CONTENT WARNING: This video contains graphic humor, including references to a video by Giselle “Gigi Gorgeous” Lazzarato, titled “MY SPERM BANK EXPERIENCE | Gigi.” I think you can guess at the content judging by the title.
Most of us are familiar with dark humor: it's comedy that talks about the subjects that are normally taboo and, well, dark. Sometimes that's joking about sex or drug abuse:
But often, it involves offensive jokes about one's self or marginalized groups. Comedians target these groups because they know the humor is offensive, and by using it anyway, they gain shock laughter and an opportunity to swipe back at critics who say their jokes are inappropriate. Comedy used this way, disregarding the people who are targeted and using it as a weapon, is dark humor at its worst.
A mainstream offender of this use of “dark humor” is Ricky Gervais, who, after receiving backlash for joking about Caitlyn Jenner's transition at the Golden Globes, went on to produce a special to prove he doesn't care who he's offending. In Gervais' special, he tells a joke where he claims, “‘Cause I've always identified as a chimp,
right? Well, I am a chimp, if I say I'm a chimp, I am a chimp” (14:23–14:30).
In Gervais’ view, he's simply retaliating against his critics and reinforcing
his freedom of speech. However, Wynn defines free speech in another video of hers, “Does the Left Hate Free Speech? (Part 1)” (while I'm linking the video, I've decided not to embed it, as it takes place early in Wynn's transition, and in newer videos she often discourages viewers from watching these), which explains how all speech inevitably suppresses other types of speech, and “small acts of sexism, racism, homophobia, and
so on can likewise suppress the speech of marginalized people” (07:20–07:26). In the context of Wynn's argument, while dark humor that targets other groups may be protected by freedom of speech, performing it suppresses the speech of others by creating an environment that isn't safe for them to express themselves, making the question whose speech should really be protected. Gervais favoring transphobic jokes over trans people shows he values his own freedom of speech more than theirs.
And as we've seen with Gadsby's Nanette, even humor used by those in marginalized groups can be incredibly harmful. I didn't actually realize it until rewatching “The Darkness” recently, but Wynn directly references Nanette in her video.
Despite the fact that many people see the problematic issues with self-deprecating humor, it continues to be a popular form of comedy, because even those who acknowledge the issues with it often rely on it as a coping mechanism.
Whether it's harmful or not, then, depends on how it's used. Barreca writes that “Blacks tell black jokes, Jews tell Jewish jokes, gays tell gay jokes, women tell jokes about women” (25), and while she may disagree with whether or not they should, the reason is because people in a demographic have a need to joke about their experiences. Gervais can't tell a good trans joke because he only has recycled material based off of stereotypes, and the people he feeds his comedy to are equally clueless about what it's like to be trans. Gadsby suffered from her comedy because she spent years abusing her traumatic memories for laughs, and specifically for the laughter of the majority, which has been less than sympathetic to her. Krefting writes that “knowledge is another
essential component in the efficacious transmission of satire” (96). When jokes are told using the “knowledge” of personal experience rather than stereotypes to people who share that knowledge, it can be a therapeutic experience of relating to each other through shared struggles. It's when experiences are minimized for the consumption of the general public that they become harmful.
When used properly, even the darkest jokes about one's self can be a way to cope with difficult situations. And for the most part, that's what need dark humor for the most—as a way to joke about and discuss the darkest points in our own lives.
That's dark humor at its best. When we can find a way to joke about ourselves and our situations for ourselves, coming from a place of wanting to heal rather than actual self-loathing, dark humor is a great (though still often offensive) medium. We just need to make sure that when we make dark jokes, it's our own darkness—not anyone else's.
Creative blog post! I have heard people say how self-deprecating jokes can be a coping mechanism. However, I really liked when Gadsby announced that she was not going to have any self-deprecating humor because it is harmful to her and anyone who identifies with her. Also, I found this line really interesting: "Gervais favoring transphobic jokes over trans people shows he values his own freedom of speech more than theirs." This blog post could easily be turned into a thesis paper!
ReplyDeleteAh, you’re point about comedians using offensive jokes or targeting marginalized groups of people to get a laugh simply because it’s easy to do so, is spot on. It makes me think of what Regina Barreca brought up in her book when she talks about the use of this kind of humor and how women tend to avoid this type of humor (unlike men!) because it’s too simple, or, “like shooting fish in a barrel.” I remember reading that and thinking about how ironic that was, that one sex finds it appealing to joke about others and the other sex finds it appealing to rise above that.
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