Has "dark" Humor Gone To Far?

When does Dark Humor go to far?

Have you shared Dark humor with your friends, family, or even online with complete strangers? It may seem all in good fun, but when does it go wrong? Dark humor can cause unintentional, or intentional harm to people's feelings and ways of life.

Dark humor has been a long time staple of American culture, a type of humor that usually is focused on "offensiveness", touching subjects such as: Race, Culture, Sexaulity, Religion, and past events of Terrorism.

   You may be affected by this type of humor, positively, negatively or perhaps not all, but remember everyone is different and can have reactions and feelings. Think of how your mother, or father might react to a joke discussing Race, versus how your friends, might react. Would they react the same? The most likely outcome is your parents might be unpleased with your joke, while maybe your friends might laugh. Think how would some who speaks Arabic, not born French might react to the image above. They might not find it as funny as your friends may, rather feel excluded, or left with feelings of sadness or anger.

Not everyone might find your joke funny, they could feel hurt.

Humor can always be subjective, and dark humor is no exception. People around the world can always view what you might say in different light, especially if its directed towards them. Race jokes, a very common form of humor could appear funny to many people, but perhaps not towards others. People of color are often ridiculed and even harassed in stereotyped ways

   How might a person of color react to this joke compared to people not color? Could this be taken as a personal insult? if this is was shared with little to no context online, someone who may view this image as offensive and could be hurt, or even may comment or share how it makes them feel. Remember everyone has a different viewpoint.

Is there a solution to to stop hurtful "jokes"?

If your viewing my article then i believe it's fair to assume you use the internet in your free time, maybe to chat with friends, or watch video online of animals being goofy, or as i do share others jokes as well as my own. Through my years of browsing the internet i have run into my fair share of jokes online that i perceived to be, too offensive, or crossing the line between playful jokes and blatantly hurtful.

Sadly there is no "magic lever" to shut off these options, some websites or forums may have options to reduce what you may see, but there will always be a few posts or jokes that may slip through the gaps. So what can you do to deal with these posts you may not want to see? Here is my guide on how to steer clear on the internet

• Know what you don't want to see, and where it is prevalent
• Find and use available censoring options
• If a "block" option exsits, you can always use it free of charge
• Share your opinion, you have a voice, use it!
• Take everything with a grain of salt, maybe it's all in good heart

These are my steps on how to steer clear on the internet when you don't want to see posts of ideas and topics you may not want to run into. it's important to keep in mind that not everyone is trying to spread hate through the internet, rather they may have a much different sense of humor compared to you.

How about in person? how can i deal with things i may not want to hear?

   The best way to deal with those kinds of jokes you may not be willing or desiring to hear is to set boundaries. You might not know what you say could actually have a lot more meaning compared to those around you including friends and family. I advice you sit down with your family and friends and talk about what topics are off limit's and should not be discussed in a joking manner.

My mother comes from Germany, and her grandfather fought in World War Two. She told me that she was very sensitive to the topic of the **** party and their horrible actions throughout the war. We had set boundaries that day that in no joking manner where we to discuss the cations and events that took place during that time period. Because we had the opportunity to talk that day, i have not mention the actions during that time and have no further issues.

Later that week i talked to my friends on their thoughts on the topic, and they did not feel quite the same. They explained to me that the topic, while very grime did not offended, or make them feel quite as uncomfortable as it had with my mother. Although some topics where more sensitive to us and myself, including slurs and jokes regarding LGBT and the community.

When does Dark Humor cross the line? When is it acceptable to share?

I'd like to think dark humor goes to far when feelings are hurt. When someone is being hurt, it needs to be stopped, and considered. Jokes being made at another ones expense is a form of bullying, and should not be shared to intentionally hurt someone.

But, dark humor can also be used appropriately, if no one is being hurt. When the boundaries have been set, who is to dictate having a dark humored laugh every now and again? It's healthy to see light in a negative subject, as humans we like to find the good, in the "not so good".

I like to see dark humor as a tool, if the right person uses it the right away, it can be funny. Darkness will always have relevance in the world, and needs to be discussed and needs to well known. There are many issues that must be taken into consideration, and humor is one of many to keep these topics in discussion.

So, when using your dark humor, i ask use it in moderation, and only when appropriate, someone may not see the same way you do. Tread carefully in the matters you share. The joke you might've just shared could be a whole other world for your peers.