Mean Humor and the Autist

Most comedy shows are unwatchable to me. This is because I find most humor to be based on making fun of other people. And making fun of other people, I was taught as a kid, is mean. Maybe I should have grown into “more mature” senses of humor. But I guess I didn’t. I still think it’s mean to make fun of people and I don’t particularly care who the humor is directed toward. It used to be different ethnic groups when I was a kid, and I didn’t laugh at those jokes, either.

OK, fine. So we don’t make fun of “marginalized” groups, but if you’re careful to make sure it’s only someone who has power, that’s good, right? Taking down the man. Isn’t it funny to, as comics say, punch up? I don’t know. I feel like this is just another excuse to not have to be kind and compassionate. Even people you disagree with. Even Republicans. Even libtards.

Any time you put a label on a group of people like that and give yourself permission to make fun of them, aren’t you just othering them and saying they aren’t human? I’ve lived through way too much of that myself to find it anything other than dangerous and cruel.

So, yes, if everyone is off limits for making fun of, that makes it very hard to get me to laugh. The only exception I know of this is if you make fun of ME, then I will often laugh. I have no idea if this is a reflex from the trauma of being laughed at for so much of my life…