Is humor how banned ?

[CuriousByNature]

From my perspective, humour (that's the Canadian spelling 😉 ) has been the victim of declining critical thinking abilities.  Irony and satire appear mean-spirited when the audience's ability to think critically is diminished and is replaced by feelings and emotions, which are much more subjective in nature.  Wokeness and political correctness have replaced the need for empathy and kindness, and in my opinion, are two of the laziest ways to advance social change.  It is far easier to be outraged by something and call for the cancellation of others than to actually apply our brains to figure out the situation, or make the personal sacrifices needed to benefit others.  Generally speaking, I think we have been dumbed-down and have become more self-centred (another Canadian spelling!) and self-congratulatory over the past couple of decades.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

45 minutes ago, CuriousByNature said:

From my perspective, humour (that's the Canadian spelling 😉 ) has been the victim of declining critical thinking abilities.

Agree 💯.  I could not have stated it better myself, except for a spelling change 😉

[pubic_assistance]

1 hour ago, CuriousByNature said:

From my perspective, humour (that's the Canadian spelling 😉 ) has been the victim of declining critical thinking abilities.  Irony and satire appear mean-spirited when the audience's ability to think critically is diminished and is replaced by feelings and emotions, which are much more subjective in nature.  Wokeness and political correctness have replaced the need for empathy and kindness, and in my opinion, are two of the laziest ways to advance social change.  It is far easier to be outraged by something and call for the cancellation of others than to actually apply our brains to figure out the situation, or make the personal sacrifices needed to benefit others.  Generally speaking, I think we have been dumbed-down and have become more self-centred (another Canadian spelling!) and self-congratulatory over the past couple of decades.

Thanks for all that.

Wonderfully well thought-out explanation. 💗

[pubic_assistance]

2 hours ago, Ingress said:

It probably started around the time Woke-ism appeared, but could probably be traced back a bit further when the gender studies, queer studies, women studies, etc appeared in universities.

I mentor a young gay man who was abandoned by his family mid-college years for being a homosexual.

He studies now, at Columbia University and yes...I've seen some of the extreme victim readings that they are handed for their University writing courses. "Political Lesbianism" was one of the more fascinating terms, I learned:  Women who aren't sexually attracted to other women, but hate men so much they consider themselves Lesbian. 🤔 To me, the world has gone insane with all this negativity and hatred toward one group or another.

That may very well be an explanation of how some of the fun and humor got sucked out of our daily lives, and how so many people who are attached to the activism of the 60's now pounce on every word they feel triggered by.

[rvwnsd]

Am I the only one who sees the humor and irony in the notion that "other people being triggered" is, in itself, a trigger worthy of two pages worth of commentary?

[Kenny]

7 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

"Political Lesbianism" was one of the more fascinating terms, I learned:  Women who aren't sexually attracted to other women, but hate men so much they consider themselves Lesbian.

Sorry, failing grade. Political lesbianism has zero to do with "hating men." Patriarchy is systemic. Hating patriarchy is not aimed at men, as vast numbers of women participate in maintaining the evil and corrupt system of patriarchy.

[mike carey]

23 minutes ago, Kenny said:

Political lesbianism has zero to do with "hating men."

Well, I've learned something new. A quick google revealed a concise definition. But ...

Mod's Note: Having established that, let's steer clear of further discussion of this, or of other excursions into political content.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

3 people of unspecified race, sex, gender, religion, political affiliation, or occupation walk into a bar.

That's it.

Did you expect something funny?

[jeezifonly]

“Sorry, I had no idea you were so easily offensive” 🤣

Being offended now is the same as being injured- parents dress kids in bubble wrap and put braces on their brains. It’s one thing to be deliberately cruel, another thing to make a joke that fails. We treat them the same in our reactions. Best option is to avoid anyone under 60. 

[+ azdr0710]

@jeezifonly's comment just above reminded me of my days as a kid when we'd go out on our bikes (Schwinn Stingray with banana seat), no helmet, ride all over hell, just a bunch of eleven-year-olds free as the wind, no supervision, just a warning to be home for dinner........

today, Christ, I don't know what rules parents impose on kids who want to dare step over the property line.....

can't help but somehow see obvious parallels between all that yesteryear and this thread's topic.......

[Mercury]

I’m not sure if this was mentioned, but something to consider is the online persona each person has created or developed over time. It may be intentional or a perception on how someone is perceived based on tone, language, etc.   This could easily form an opinion on how someone would interpret  a “joke”   I also think it’s important to know who your audience is…and in an online forum, it is every walk of life so you are bound to offend someone unintentionally. 

[+ Pensant]

21 hours ago, spider said:

It isn't just humor, I find myself self-censoring, especially at work where everyone's raw nerves are on their skin. I mostly just listen these days to avoid offending anyone, and possibly getting written up. Every very common expressions that I've used my entire life and just sort of pop out unless I've super careful will trigger someone.

Thank God I retired early. When I did work, I had my own company and we had an easy going company culture.

[spider]

1 hour ago, Pensant said:

Thank God I retired early. When I did work, I had my own company and we had an easy going company culture.

This again shows how much has changed. Today, when I hear the phrase "easy going company culture" all sorts of red flags instantly go up.