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I have to state my disagreement more firmly and clearly
I think things improve, and then we stop joking, rather than the other way around. For example I am certain that humor about homosexuality has forced people to confront the idea in their head in a different way.
Humor is where the conversation begins. When the scolds say "don't joke about that!" they are forbidding topics of conversation. That's not healthy and discourages change.
In order for humor to work there must be a vein of common beliefs, and if those belief are bogus, here is where they first get examined and corrected. This is where the scolds legitimately come in. If it's not funny because it's false, point that out. If it's funny, but supposed to not be funny because the subject is verboten, it's suddenly even MORE funny.
That's actually how this works! Comics mine our discomfort! The edge of our discomfort creates a point in our head where we recognize a little irony, and we laugh at the new common understanding that we have figured out.
Do you notice, when there's comedy about gays, blacks, jews etc today, it's much different comedy than it was 50 years ago. It's more sophisticated and requires a different level of understanding.
People are different. This is funny! Comedy is how we address differences. This is productive! And that's why, the only criterion that matters is, IS IT FUNNY?
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