A Brief Lesson: On Humor, Part 1
Why some jokes work the way they do and what old jokes can mean in a modern context.
In my last post, I presented a number off-color jokes, some of which are very transgressive when viewed from the lens of our current social equations. What is it that makes these jokes the way they are, though? Why do they work the way they do and why do people laugh at them, even today?
I hope to answer these questions in some detail so that the less-knowledgeable among you might gain some insight into the history of popular culture, gender equations, the evolution of blasphemy as a desirable aspect of entertainment, and perhaps even learn to appreciate a few of the basics of humor, and possibly learn some tools to help you take a closer look at the bare bones motivations behind your own creativity.
Of course, a few of you will likely say ‘Wait a minute… You just posted a bunch of offensive jokes and now you’re going to justify it by explaining what they mean…? You ASSHOLE!’ And to them I say ‘Yes, now get over yourself.’ Every good humorist/satirist knows you have to warm up the crowd in any way you can. And any social justice advocate worth their salt knows that if you want to change the prevailing assumptions, you have to understand them first and then confront them head on. Controversy creates…
