Final Reflections

     One of the most exciting things I have learned throughout this class is the broad scale of healing and social action that can occur from humor and how the different types of humor weigh in to form a particular narrative around complex topics. Before taking this class, I had experienced people utilizing humor in their lives to talk about issues that might be weighing heavy on their minds or conflicts they need to get off of their chests, but I never did I imagine humor being associated with sexual assault; or racist stereotypes by individuals that have been victimized to heal their pain and move past their trauma. The articles we read for class regarding the role of humor in social change and sexual assault put the power of laughter into a new category for me where I had not yet recognized its purpose. The power of humor to heal should be shared by individuals who have been victimized to break down oppressive structures surrounding them. 

    The funniest thing I experienced in this class was probably while reading Tiffany Midge and the blatant call out that she uses in her book to break down common stereotypes associated with Native people and present to the reader the absurdity of these claims. The class discussion that was engaged during this day was hilarious; in particular, we were all sharing favorite moments in her writing, and we were talking about her mother's attitude towards death and how this created a discussion about whether it is better to have a non-chant attitude about death because it happens eventually. 


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