Comedy can be simple: a knock-knock joke can make a child laugh with joy. But there comes a time when they grow and learn the complexities of life. From politics to social structure, they will come across jokes that touch upon topics that might be controversial. They will soon learn that people also make jokes about such topics. Deciding to laugh or to not laugh at them will be a new stage of social development and self-introspection.
Students at West Valley College have come across various forms of dark comedy. Topics like political incorrectness, global events, life events, and even mental states can be twisted to be comedic. Finding the will to laugh at them is another thing in itself. I was able to interview seven West Valley College students in hopes to understand the students' view on dark comedy. The questions I asked and their responses are as follows:
Question one: “What do you think of when you hear the term dark comedy?”
Akemi: Humor that not everyone finds funny but pokes at the scarier things in life.
Wyatt: I think of comedy which jokes about sensitive topics. Dark comedy is intended to be offensive which is why there is irony and humor in it.
Francisco: Comedy that involves things like racism and terrorism. Comedy that becomes controversial in some shape or form if taken too far or not done well.
Devin: Comedy with dark aspects to things that would normally not be funny but they are said in a funny aspect which makes them funny.
Pearl: Something humorous but not appropriate.
Anonymous 1: Jokes that are racists or slightly insensitive, stuff around that.
Anonymous 2: Things that people say that could be inappropriate but some people think is funny but others think is too far.
Question two: “Do you find humor in dark comedy?”
Akemi: Yes, it helps relieve tension.
Wyatt: I find dark humor funny to an extent. Jokes should be differentiated from something serious. Personally I can laugh at it while acknowledging that it was not meant to be taken seriously.
Francisco: In certain situations yes, depending on the friend group it allows connection. In non- friend groups it is less socially acceptable.
Devin: I find a lot of humor in dark comedy.
Pearl: Sometimes, when it is not related to you.
Anonymous 1: If I'm with friends that I really know and I am used to, we joke about stuff like that.
Anonymous 2: Sometimes, it depends if it talks about your own trauma vs. someone else’s.
Question three: “When do you think dark comedy is taken too far?”
Akemi: When it genuinely hurts a person and is too close to home.
Wyatt: There definitely is a point in which it can be taken too far. Dark comedy is taken too far if it jokes about anything regarding serious violence. It can be interpreted the wrong way and become threatening.
Francisco: When it causes controversy.
Devin: Honestly, never. I watch a lot of comedians so I hear a lot of dark comedy in there. You can make a joke about anything as long as it is in good manners.
Pearl: If it is affecting someone personally or offensive to some people.
Anonymous 1: Maybe when it is too close to when a traumatic event happened. They did not give enough time to pass.
Anonymous 2: When it starts hurting people.
I found it interesting to see that dark comedy is acceptable to an extent. The interviewees implicitly agreed that dark comedy that is taken too far is not humorous. This is comedy that belittles an individual or hurts the person emotionally. People's dark comedy boundaries have different levels; it can be hard to know if you will cross them.
While taking Comm 12 with Professor Jared Fujishin, I learned how conversation works. One person thinks of a topic they are trying to convey to another person. This topic is encrypted into the mode of language used between the two people. During the encryption phase, it is important for the conveyor to formulate a coherent sentence with proper words and context, facilitating the decryption of the message by the second person, the receiver. This formula applies to jokes as well. Some dark jokes are laughed at while others are not. Most of the time jokes become dark because the context and topic one person uses to laugh is incompatible with the personal context of the second person. This can cause tension. One person may laugh at a certain joke while others may be offended. It is easy to assume that the person telling the joke lacks decency and respect. The truth is that they derived different context from life, enabling them to make fun of the topic. So… is dark comedy funny?
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