What spell would a bully sorceress use to torment her rival?

It's not a tough question to answer given the warped humor many American's find acceptable.

According to our highest rated reality TV shows and viral videos, we actually think it's entertaining to watch someone fall, fail or make a fool of themselves.

In my efforts to define the new school bully, I found many of today's bullies aren't aware their behavior is "that bad". After all, mom finds the catfights on Real Housewives hilarious and dad cheers on football players who've been deemed sex offenders.

Naturally, these same kids don't see it as a big deal to live stream a college classmate's private sexual encounter or find humor in someone's physical or mental pain. It's all in good fun, right?

For me, good fun stopped being funny a long time ago when reality became too real.

I used to love listening to Howard Stern and Robin on the radio. When they took the show to television, I couldn't wait to see it, but the more I watched, the more my stomach churned. This wasn't a staged radio show.  I realized they were actually making real people do degrading and humiliating things. I was able to see the quivering lips of half-naked starlet wannabes and the anxious body language of obviously mentally ill people. It was disgraceful.

Sure, some will say they wanted the publicity. Maybe some did, but I wonder how many went home realizing they'd made a big mistake and felt like dirt about it.

As the popularity of reality TV grows, I have to stand back and wonder, what's so funny about it?

Slapstick was never meant to involve real people. It was supposed to be a performance art of over-the-top in clumsiness and violence. It was supposed to be an act.

Watching Jack Tripper on Three's Company slip and slide on a wet floor was funny, watching a woman get thrown from a treadmill, not funny.

So... What spell did Arcanom's bully sorceress use to torment her rival?

A slapstick spell was the right name for it because slapstick in the real world is just plain mean.

Mathra Raye