Since when has humour become offensive, or even toxic?
How can humour be so negative? I mean, I always thought of humour as something that infused positive energy into the situation, something that brought about a smile or a laugh; basically something warm.
The whole definition of humour seems to be changing with every alpha-numeric generation.
I’m trying to understand to which generation do I belong to, in terms of humour.
Humour used to be the universal language to spread joy and laughter. Now its become scary, and cringy.
Humour was when I used to read ‘Humour in Uniform’ or ‘Life’s Like That’ or ‘All in a Day’s Work’ in Reader’s Digest. Or laughing uncontrollably when reading PG Wodehouse.
Or when watching Jaspal Bhatti or Surinder Sharma on TV to enjoy desi humour.
Movies like Golmaal, Chupke Chupke, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, and many more were the standards of quality humour enjoyed across all age groups.
And the best part was they could effortlessly tickle your funny bones without one inappropriate word or expletive.
I don’t recollect if I had read it somewhere or heard someone say it, but what it meant was that the use of expletives shows the lack of vocabulary.
And I couldn’t agree more. You don’t have to use the F-word or synonyms of sht or pp to make them funny.
How old are you, 2?
Somewhere along the way, humour changed. And not for the better.
And then came along the young, cool, hip, YouTube generation which has taken the levels of humour to such depths that it no longer can be categorised as one.
No, not all of them but a vast majority. I know one and wouldn’t be more proud of her growth.
Their ‘jokes’ are crude, offensive, coarse and downright distasteful.
How can any of these be called funny?
The latest incident online about the degrading comments made by an influencer in the name of humour touched the all-time bottom when it comes to what’s acceptable these days as comedy.
I felt more sad than angry. This reflects their maturity and that of their audience. Anything goes in the name of humour.
Have you become so indifferent to the feelings of others?
If he can joke and be so disrespectful to his parents, knowing fully well the size of the audience, I shudder to think about how he thinks about the rest. Worse, he’s normalising disrespect under the guise of humour! Heaven help!
What happened between then and now? When did humour lose its heart?
When Jokes Cross the Line
There’s a fine line between joking and humiliating, between laughing with others and at others. It needs a certain maturity of the mind and sensitivity and empathy.
This brings to (my) mind the urgent need to educate children about healthy humour, about where to draw the line, and not crossing certain lines.
From witty wordplay to wholesome wit, humour doesn’t need to wound to be wonderful.
It’s a powerful tool to use to build relationships, boost confidence, and bring people together.
Once it becomes self-deprecating, or mean, or hurtful, it no longer remains funny; it transforms into something harmful.
It causes more damage than intended. It can turn into bullying and mocking, cause rifts between people, impact their self-esteem and scar them.
Humour should make us laugh, not belittle. It should connect, not divide. It should lift spirits, not crush confidence.
This is not the objective of humour. It’s meant to uplift, not degrade.
Encouraging Positive Humour at Home and School and Everywhere
It’s important to teach children about the power of humour.
- Encouraging them to see it from the other person’s perspective is essential to develop their empathy.
- Encourage them to think if they’d like it if that joke was about them, or they were the target.
- Show them how to read the social cues, to stop laughing if the other person is uncomfortable or not liking it.
- Saying just joking is not the solution every time. It doesn’t erase the hurt feelings.
- It’s okay to say ‘sorry’ and apologise if their humour unintentionally offends someone. It helps preserve relationships and prevents misunderstandings.
- Use wit, not insult. Expose them to good quality humour to books or movies or shows so they understand the power of positive comedy.
- Explain to them that humour and kindness can go together. Humour doesn’t always have to be demeaning or derogatory or ridiculing.
- The Golden Rule of Humour is to have a good clean laugh with others, without hurting anyone.
Conclusion
Humour is like the shots of mood enhancers in the otherwise monotonous day. Sharing a joke with your colleagues during coffee break or laughing with your friends during the lunch break is what becomes the highlight of the day.
Humour has the ability to inject positivity and joy if used properly; it can bring people together.
But somewhere along the way, the lines have got blurred between wit and cruelty.
It’s losing the positive identity because more and more people are using humour to mask their insecurities. Or to gain social mileage.
Children are getting exposed to this kind of unhealthy humour which is boorish, vulgar, foul-mouthed and inappropriate; which normalises degradation and ridicule.
If humour needs to hurt to be funny, then maybe it was never funny in the first place.
Let’s change that. Let it be fun once more.
The choice is ours: either use humour to build bridges or to burn them. Remember, our kids have to live with that legacy.