The playwrights in the first four plays have appropriated stereotypes created by others for themselves and then used humor to diminish the sting of the stereotypes.
So, what is the role of people who are not in or of a particular culture or ethnicity when it comes to humor? When is it “ok” to laugh? When is it not?
Does humor help perpetuate stereotypes?
Humor is something that we live with every day and can really make your day or your drive a little easier to live with. At any point in time there is a comedian performing, a comedy show on TV or just one of your friends making the moment feel a little “lighter” with humor. But not all humor is in “good fun” such as racist or demeaning jokes.
Stereotypes are as according to Wikipedia ” A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions.” We generalize people but at the same time we find upon a closer look that all become false and just generalize a large and even diverse within their own group that people are generalizing as everyone is different from one another no matter what ethnicity you happen to be.
Jokes that are made about stereotypes are a fine line of humor. I think that sometimes such as the case with the past Comedy Central show Chappelle's Show did a good job of balancing stereotypes and really instead of further bringing out the stereotypes it made you realize how stupid it is to even think they are true. Not only concentrating on his own race but many others and making the stereotypes outrageous
If you have close friends that are multi-cultural joking around about things it probably would be okay to let a joke that may have some racial connotations as long as you know it isn’t going to offend anyone. This also can lay on a fine line that would be tough to distinguish if what you are about to say is ok or not.
That having been said I feel like comedy is the one place where you can bring up topics that may never be talked about. Comedy is all in the eye of the viewer. Some can watch comedy that brings tough stereotypes to the forefront of our attention where others choose to ignore. Also another major factor is the age of the person that is watching the show. Younger children may not be at the point where they can fully understand and it could possibly affect them in such a way that would make them “copy” the behavior.
Overall I think that an important part of understanding stereotypes in humor is the fact that most comedians just really make you feel like they are showing you how ridiculous it is to stereotype people.
Good Post Dan! Keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteHumor is definitely something that I could not live without, you got that right! And it is sad that some people find certain things funny that are harmful towards others. I never really thought about the Dave Chappelle act about racism, and I love that. I do find humor in his ways of explaining stereotypes and how ridiculous they truly are after watching one of his clips. I also strongly agree that comedy is a place to confront some controversial issues if it is done in the proper manor or disproving absurd ideas.
ReplyDeleteGood post!! I like the point you made about how negative racial humor can affect children, because jokes that portray stereotypes about different races can be specifically harmful to their sensitivity towards other cultures. The exposure of these jokes can make children develop a sense of egocentrisim in which they are unwilling to engage in relationships with children of other races or ethnicities. This could be extremely damaging and hinder excellent possibilities to make friends and connections. I really liked that you touched on this point, excellent post!!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that there is a fine line with racial jokes and it does matter what context they are used in; specifically what company they are used in as well. It makes a difference if you are with people that understand your intent versus people that are not familiar with your tone and intentions. I really like your point about how comedy can be used to bring up touchy or even painful subjects such as false racial stereotypes--definitely true. The only thing I didn't really agree with was that all comedians are just trying to show how ridiculous the stereotypes are; while sometimes that is their intent, at the same time some, in my opinion, are indeed using the stereotypes to the disadvantage of others.
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