humor and sexual assault

 


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Gurba Comedy and Social Justice

  Laura Latham  EN 446D 01  March 27, 2023 Comedy and Social Justice These articles are centered around comedy’s place in areas of social reform, which is the most prevalent focus of modern comedy. The impact of comedy in social justice is astronomical. For instance, in the Gurba article, she is using comedy to address her experience with sexual assault which is a large issue in the United States and internationally. She uses the joke about not wearing the correct underwear to be raped. This allows the audience to laugh because they understand not wearing appropriate clothing and underwear for an occasion, but at the same time, the audience can think of how her situation differs in that wearing the wrong pair of underwear was the least uncomfortable part of her day. The audience then is forced to put themselves in Gurba’s shoes and understand that there should be a solution to prevent these sort of atrocities from occurring. The Comedy and Social Justice article also ex...
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Theories Response

Compared to the other theories we read, Descartes, Spencer, and Freud are all far more interested in the physiological explanation for laughter. Laughter is a release of pressure (in one way or another) for each of them. This obsession with figuring out why laughter bubbles up in ones body is interesting given our knowledge of laughter through modern science now. Laughter and laughing increases our bonds with others because it release endorphins. Although Descartes states that laugher does not accompany the greatest joy—laughter actually releases joy and pleasure hormones. On that point, I wonder if children are included in his rationalization of laughter as not coming from joy. Would children laughing as they play on swings not count or (to bring it back to adulthood) I know plenty of people who laugh at the rush of joy and excitement that riding a roller coaster brings (even after they get past the wonder of riding it for the first time). I think for these theories to really work, yo...
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Humor, Sexual Violence, and Social Justice

  Joshua Singh Sexual Assault and Humor Both articles approach the topic of sexual assault in a very different manner than one would expect. Regardless, the authors provide a new understanding of the intersection that exists between humor and sexual assault. The Time article explains the author’s approach to her own sexual violence experiences. She compares how sexual violence is usually approached in a very solemn manner and how the victim’s story is told using very religious language, and she believes this language or way of approaching a victim’s sexual violence experiences distances the victim from us. The author explains that a new approach of spontaneity is needed. She explains that “Humor, however, disrupts stasis. Humor is a form of action. It requires spontaneity” (Time). By using humor when approaching such a grueling topic, the victim is humanized more and brought closer to the audience. Her explanation is reminiscent of the incongruity theory article. By approaching a...
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