Everybody loves good fun, but sometimes joking or “fooling” can become unfunny. When does this happen? Why does humour at times become cruel and spiteful? When can humour become helpful and instructive to us?

In my opinion humour becomes unfunny when the joke is “punching down” or if the joke is meant to make the oppressing group laugh. a joke about another person or groups traumas are also unfunny as it’s “punching down”. examples of these jokes are racist, misogynistic, classist, ableist, assault jokes, etc. humour is helpful when it allows people to relate to one another and to bond over shared experiences. it also allows for oppressed groups to joke about the situations they have been in. this type of “punching up” humour allows for people to better connect with people around them. humour that revolves around persons personal experiences with trauma creates relatability and conversation.