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In recent days, Brazil watched with horror a video in which some young white men make jokes about a party at which they were present. According to what can be seen in the recording, one of the people present says she needs a shower after being touched by many different people. At that moment, another young man says “It was black, right?“, clearly with the aim of tell a joke.
The expectation, in this case, was to make her friends laugh at the comment, which actually happened. The problem is that behind this comment is an extremely heavy historical weight for Brazilians, which is the legacy of racism. Therefore, in addition to punishing, it is necessary to make people aware of the importance of being careful when using humor, whether publicly or in the comfort of their own home.
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In this context, it is worth asking: What is actually funny? What is worth laughing about?
The role of humor in telling a joke
According to the site concept of, a joke is “something that is told or that happens and that is funny. It can be a spontaneous expression or a short story that makes you want to laugh.” Furthermore, it is possible to classify them as good or bad. Like this, "Good jokes are those that fulfill their objective and make the recipient want to laugh. Bad jokes, in turn, fail in their final effect. "
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Taking this definition into account, in this post we will discuss 3 criteria for you to use as a screening before tell a joke. However, let's keep in mind here that the recipient of the joke is anyone and everyone, so you can't select your audience before you open your mouth. If your story fails on any of these, it's probably best to keep quiet. Shall we go to them?
A joke is something that is funny to whoever hears it
Let's start from the principle that not everyone laughs at everything, which becomes a special criterion especially when it comes to people and races. So, even though you think it's funny tell a joke Regarding the smell of a black person, that's not funny for a black person.
This act of looking for humor in a prejudiced judgment is criminal and, more than that, it does not portray reality. The characteristic of smelling bad has nothing to do with race, but with the habit of taking care of personal hygiene. In other words, it is not restricted to anyone's color, so spreading a joke with that meaning is slander.
A joke makes anyone who listens want to laugh
Going back to the bad smell joke, how would anyone feel comfortable laughing about a comment that hurts their race and people? People know when they are acting immorally, so much so that, in the video mentioned above”, one of the girls restricts the comment made about black people by saying “Don't say that, it's for Instagram“. This clearly says that it is evident to her that not everyone will find what was said funny.
If it's not funny to everyone, better keep it to yourself, or better yet, change your perspective.
A joke causes no sensation other than laughter in those who are listening.
Well, this is a third way to reinforce the two criteria above, but with a difference. Given that telling a joke is something that is done in order to provoke laughter, so that any response other than laughter indicates the failure of the objective, obviously a joke with a racist and xenophobic theme should not be accepted. Those who are on the side of the victims of prejudice will have no other type of reaction except laughing.
In addition to bringing relevant news and current affairs, we at News Folha We have an ethical commitment to inform our readers about this type of behavior. If you have a habit of telling a joke that is racist, homophobic, xenophobic or that excludes any social group from your audience, it is best not to continue the habit. Prejudice is a crime and jail.
