We talked in class today about whether some things are off limits and can't be joked about. I think there are some things that are not appropriate to joke about, but that has more to do with the concept of a joke and does not mean things cannot be viewed humorously. Humor is a great coping mechanism and there are some people who have weird, often humorous ways of seeing the world. Who are we to say these people cannot express their viewpoints. A joke I see as a construction or words aimed at provoking laughter. It may not be right to sit and try to think of ways to make a tragic event funny, but we also can't deny that even in tragedy the opportunity for humor exists. When Courtney mentioned in class today that September 11 was the first time more news was viewed on the internet than porn, it reminded me of something I hear the comedian Louis CK say. He lives in New York and after the towers fell he questioned how long is it appropriate to wait before he can masturbate again. That's funny. It's not a joke made at anyone's expense, though I'm sure it offended many people. But it's an honest question that the man had. So my opinion on the matter is that if the humor is coming from a place of truth, anything is acceptable.
And, yes, this all relates to the Boondocks. Hurricane Katrina is real event. People were forced to take in family members they did not want to have. To say that everyone was happy to help would be a lie. Many people, like Granddad, helped begrudgingly. It takes a lot of courage to admit this and I think the people that have the courage to be completely honest should be applauded not vilified. But a lot of these bad thoughts if just explicitly stated would be to off putting for most people to listen to. In this way humor is essential to dealing with the difficulties of real life. Now, I would like to strengthen the assertion that I begin this piece with: not only is humor acceptable way to cope with tragedy, it is essential. I think we saw this in "1 Dead in Attic" and in "The Boondocks."
I completely agree with your first few lines on how humor can be a great coping mechanism, but that there are just some things that shouldn't be joked about. Humor is certainly a way to lighten a situation and it can be dangerous to navigate when not really filtering your humor. There are certainly ways that you can joke about a situation that will make others who have experienced that situation to laugh.
ReplyDeleteOwen, to me, your blog seems to go hand in hand with mine. Although they cover different topics, yours being humor and mine being the ungrateful attitude of Jericho and his family, I still feel as though the underlying message is the same: it's funny. The humor found in an episode of The Boondocks is often a way more powerful healing tool than constantly focusing on the tragic loss or despair. I do agree that humor is essential to healing, there has to be a sunrise after the storm (metaphorically and literally). I think that both The Boondocks and 1 Dead in Attic could be used as great coping tools for any of those who lived through Katrina or even something similar.
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