‘Do you think there’s a way to write about serious issues while simultaneously using humor? Or no? #TeachMeHowToBeFunny.’

Oversized hashtag aside, this question completely threw me for a loop. You see, as the man charged with tickling Syracuse University’s funny bone every week, I can’t afford to get bogged down with important topics. I’ve got to keep it light, fluffy and uninformed, like a baby wrapped in cotton candy. That’s why, for all my forays into the various topics that occupy a male college-aged mind (girls, sports, parties, girls, gambling, basketball, pie, monkeys, girls, beer, girls and more), I’ve never really explored the heart of any issue that reaches beyond the Hill.

But this is what really intrigued me about the question: the very idea that someone like me could write about issues targeting more than the interests of my half-dozen juvenile, dim-witted and sexually frustrated readers (no offense, guys).

You might not know this, but other than this column, those serious issues and important topics dominate nearly every aspect of my life. You see, I’m a broadcast journalism major. That means that each class I take is about one thing and one thing only: the news.

So even though my columns center on various experiences with drunken morons, total whack jobs and my roommates (drunken whack jobs), you’re only getting half the picture.

Until now, I did a darn good job keeping those two worlds separated. I put my joyous, child-like adventures out there for public consumption while burying the misery I feel when forced to consider serious things.

Journalism is serious. It exists to inform the masses of important issues so they can make educated decisions as active members in society. I’m not serious. I exist to entertain the masses with mindless dribble so that they can make poor life choices during the weekends.

Mixing us together is like combining apples and oranges. With KY jelly. It just doesn’t work.

Sure, I could try to discuss real issues, but only as they relate back to my general territory: food, sports and poop jokes. Anything beyond that and I’m completely lost.

For example: Yesterday in my TV journalism class, I had to find serious stories on which my classmates and I could report and produce.

Among the many grave, newsworthy stories available, I found one. It was about poop. It was serious, but again —poop.

When it came time to search for that story online, that search term did not take me to the news story I wanted. In fact, it didn’t take me to a news story at all.

It took me to my column from last week.

Clearly, this was a sign. It could be interpreted one of two ways: either my sense of humor has gotten too perverted for my own good, or crap and I make a perfect match —even while I try to do real work. I chose the latter.

So, Krystie, 500 words and half a dozen random thoughts later, I have no definitive answer to your question. All I can tell you is this: If faced with a choice between serious issues and crap, I choose crap.

Every time.

Danny Fersh is a senior broadcast journalism major. His column appears every Wednesday. Stay tuned next week for an announcement that will knock your socks off, figuratively. And physically. How, you ask? Find out next Wednesday. You can reach Danny at dafersh@syr.edu and follow him on twitter via @fershprince.