side of our sadness we can find the humor in our hurt . Sloss drives this point home when he recounts the death of his 9-year-old sister Josie when he was seven. He says that "often the hardest times you laugh is when you're pulled from the other side of sadness." Yes, breakups can be awful, sad and complicated, but they can also be funny and hilarious. With that said, it boils down to how you look at your breakup. A breakup by itself has no meaning. We assign meaning to our breakup.  This is why breakups are so painfully hard. The meaning we give our breakups either disempower us or empower us. 

We all cope with life differently. And, what works for one person may not work for someone else. Sloss says crying doesn't work for him. "When I cry when I'm sad, I just feel shit, makes me spiral, I don't feel any better. Laughter is what brings me happy. It makes me much, much happier."  The point is, we may not be able to control the cards we are dealt in life, but we can choose how we respond to them. Same goes for breakups. At the end of the day, we have a choice with how we deal with them, how cope with the roller-coaster of emotions and ultimately how we move on. The beauty of it is that we have choices. You can either laugh or cry, or do both. It really boils down to what works for you. 

Clearly, Daniel Sloss is not one to play it safe. Neither am I for that matter. I could have had a very “boring breakup” and followed the same “typical breakup advice” that all the “breakup experts” are peddling and that everyone else is following. But I chose to be blatant about my breakup and how I bounced back after being ghosted on my birthday. Yes, there is such a thing as a blatant breakup. Anyways, that’s a topic for another blog. Back to Daniel Sloss's Dark. Throughout his performance he gets the audience to laugh with him at uncomfortable situations that you wouldn't think to laugh about.

Breakups are not funny when you are going through them. But when the dust settles, and you’ve bottled up your tears and sold them on eBay things have a way of looking brighter. True story, Noah Cyrus sold her tears for $12,000 after her breakup with Lil Xan. Look I can’t make this stuff up. Apparently, selling tears post-breakup is a thing in celebrity circles. When you reflect on your breakup you realize that you did some crazy, funny stuff. So making light of your breakup can be the best remedy for moving on. At the end of the day, you determine if you wallow and whine about it, or if you laugh about it.

Breakups are great for bringing out your creativity and comedic talents. They bring things to the surface that you may have stuffed down. Case in point, Banking from Breakup™ was me having the last laugh after my breakup. My ex basically gave me a blank check and I am cashing it. Seriously, when you can look back at your breakup and laugh it loses its hold over you. And you are free to live your life boldly and bravely. Don’t believe me. There are tons of funny breakup jokes, memes, vines and texts littering the Internet. TV shows and blockbuster movies have been created from breakups. Don’t be afraid to poke fun at your breakup. It was the best thing I did. I was able to find the humour in my hurt. This is the biggest running joke in my family right now. So, thank you to my breakup.

Daniel Sloss serves up sharp wit and shock in Dark. But, cut through the dark humor and there is a great message. "Laughter is not the opposite of sadness. Happiness is the opposite of sadness, all right? Laughter is a reaction. It's free to exist in both." So, he basically says we get to do both. We get to laugh and cry when life throws us a curve.  Breakups often bring us more tears than laughter. The key is to find the funny. Imagine being able to find the funny in your breakup, instead of the sadness? Personally, I feel better after a good laugh. But, don’t get me wrong crying can be very cathartic and necessary. Today I'm at a point where I can laugh at my breakup. Seriously, I got ghosted on my birthday of all days. Couldn’t my ex wait until Halloween? Just saying.

Be prepared. According to him "you are choosing to be offended" (if you tune in and watch his show).  Daniel Sloss  “intention is not to offend but to make you think”. He rattles your mind and gets you to think. Somewhere between Netflix (no offence to Netflix) and all of our devices/gadgets we have lost the ability to think. Thinking has been replaced with mindless binge watching and toggling between multiple screens. We are always on some device. Trust me I can relate to this. In fact, in my last relationship I was a zombie. Yes, I had fallen into the trap and found myself living my life on autopilot. I couldn’t think beyond my relationship. It was all about my relationship. Thank goodness I have come to my senses since then. So, what do you think? Can find humour in your hurt?