Not everyone laughs at every joke. Sometimes it’s because they don’t get it. Sometimes they get it, but they think it’s lame. And sometimes they get it, but they think it’s offensive or inappropriate, given the context of the joke telling.
Are there types of jokes that shouldn’t be repeated in a civil society? (I’m not talking about censorship, or passing a law, or anything …)
There are implicit rules of social interaction. Are there guidelines for appropriate jokes?
For example, how do we respond to:
Sexist jokes? Hey, lighten up!
Racist jokes? Hey c’mon, some of my best friends are …
Hurtful jokes? C’mon, you can take it!
Toilet jokes? It’s my potty and I’ll cry if I want to.
Jokes about sensitive social issues? It’s just a joke!!!
I realize that some of the adjectives above presuppose that the joke is inappropriate, and if nobody thinks it’s funny, then it 's not actually a joke.
But, if there exists at least one joke that is inappropriate, and we hear it, how do we respond?
Of course, there will be jokes about this thread, but it’s made out of rubber …
It’s an interesting subject, actually. Jokes that I find momumentally offensive, Gaudere might not. Objectively, I don’t see why almost anything wouldn’t be fair game.
Whether a joke is acceptable depends a lot on the context and the audience. I think that any joke that is funny would be acceptable in some context. Of course, it’s hard to define whether a joke can be funny, and it may be the case that certain jokes aren’t funny because they are offensive.
Jokes that are likely to be particularly offensive/inappropriate:
-jokes that present and uphold a view of a certain group of people that is demeaning and has resulted in serious harm to that group (esp. if told by a person who is not a member of that group)
-jokes that make light of recent, important events that the audience is particularly sensitive about
-jokes that praise a person or way of life that is strongly believed by the audience to be wrong (and clearly support that person/way of life even if they are understood to be a joke)
A possible response:
Was that supposed to be a joke? That’s not funny, more like mean and hurtful.
There is nothing anyone can experience that can’t you joke about. Obviously it’s harder to find the humour in some things. But you should never be afraid of trying.
Not every situation is appropriate for every joke.
There’s a time and a place for everything.
It’s not the subject, but the point that makes a joke offensive.
You can joke about nasty things, but if your joke propagates it, or tries to desensitise the listener to it, that’s when it gets offensive. More importantly, that’s when it fails to be funny. And that’s the worse thing for a joke can be.
The problem does not come from jokes, it comes from listeners…
If in the workplace, church, shopping or whatever some people find in/appropriate, there are bound to be people eavesdropping. If I overhear a joke I find offensive, it is my fault for listening. If I were the person directly receiving the joke, I should (and would) address the “joker” accordingly that some people might not like it, but “water rolls right off this duck’s back.”
I personally don’t care who wants to joke about me being a tall, lanky, white, big-nosed, foul-mouthed Catholic.
Then again I have been well accustomed to the phrase “suck it up, and drive on.”
I’m tired of hearing about people yelling about those “political correctness” folks. What ever happened to simple politeness? Sure you can say it, but if a person of the group the joke generalizes was there would he laugh? If not, its simply not polite.
I would argue that if the joke is inappropriate to the point of furthering views, beliefs or attitudes that are clearly wrong, we have a moral obligation to point that out, and make clear our disapproval.
It’s similar to the SDMB approach – we don’t just let ignorance sit there for others to read and absorb.
Like **erislover ** I am sometimes bothered by jokes told by people belonging to the group being joked about. I do believe in the possibility of putting yourself or your group down, and thereby furthering stereotypes. For example, there are dumb blonde jokes that are funny, even if told by a dumb blonde. But a woman who uses them to get away with acting stupid, or who by her jokes causes those around her to stereotype all blonde women as dumb, is doing herself and blondes everywhere a disservice.
OTOH, if a joke merely discusses a distasteful subject, or puts tragic events in a humorous context, without spreading ignorance, it can be judged simply on the merits. I personally am very fond of black humor. My first response on hearing of a death or tragedy is usually to come up with some inappropriate, but funny (to me) comment. Usually I have the good sense to share such comments only with people who can properly appreciate them.
Inapporpriate jokes promote intolerance. Good jokes do just the opposite. Mel Brooks made the second funniest movie of all time (he also made the funniest of all time but less related to this topic) by holding racism up to ridicule. Are we more sensitive and PC as a society now? Blazing Saddles could not be made today.
Good comedy movies are way out of style now, it seems. I fail to see what ‘sensitive and PC’ has to do with that, though. “PC” is nothing more than some ephemeral catch-all bogeyman to blame for anything you don’t like, it seems.