Can humor ever be serious?

Humor is the universal language of men, transcending culture, language, and geography; the
classic why did the chicken cross the road joke is probably more widely recognized globally
than a high-faulting Beethoven symphony, or an eloquent quote by the American president.
Humor has undoubtedly played a central role in mankinds history, as punch-lines agitate and
provoke punches, and as knock-knock jokes knock many a ruler off their pedestal.
Jokes are commonly thought of as spontaneous comments passed between friends
inconsequential and forgotten as soon as the waves of group dynamics lead the conversation
elsewhere. A humorous remark passed over coffee between a closed circle of friends may seem
fleeting and hardly important, but the reality is far from this. Over the years, the hours we
spend working and studying have grown while the space and time we have for leisure activities
have concomitantly shrunk. This has increasingly created a need for sedentary leisure activities
an escape into colorful fictional worlds after the drab hours at the workplace ends. Comedy in
popular culture in the form of television shows, movies, and cartoons - came as a natural
response to this need. Today, comedies are a multi-billion dollar industry, as more viewers are
each day drawn to the allure of a light-hearted alternate reality where every word is delivered
with comedic relish. As with anything commercial, this has pushed the simple act of laughing
into the serious world of profit maximization and business politics. The spontaneous and blithe
atmosphere of commercial comedies may suggest otherwise, but the creation of a comedy
which appeals to the mass public involves much serious thought. Sesame Street, one of the
most beloved entertainment shows for toddlers, is one such instance of a serious comedy.
Prior to the release of Sesame Street, the producers conducted extensive market sampling to
understand the interests of their target audience, allowing them to distill, with great precision,
what was funny and what was not. Moreover, before each episode of Sesame Street went live,
the producers would test-run the show on a small group of toddlers, noting when toddlers
would lose interest, and making the necessary adjustments. With millions of dollars invested in
creating commercial comedies, it stands to reason that every producer would want their jokes
to appeal to as many people as possible, and this often means that serious consideration is
invested into the various aspects of a good joke the timing, the tone of the speaker, the
subject matter, inter alia.
Moreover, it is the belief of many that laughter is unconscious, and that the best jokes are
spontaneous, appealing to people on a very fundamental, even primal, level. There is an
implicit assumption that good jokes are funny simply for the sake of being funny, and should
not be loaded with weighty societal considerations. However, sometimes the jokes that appeal
most to people are the jokes that inject humor into the most depressing of situations; jokes
that poke fun at the myriad of societal problems. It is no small coincidence that there was a
surge in both the creation and viewership of cartoons during the two major world wars, as
soldiers and civilians turned to cartoons as a means of expressing their discontent with the war.
Throughout history, satirical comedies have been employed as a potent tool for expressing

dissent against the status quo. Satires allow for the impact of criticism to be blunted, protecting
dissidents from the iron fist of the ruling regime. Moreover, humor is often more palatable and
appealing than harsh critique, generating more interest in the subject matter while packaging it
in a convincing way. Humor, particularly in the form of satire, facilitates open thought and
discussion, whereas other forms of criticism tend to provoke charged emotions and causes
people to become defensive. It is precisely for the aforementioned reasons that humor has
been used so extensively as a tool for voicing dissatisfaction to achieve serious change in
society. A prime example is the Mr Brown Show in Singapore, which employs humor to
illustrate the problems in Singaporean society, and criticize the shortcomings of the ruling
Peoples Action Party (PAP). While other dissidents along the ranks of J.B. Jeyaretnam have
been sued for defamation owing to their unfettered criticism of the PAP, the Mr. Brown Show
remains standing, ever popular among the growing number of Singaporean youth. Hence, it is
evident that humor can indeed serve serious aims by provoking thought and expressing ones
voice in socially acceptable ways.
Anyone who has ever been held accountable for making insensitive and offensive jokes has
used the same line of defence It was only a joke. Indeed, the very light-heartened nature of
jokes often seems to suggest that they are not to be taken seriously. For this reason, some may
question the efficacy of using jokes to promote serious social causes. However, even if jokes are
created with purely comedic intentions, their audience may not share similar sentiments. Racist
jokes may be viewed by some as just a humorous outlook on the stereotypical traits of the
various races, but to others, they are deeply degrading and offensive. Therefore, it is a serious
offence to make racist jokes publically in many societies around the world, as they fall under
the category of hate speech. The central problem here is that the intent involved in creating the
joke does not align with the actual outcome of the joke in other words, a carelessly made joke
may have serious and unintended outcomes. The Danish cartoons in 2005 which portrayed the
Islamic prophet, for instance, brought racial and religious tensions to a boiling point, causing
violent protests around the world. Such is the destructive potential of insensitive jokes. We like
to think of humor as a light-hearted and carefree attitude to approach the world, but there is
no escaping the fact that, if employed poorly, humor can have serious ramifications.
If humor is the universal language of men, then we must be aware of the nuances and
unspoken rules of the language. Like the chicken who wants to get across the road, we must
always be cognizant of how we use humor and the potential impacts it may have in order to
achieve our intended aims. Humor is certainly no laughing matter.