How To Deal When Cards Against Humanity Gets Too Real

Cards Against Humanity is huge right now. It gets played at half the parties I go to; it’s always checked out at my local board game bar, and even celebrities are playing. If you’re not familiar with Cards Against Humanity, it’s sort of like a grown up, more offensive Apples to Apples.  A player puts down a card with a phrase or question written on it, and the other players select from a set of cards that say things ranging from “Bill Nye the Science Guy” to “Stranger danger” to a wide variety of things that could be considered offensive to pretty much any and every group of people. This means if you do happen to be a celebrity playing the game, you run the risk of coming across your own name in a less than flattering context, as happened to Lance Armstrong last weekend. So what’s one to do when CAH gets a little too real?

If you’re name’s on the card, just embrace it.

Is there a higher honor than being featured on a card? I’m pretty sure there isn’t. Be flattered that you’re this much of a cultural icon.

If the situation has happened to you, share the story. 

So there’s a card for “testicular torsion,” and I was playing once with friends and one of the guys felt compelled to share the time it had happened to him. I will not recount his story here as it was horrifying (never have I been so glad I’m not a dude), but the point was, he was able to laugh about it now, as were the rest of us. If you’ve got a hilarious story, share with the class! Though with some of the cards in this game, you might also need to share it with the cops.If there’s too much guy humor, check out Ladies Against Humanity.  Let’s face it, CAH can get a little bro-y. Fortunately, some women noticed this and created Ladies Against Humanity, hilarious CAH cards with a more female-centric brand of humor (there’s a ton with Mean Girls references). You can print them out and add them to the mix next time you play.

If you’re actually offended, maybe stick to Apples to Apples.

The tagline of this game is “A Party Game for Horrible People.” It’s not trying to be pleasant or politcally correct. It’s not a game for everyone. It’s certainly not a game you should play with your parents, unless you really enjoy awkward situations. If you don’t want your party games to run you the risk of therapy bills, consider sticking to Monopoly.

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