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 very dark topic with humor, it makes the subject more relatable and familiar while also giving it its due reverence if done correctly. 

This disparity in the gravity between humor, which is usually associated with joy, laughter, and happiness, and sexual assault is so great that it serves to relieve tension on such a heavy subject that it invites other people to join a conversation that they would otherwise be hesitant to talk about. Although the Time article touches on this a bit, the Comedy and Social Justice article expands on this idea. Humor, when done correctly in a way that does not approach a topic with tasteless irreverence but rather a new perspective on, is an effective tool to make issues of social justice and other hard topics more palatable and easier to discuss. It creates a familiarity that brings those in the conversation closer together rather than distancing the audience from the subject or topic. 

I think both articles do well to explain the intersectionality between humor and grave topics. Both emphasize the need for humor to disrupt the usual pious and sober language that is used to discuss rather difficult topics. Both also provide caution to this approach because if done incorrectly, the subject could be ridiculed or made to feel irreverent if the humor is done in a way that makes it seem more trivial than it is.