Ever heard the saying: “Laughter is the best medicine?”

Well, science continues proving that fact as if there was ever any doubt. Humans love to laugh; they love humor.

It is the chemical effects of humor’s reaction that gets people packed in auditoriums listening to Dave Chapelle criticize culture through comedy. Laughter, humor, and comedy are all agents of entertainment bonding man to a distracted world of ignorance and joy.

What is this elusive thing called “humor” that dictates the facial gestures of a child while emitting laughter from an old woman?

Is humor irony? Is humor satire? Is humor just a clever twist on words?

The internet shapes humor.

The dawn of the internet symbolized a shift in the flow of information. Humor, as a form of content, transformed from riddles and traditional jokes to memes and stereotypes.

While the decentralized nature of the internet spawned productive upgrades in commerce, entrepreneurship, and finance, human interaction began to devolve. Ironically, much of humor has turned into a mix of racism, homophobia, classism, and sexism.

As one who enjoys consuming memes and ironic videos, I subtly support hateful messages by liking and sharing content. Frankly, this practice does not bother me or faze members of other groups targeted by these humorous posts.

Interested in learning about the history of humor and its philosophical properties? Check out this page breaking down the Philosophy of Humor: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/humor/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

What is humor?

I believe that now (more than ever) humor has become a clear reflection of our western societal culture. As the internet exposes younger generations to racial slurs, pornography, and violence, humor takes on flexible forms of these forbidden areas.

Modern humor is built on a foundation of obscurity, rebellious character, and pieces of our traditional clever dialect.

In many cases, being clever is just not enough these days to satisfy teenagers molded by the social media landscape. Often times, doing stupid sh*t or mocking a race can reach the validation of a wider audience.

I am curious to know how many teenagers are willing to face this reality without feeling like they are causing harm. Should there be any guilt for contributing to this modern comedic culture?

We might be situated at the crossroads of changing times with adjusted ethics. What was forbidden then is becoming not okay now. One can express this trend as a gradual decay of our morality reflected by comedy.

Humor is no longer asking why a chicken crossed the road. Humor — this independent variable for laughter — is an accumulation of our period’s gray and restricted areas.

“Will things change? Will future generations exhibit more empathy and avoid adopting foul language in their vocabulary?”

The answers to these reasonable progressive questions lie in whatever state the world, mainstream media, and the internet are in. As our trust with institutions declines through unethical practices, fake news, and more, people have more room for mockery.

Humor is simply a reaction to these changing times. Protected by free speech, the youngsters who were programmed as consumers will continue the organic output of degenerate humor.

Kids will laugh and live longer. Parents will start out concerned but open up their moral boundaries. Superegos will be less and less visible from generation to generation.

If we truly value the liberty of the individual, humor should be on a free market system affected only by culture and no outside forces.

Reflection Questions:

What is your stance on modern humor among members of the youth?

What is humor?

What are some independent variables for comedy’s changing landscape?

Do you see modern humor as an ethical issue?

Stay tuned for more exclusive cultural criticism on koosha.org

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