Since the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, many people have come under fire for making jokes related to this disaster. The most prominent example is probably comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who was fired from his job as the voice of the Aflak duck for such jokes. This brings up a question we often ask ourselves: is it too soon to laugh during or after a tragedy?
The answer is no, but how a joke is delivered may make it offensive to others and thus lose its potential healing powers.
Humor and laughter play a key role in reducing stress. There is an easy explanation to why laughing temporarily takes our minds away from reality and helps us to physically and mentally relax. When people laugh, their minds are completely occupied with the joke's contents as well as why it's funny. Thus when an individual laugh, his mind is completely focused on the joke and loses track of other things happening around him. Laughter, especially during the time of tragedy, serves as a defense mechanism for the victims by relieving stress from the trauma. It is an outlet for people to express their emotions - grief, anger - so they wouldn't overwhelm the individual mentally. When these emotions become bottled up, an individual may gradually lose his sanity over time.
However, there must be certain restrictions on the jokes made during a tragedy. Jokes aimed directly at the victims are not acceptable and generally offensive. Rather than helping to relieve the stress of the victims, these jokes seem to derive pleasure from the pain and misery. Furthermore, how a joke delivered to its audience also plays an important role in how it will be perceived. Gottfried's jokes regarding the earthquake were made on Twitter, meaning that everyone can see them. A problem with this is that not everyone shares the same taste and judgement toward the same joke. What is humorous and stress-reducing for one person can be tasteless and disturbing to others. The joker must always keep in mind how others will react to the joke.
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