by Ray Karaczun
Part One
Welcome to "Laughing Matter", a Laser Focus series that explores offensive humor. In six posts, I will define notable theories of humor, analyze several primary sources, teach psychological concepts, assess how comedy can be used to help or to hurt, and look into controversy. Be advised that some content can be triggering. For the best experience, please read the posts in order. I dislike how my choice of presentation of this subject inherently blurs the lines between fact and opinion, and I do not mean for this project to be a publicized, self-righteous echo chamber. Here is a gentle reminder that you can comment on Laser Focus posts, and that I love constructive feedback and conversation.
Before getting into it, we must try to define offensive humor, which is tricky and opinionated.
"Offensive" is not universal. There is never a guarantee that any statement is completely unoffensive because people can interpret the same situation differently. Many people believe that Disney’s Cinderella is sexist for portraying the princess as a beautiful, girly, perfect, damsel in distress rescued by a man, while others would argue that that interpretation victim blames and that the story spreads a positive message about asking for help. A couple of years ago the classic Christmas song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” faced a lot of controversy due to interpretations of the lyrics telling a story of date rape, while others argued that the woman does want to have consensual sex and is only hesitant because of others’ opinions, or that the song is simply flirty. It is also impossible to cater to everyone. Some people are offended by all-white movie casts while other people are offended by gay couples in children’s media; some are offended by a lack of representation, while others are offended by representation. For the sake of being on the same page, this series will refer to any taboo subject as “offensive.”
Many components of humor are still a mystery, but psychology and philosophy can help. Our sense of humor aligns with where we stand developmentally and what we struggle with. Two-year-olds, who are especially learning about the order of the world, will laugh at things that are out of place, like clothing on the wrong body parts. By the time they are six, they have developed much more cognitively and linguistically, and are now capable of jokes that use language and abstract concepts, like puns. Around age ten, humor gets edgier and sex differences appear. Generally speaking, boys tell jokes that are violent or sexual, and girls tease and mimic others. Seeing others react positively (laughing in agreement, encouraging) or negatively (discouraging) towards our jokes helps us figure out cultural norms. This would imply that us adults who enjoy offensive humor may struggle with their own identities or society.
Across ages, humans like rules and order, and things that defy our expectations can make us laugh. This is the definition of incongruity theory. Most comedians would likely agree with this theory. Look up how to tell a joke and you are bound to be advised to be unpredictable. It's important to note that we only laugh at the unexpected during pleasant experiences, not experiences that frighten, enrage, or degrade us. Here’s an example from The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor: “If I opened the bathroom door to find a large pumpkin in the bathtub, for example, I would probably laugh. But if I found a cougar in the tub, I would not laugh, though this situation would be just as incongruous.” Perhaps we laugh at offensive humor because we are shocked when people make audacious, out-of-pocket statements about subjects that are normally not discussed, or discussed with grace.
However, lots of offensive jokes are based on well-known stereotypes that the audience probably sees coming, and yet we still laugh, which totally defies incongruity theory. A 1974 study uncovered that people find predictable punch lines funnier than unexpected ones. A theory that may be more applicable to offensive humor is the benign violation theory, which states that unsettling situations are humorous when they are presented to be acceptable and safe. This may be why we laugh at animated, unrealistic depictions of violence in cartoons like Tom and Jerry, but not people facing actual injury in real life.
Benign violation theory makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. The origin of laughter may have been panting during play fighting. Primates would gently tussle, signaling to each other that there was no real danger. This opportunity to have fun, socialize, and explore was crucial for our progress towards a functional, cooperative society–and still is.
Sources
Kutner, L. (2016, May 17). Humor as a key to child development. PsychCentral. https://psychcentral.com/lib/humor-as-a-key-to-child-development#5
McGraw, P. (2013, August 7). Putting humor under a microscope. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-humor-code/201308/putting-humor-under-microscope
Morreall, J. (Ed.). (1987). The philosophy oflaughter and humor. State University of New York Press, Albany.
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