“Laughter is magic that dispenses clouds and creates sunshine in the soul.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
“A day without laughter is like living in darkness; you try to find your way around, but you can’t see clearly.” ― Emily Mitchell
“Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine.” ― Lord Byron
Just as well there’s a day dedicated to helping us laugh. National Tell A Joke Day on August 16 encourages us to celebrate by telling a joke, keeping the mood light, and enjoying a good laugh. After all, people have been telling jokes for thousands of years.
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But as Erma Bombeck said, “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.” As a result, when choosing what jokes to tell we should follow the golden rule and not be offensive or insensitive. So how do we avoid jokes that are crass, racist, religionist, sexist, homophobic, or ableist?
A safe place to start could be a corny joke kids often tell:
- Why shouldn’t you write with a broken pencil?
Because it’s pointless.
- Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long?
Because then it would be a foot
- What did the ocean say to the shore?
Nothing… it just waved.
But if we start with kids play, the joke will more likely elicit a groan than laughter dispensing medicine.
So what about a malapropism, the unintentional humorous misuse or distortion of a word? Church bulletins are a great place to find such bloopers:
- Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.
- Carol is asking prayer for a good autopsy result.
- Hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.
And then there’s the humor in choosing correct words that are strung together poorly:
- The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.
- Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a good chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
- Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and deterioration of several others.
So what about all those disability jokes? Do they distinguish between humor that denigrates and humor that enlightens?
- I’m not saying short people are inferior, but I do look down on them.
- I dated a girl with a lazy eye once, but she was seeing someone else on the side.
- How do you end two deaf people arguing?
Switch off the light.
- What test does a person with Down syndrome do well on?
A DNA test, they get a 47 out of 46.
Is disability humor off limits? Do people with disabilities need to get a thicker skin when cruel or tasteless jokes are made at our expense? Do we agree with Nicolas Steenhout that disability humor is part of disability culture? Perhaps the answer lies in understanding that jokes about people with disabilities are not funny, but jokes by people with disabilities can be.
To dig deeper, I highly recommend reading “Disability Humor, Insults, and Inclusive Practice” by Robin M. Smith and Mara Sapon-Shevin, December 12, 2012. State University of New York, Cortland. http://sites.cortland.edu/sasc/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2012/12/Disability-Humor-Final.pdf And to automatically receive weekly posts in your email inbox subscribe to my blog at https://angelamuirvanetten.com.