Recently, a comedian made big news, and big trouble for Donald Trump, for making a joke that compared the residents of Puerto Rico to garbage. A meme soon popped up that said, “Racism disguised as humor is still racism.”
Yes, indeed, it is. But this is an old familiar tale. Women are well acquainted with men making nasty comments and sexist insults. When confronted, the men often claim they were, “just joking.” The men may not be actual comedians, but they are actual cowards who duck and cover behind the label of humor to defend their actions.
When I saw the clip about the “floating island of garbage,” It sounded familiar. I also noticed that no one was laughing. In fact, Tony Hinchcliffe’s response showed he realized the “joke” had flopped.
Hiding Behind a Mask
And while the meme says that racism disguised as humor is still racism, I would argue that racism disguised as humor is worse than plain, generic racism. Why?
- Whether racism or misogyny, such comments hide behind a mask, pretending to be something else. The speakers hope you won’t notice the hate behind the humor. That gives them plausible deniability by deflecting any criticism or recognition that he or she is really just peddling hate.
- It diminished the hate and makes it socially acceptable. After all, it’s just a joke so don’t overreact. Overreacting means that you take it seriously. They don’t want you to do that.
- Even when presented as jokes the comments just aren’t funny, which is why Hinchcliffe’s garbage joke flopped at Trump’s rally. I suspect that, had I listened to his entire routine, I would have found very few of his jokes funny. A second-rate “talent” making third-rate jokes should consider another line of work.
Finding Humor in Life
I arrived at these insights when I was just a kid. My mother taught me that humor can be found in situations or conflicts, issues and challenges, but not at the expense of other people. Thus, I never found “insult comics” like Rodney Dangerfield, Don Rickles, Sam Kinison, and Andrew Dice Clay funny in the slightest. Their brand of nasty humor made me cringe.
Also, I never found blonde jokes to be at all funny. To me, they were just woman-hater jokes hiding behind the mask of yellow hair. I didn’t tell these jokes and I didn’t laugh at them. They were like moron jokes that made fun of the mentally disabled. Only disabled people had defenders who protested long enough to kick moron jokes to the sidelines by making them socially unacceptable. Blondes, like all women, are still fair game.
Mocking the Disabled
Which leads me back to a Trump rally where he stood on stage and mocked a physically disabled man in front of thousands of fans. Who else would even think of doing that?
He especially likes to make fun of women, particularly women of color. Trump also invents schoolyard nicknames for opponents or anyone he perceives to be an enemy. With his litany of silly nicknames, he sounds like a sixth-grader who never grew up.
Trump aims all his humor, such as it is, at other people. He hides his hate behind the mask of political rivalries, but the disguise doesn’t really cover him. We can always see the mean, insecure, cruel little boy lurking behind the insults. And only his MAGA fans think he’s funny.
Is This Joke Funny?
The next time you hear a joke that makes fun of someone else for any reason, ask yourself if this is what you want your children and grandchildren to learn. And, if you are laughing at someone else for any reason, what does it say about you?
