Another Point of Discussion
I like good humor. The problem is that so much humor decends into areas and ideas where I’d rather not go. I don’t need foul language, I don’t need racism, sexism, or the bitter, mean-spiritedness that is at the core of much contemporary humor.
This got me thinking, and I’ve been posing this question in conversations lately: Is all humor, by its very nature, offensive to someone? I usually qualify this by saying offensive doesn’t require that people take offense (yes, Norwegians tell Norwegian jokes), but that someone or something could take offense.
I’ve had fun with this, because everyone has an opinion. And generally, as soon as they’ve stated it, they change their minds. I usually press folks for an example, and it is obvious that this makes them uncomfortable.
Over the weekend, I asked this question at a graduation party, with a bunch of adults. Later, as the conversation moved on, we started laughing at some “had-to-be-there” humor. Dennis was sitting at the table, and said “See? Not Offensive!” The next thing that someone said was perfectly on track with the discussion–and a sharp jab to me. I laughed, put my hands up in the air, and said, “Well, it looks like I won that round.” Dennis had to admit that I might be right–humor is mostly offensive.
This makes me wonder, of course: What does Christian humor look like? What is the nature of redemptive humor (I suspect that it still has a sharp edge, but an edge based on truth, and not on power)? What is the nature of redeemed humor?
These are not easy questions. But I find myself enjoying the exploration of the nature of humor in our society.
So, I conclude with this: How can you tell if an academic has a sense of humor? He does a review of scholarly literature for research that demonstrates that he really is funny.
Looks like I win this round, too!