The first book we read this
semester was Comic Relief by John
Morreall. I found this book extremely
boring. However, I did find it helpful
and I did learn from it. We learned all
of the theories and old philosophies while studying this book. We also learned that a lot of philosophers in
the past did not like humor. They
thought humor was unruly and led to negative things. I immediately disagreed with all of the
philosophers that were so ready to rule humor as a bad thing. I only thought of humor as a good thing. I have always learned it is good for you
health and can make you live longer. On
top of the health benefits laughing is more fun than being serious and makes the
person happier.
My
thoughts on humor changed after we discussed negative humor in class. I knew making jokes at others expense was
wrong and that many jokes can offend people, but I never thought of the humor
as the bad part, I only thought of the words as negative. However, while discussing this part of humor
in class I realized the words are made to be humorous and not to be
hateful. After understanding this about
the words of the joke I realized that humor could be a tool for destruction. I no longer thought of laughter and jokes as
all in good fun.
Humor
at someone else’s expense can truly cause pain the person that is laughed
at. That humor is not good for the one
being laughed at. He or she does not benefit
from that humor. Hurtful jokes have been
used to tear other people down just to make the creator of the joke feel better
about himself and make him seem funnier than he actually is.
To
truly understand something, including humor, one must know all sides to it, good
and bad. Humor can be a great positive
force, but one must be careful in how he uses it. If one uses it to bring others down and hurt
others, this tool for good becomes a tool bad. This is true in everything life. One must learn all sides of something and understand how things can be used for good and how they can be used for bad to be able to stay away from the bad and do the right thing
"I never thought of the humor as the bad part, I only thought of the words as negative. However, while discussing this part of humor in class I realized the words are made to be humorous and not to be hateful."
ReplyDeleteYou might have just blown my mind a little bit. This might have been said in class, but I don't remember it. I'd like to think that -- most of the time -- people make jokes to be funny, and not to put someone down. Is that always the case? It's hard to know; at any point, anyone can play something off as just a joke. Where does the hate lie, then? In the words or the humor?
It's an interesting debate. Where does the hate lie? Ultimately, I think it is safest to conclude that any form of hate in humor lies within the person saying the words/jokes, not in the words or jokes themselves. A person who tells a racist joke does not reveal a hateful sense of humor, but rather, a hateful personality. It's just something to think about, I guess.
I can really relate to your thoughts here, because our discussions on negative humor opened up my mind in the same way. I have never thought of laughter as a bad thing. How could something that makes you feel so joyful ever be bad? But this class has taught me that it can be incredibly bad if it is used with malicious intent.
ReplyDeleteI also really like your thoughts on the words used specifically. The words one uses and the context they are used in. I like your reflection about looking at all sides of a situation in deciding how you will make jokes in the future. Good post and good thoughts!