"You Shouldn't Joke About That"

[I Shall Engrave]

I was recently part of a discussion on Facebook over things that can't be joked about. These include appearance (such as weight), depression, religion, rape, disease, sexuality etc. Now, I've been told I have a dark sense of humor. Nothing really fazes or offends me. Maybe I'm just jaded. When I joke about some of these things, I never do it with the intention of hurting someone, and I don't mention those jokes where I know it is totally inappropriate. Many people are just so sensitive in regards to "off-color" jokes.

What do you think of this so-called "political correctness"?

Are there any subjects that are "off limit" to joke about for you?

[Kitalpha Hart]

Mine is a cross of my parent's, blurring between dry and mainstream
Cancer jokes I don't find that funny. I've been through it, so I have experience as to what happens with it
I generally don't get sex jokes and when people tell me that I'm stupid for not knowing them, I get irritated

[MonkeyGirl18]

I don't really like jokes that can offend someone, because while I might not be affected personally by some of those jokes, I know that there are people out there who have been through things that gets them offended by some jokes. I don't see it as political correctness but more as just a sense of morality, not joking about serious matters.

But if people who share the same sense of humor does those jokes with each other and not telling them to anyone else, then that's fine because they all find it funny and aren't offending anybody.

[Ryvvi]

I think its really important to remember that while you might not be offended by something, that there are people who will be, even if they dont tell you. Especially with really negative things like rape, its not ever ok, because you dont know what someone else has been through, and a joke isnt worth reminding someone of a terrible experience and then (however indirectly) making fun of it.
Even with things like disabilities, sexuality really the only people who can get away with making those jokes are the people who are affected by it.

[I Shall Engrave]

Ryvvi - there is no "right" that allows people to make a joke. Just because something doesn't affect me doesn't mean I don't have permission to joke about it. I laugh at jokes about whatever I am because I know their purpose is to entertain and not hurt or belittle. You can't change a situation, you can only change your response to it.

[Ryvvi]

When i say they can get away with making jokes about it, I dont mean they get to be as offensive as possible with no restrictions but more like, a cancer victim can make jokes about their own struggle, because its theirs, but i wouldnt have the same right to make a joke about it because i'm not the one it effects.
Even if the purpose is to entertain, that doesnt always make it less distressing and offensive though, and its not always as easy as just changing the response to the comment

[I Shall Engrave]

I still don't think I need to be entitled to make a certain joke. Cancer isn't a topic I'd normally joke about, but if I would, I'd do it objectively, not to capitalize on someone's struggle.

[Diana]

I think there's a few different issues being debated here! Ryvvi's not saying you need permission to make jokes, but to keep in mind that topics that are sensitive for certain people will be sensitive regardless of it being a joke. Your intentions and the way the audience perceives your intentions don't always align.

For me, I like a fair amount of dark humor, but I will refrain from making jokes or jabs with people I'm not super close with (people outside my closest friends) because I haven't built enough rapport with them where I'm confident they'll know it's a joke.

Regardless if you only joke with your close friends, or are bolder and make jokes to strangers, I think off jokes should be made in person only. When meeting face to face, voice inflection, tone, gestures, speed, everything incorporated in talking can be used to convey your intentions. Online, through text, posts, or email, we lose all of that and it is very difficult to determine if, for example, someone is saying something mean or just being sarcastic.

In general, nobody's saying you should never ever ever joke about a something, but there are certain situations where you should avoid making certain jokes.

I think though, posting your joke for the sake of posting it (without set up, context, anything), on the internet for everyone to see, is not one of the situations possibly-offensive jokes should be made in.

[galled]

I think the biggest problem is PC is a blanket description that exceeds the original intent. While the concept of not offending anyone is great, it's the "subject" of the statement/joke/comment that needs calibration. People have become oversensitive to the point where any, even the smallest, thought of being offended is enough to build the proverbial mountain out of a molehill. It really comes down to where should the line of offensive be drawn? Right now, it seems to be at anything over zero--which is ridiculous really.

So should some things not be joked about? Absolutely! My rule of thumb is I won't joke about things a person can't fix--well, because that's just too cruel.

[I Shall Engrave]

Diana, that's a very well articulated form of everything I was trying to say. I never was very good at organizing my thoughts.

galled, I agree. The media, the Internet is so touchy. You can't joke about someone's appearance without "body-shaming" or disagree with someone's lifestyle choices without being labeled "ignorant" and "insensitive". Just terms that people like to throw around.

[ShiroGEM]

There's a lot of people on the internet so someone's probably going to be offended by any joke you make. There's no avoiding that. >_> Although I do refrain myself from making jokes unless people around me are okay with it. (I'm not that good at comedy anyways.) For me, the most offensive jokes are the one's that people aren't okay with. Especially in real life, I have a Chinese name as my English name and people make fun of it. I don't do anything most of the time but if it's my friends, they know I hate those jokes so if they did make fun of my name, I'm probably not going to talk to them for the rest of the day. xD

[Maro]

this reminds me of a joke post i saw about how a potato couldn't offend anyone since it's just a potato and someone did a joke reply about how it needed a trigger warning due to multiple different things ... >v>;

[Kitalpha Hart]

Maro
Trigger warning: starch?

[Maro]

they had a huge long list of things tbh, if i can find it again i can show you guys

[Hocus Pocus]

I never take the internet seriously. I just see everyone as 12 year olds then scroll on.