The Humor That Makes Us Ashamed

There is a searching, meaningful sentence from Emerson: “Beware of jokes…(from which) we go away hollow and ashamed.” ¹

We have talked before of the humor that hurts, the humor that plays on peculiar personal characteristics, and embarrasses the defenseless subject, publicly or privately. But to be avoided also is the humor that debases _ the crude, low-minded humor, the essence of which is immoral suggestion: making light of lewdness, making fun of marital unfaithfulness, or of human depravity, or evil obscenities.

“The manner of jesting out not to be extravagant or immoderate, but refined and witty…” said Cicero. “There are, generally speaking, two sorts of jests: the one, coarse, rude, vicious, indecent; the other polite, refined, clever, witty…(which), if well timed, is becoming to the most dignified person. The other,” he said, “is unfit for any gentleman.” ²

It has been said that a civilization could be judged by its humor _ and what can be said of a civilization could also be said of people personally. And when anyone makes humor out of human depravity or baseness, lewd suggestion, or immoral action, one may reasonably suppose that at best his judgment is at fault, and that maybe his mind runs low.

Heaven help us never to lose our sense of humor. But heaven help us also to avoid the humor that is based on ridicule or embarrassing physical factors, or the humor that comes from unclean suggestion or low-minded morals. “Beware of jokes…(from which) we go away hollow and ashamed.”