Humorous

 What do you call a restroom for the gay community? An outhouse! I read that joke on my memories page this morning and still got a chuckle from it. I know, it's offensive and some would call it homophobic. I say, it's just funny. Humor is often offensive and that's what makes it funny. It is the stock and trade of many a nightclub act, standup comics thrive on that. No one gets to upset by any of that. They are just kidding. Post something like that on your page and see how quickly people will say, that's not funny. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. 

 In years past curse words were like that. You didn't use them in public but whispered them in private. The comediennes in those smoke-filled nightclubs often used them for adult entertainment. For those old enough to remember Redd Foxx was quite famous for that, telling "dirty" jokes. People will still laugh today at those jokes although the shock value is certainly a lot less. The great George Carlin had an entire monologue on words you weren't allowed to say. Hilarious stuff for us mature audiences. In today's world the majority of six graders would know every single word or phrase he used in that bit.

 But now even the comics are being questioned. You aren't supposed to say certain things, unless you are one of those things. That's how it works. The truth is it has always worked that way. Those jokes were only told to the correct audiences, that was understood. Making fun is taunting. You aren't supposed to taunt anyone. You might hurt their feelings. Nothing funny about that. I could tell jokes, make fun of old white men, that would be fine. Self-deprecating is acceptable. I can do that. The worst that will happen to me is I will get an offer for help. Others will empathize with me and offer advice, counseling, and perhaps empower me to love myself! Joke about others and that isn't going to be the response. 

 The thing is though, joking about things, talking about them, exposing the stereotypes, creates a familiarity. When things become familiar to people, they often become acceptable as well. I heard lots of jokes based on a stereotype to later discover that stereotype is completely wrong. Those jokes then served to dispel that thinking, it was dismissed as silly. Still funny, but silly. Those jokes become almost like an inside joke with the family. You know the kind I mean, understood by those in the family, in the clique or group, and something to laugh about, be teased about, and learn from. Funny every time. Consider the use of those curse words. They have certainly become familiar and shock few people these days. The older generation may scowl and make remarks about the usage, but the majority don't even notice anymore. You hear them in advertisements, if not directly, they are implied. There is one commercial, I don't remember what they are selling, but the response is to say, hell yes. The list of advertising campaigns using this word play grows every day. It works because everyone knows the words. That may not have been the case in the past. We use acronyms today. Those acronyms are often the words we wouldn't say out loud, so it's almost like a secret code. We use them when writing. There are so many now you have to consider context to understand what meaning is being conveyed. We even have alternate meanings for the same acronym. WTH. What the heck or what the hell?  Depends upon the person reading it. 

 What's funny and what is not? Is it an individual thing or a societal thing? Humor is an important function in any society or setting. You have to be able to laugh it off. Humor in general is funny because it goes against what is expected. The things we find funny are established by society to a certain degree. What the political analysts are calling, being influenced today. There's a fine line between influence and instruction. When we instruct others that something isn't funny, what are we saying? If you can't even poke fun at something what is that saying? That is what I call intolerance! It's like when my mother would say, don't even think about it. She meant; this is what it is going to be so accept that. Now they are saying by poking fun, I'm spreading hate. You need humor to survive. When nothing is funny, the world is full of conflict. Whether you find something funny or not is an individual thing. I tell lots of jokes that others don't find funny, probably why I'm not a comic, but I don't get upset by that. Hey, your jokes aren't that funny either. Jokes require a bit of thought or no thought at all. That's what makes them funny. If I can direct your thoughts, I can make you laugh. But then again, some folks just don't have a sense of humor. The joke I opened with, it's a riot.