Death Humor Discussions - Literature review Example

Do you agree with the Arguments of James Thorson and Allen Klein Is Death Humor Ever Appropriate Introduction This paper aims to critically analyze the arguments of James A. Thorson and Allen Klein which revolves around Death Humor. It will consider both sides of the topic at hand and will also include my opinions and views regarding the topic. I agree with the arguments of James A. Thorson and Allen Klein. Making fun of death does help us to accept it. It helps us to stay happy and cope with anxieties related to this unavoidable dimension of life. Main Body The first article headed 'Did you ever see a hearse go by' has been written by James A. Thorson. It was published in the Journal of Popular American Culture. Vol. 16:2. It revolves around gallows humor and covers different aspects of the topic. It covers the history and various other types of gallows humor. According to the Oxford Dictionary, Gallows Humor is grim and ironic humor in a desperate or hopeless situation. (The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, 2008) It refers to humor that is directed towards something or some event that is frightening in real life. Getting electrocuted at a yogurt dispensing machine at National Institute of Health makes us realize how unpredictable this life is. It makes us realize that it can end any time without us knowing it which makes it very frightening. Still we smile at the unexpected pattern of circumstances. I agree with James A. Thorson when he says that there is a cognitive shift in the way we perceive this event. I agree with James A. Thorson when he says that smiling at frightening and unfortunate events, like when a man gets electrocuted while dispensing yogurt at a National Institute of Health cannot be put under the heading of 'gallows humor'. Gallows humor is something that is intentionally created in order to help people cope with death and its anxieties. This event that I described above was not intentional. It is just a combination of a lot of unexpected events being put together. On the other hand gallows humor is there for a reason. It has motive of helping people cope with death better. What supports gallows humor and makes it so acceptable The fact that no one can escape death creates a lot of anxiety but gallows humor allows us to accept it which, as a result, decreases the anxiety that everyone in this world goes through. Jokes regarding war and combat also help us ignore the ugly reality of war itself. We just concentrate on the humorous aspect of it and ignore war as a bloody, loud and violent event. In war jokes, the real situation is ignored and put aside. In my opinion, Sigmund Freud was right when he stated that we make fun of death as a defense mechanism. Even though this results in pushing us away from what is real and distorting reality, but at least it allows us to live happily whatever time we have. However, when one laughs at someone else's death makes it unethical, prejudice and inhumane. Terms used by medical officers like Trainwreck and Gork for their patients are clearly just a result of these medical officers being sick of their jobs. Making fun of others death just makes us feel better because it reassures us that we are not like them. We start to consider them as outsiders, a term which refers to people who are not a part your group. We make fun of the outsiders and this makes us prejudice towards them. Also those people who are oppressed by others use humor as a weapon against political repression. This point was put forward by Antonin Obrdlik, a sociologist who studied the Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Humor helped them feel better about them selves and these people used it against their enemies. Similarly, gallows humor is used by people to help them feel better about themselves and not so insignificant. It helps with deal with death and all other harsh realities emotionally. It is like psychological reassurance and could also be considered as passive-aggression. We have a natural tendency to make fun of something that is a threat to us. This is why gallows humor has gained so much popularity. Even the most popular people feel that death is a threat. Another factor that makes gallows humor so acceptable and enjoyable is the fact that telling these jokes requires a bit of boldness because these jokes are against the social norms. Therefore those who have that in them will tell the jokes and serious people will definitely find it funny. Sex is a topic that is often paired with death humor because sex is the indirect opposite of death. Sex gives life while death takes it. Necrophilia is sexual attraction towards a dead body. Necrophilia jokes are very unacceptable socially, which is the reason why there are very few ones of these out there. These jokes are however, one of the best examples of sex involvement in gallows humor. Another type of jokes which are very uncommon is those which have to do with ejaculation while being hanged. This is something very natural but because this is such a sensitive topic, very few people joke about it. Also, jokes that paired sex with death used to project male sexism in the past. But this has now changed and now males are mostly the target. Most of these recent jokes revolve around making fun of males. A new trend in gallows jokes include not only making fun of the dead but also the dying. For example, there are various jokes of AIDS patients. These jokes are mostly told by the AIDS patients themselves. However, if we make fun of someone who is dying in particular, that would be prejudicial. The victims of diseases are considered as out-group and we become prejudice against them by makings fun of them. Thanks to all the latest technologies, these jokes are spreading faster than ever. Mobile phones, faxes, internet, messaging and Xerox all contribute to this rapid spreading of jokes all over the world. This is also the reason why it has become so difficult to track down the origin of a joke. The youngsters of this generation are less exposed to death than those in previous generations. Similarly they are being less exposed to archaic material. There have been various nursery rhymes and poems that have a touch of death in them. The best example is of 'Little Willie'. After looking at the history of jokes, it has been noted that there are certain events lead to an origin of a joke. Jokes like 'what do you call a kid whith no arms and legs' were the result of birth defects that were caused because of a drug. Even now, the same trend can be seen. Since the Iraq-American war, we have seen a lot of Iraqi jokes gaining popularity. In the end James Thorson ends his argument by stating that gallows humor fulfils a human need. It helps us cope with anxieties or death. It helps us adapt and also helps us socialize in groups. These jokes are intended to help people fulfill this need and will definitely be included in our folklore. The second argument put forward by Allen Klein is from the book 'The Healing Power of Humor'. This was published in 1989 by Penguin Putnam Inc. in New York. It revolves around how humor can help the people dying and also the people related to the dead. It starts of by discussing how it helps people in general coping with death. Then it moves on to how it helps the patient and lastly it helps how it can help the people related to the ones who have died. In starts by explaining how in time pain, I'll or when dying, one often overlooks everything other than the illness of pain itself. This becomes the reason why the improvement in the patient becomes very slow. The patient is reminded again and again about his pain which makes it impossible for him to forget it even for a while. A patient, when suffering, should always use humor. Humor has healing power. When told a joke, the patient's mind would get diverted from pain or dying and this would help his condition. It is absolutely necessary for a patient to lighten up and get away from the serious environment of the hospital by listening to a joke or simply smiling. Humor benefits us in two ways when one is dying. Firstly, it helps him cope with the fact that his life is ending and it also lightens up the atmosphere for the people related to the one dying. It makes them easier to accept the death. Situations that involve death in any way are usually very grave and it is up to us to look for something that will reduce the anxiety. This something could be anything minor. It does not have to make sense. Anything which will make the people in that situation smile will be helpful. Also in these situations, people feel emotions that are mixed and humor is most helpful at times like these. Death is a very natural process of life and no one can escape it. Therefore, we have only two options. We could either keep thinking about death which will constantly give us anxiety. Or we could choose to ignore it and use humor as a tool. This will keep us happy for whatever time that we have left. Humor can be very helpful for the people related to the dying or the dead. The loved ones feel very depressed and grieved. Humor at an intense time like this would give them strength and courage. Professional care-givers must also adopt different strategies that involve humor to help treat their patients. These care-givers also face a lot of deaths therefore; humor will help them from feeling helpless and frustrated. Humor also helps the patient who is suffering. The patient's life becomes very discouraging, depressing and disheartening. Humor helps their mind to divert from their illness. It will allow them to step back and realize that there is more to their life than their illness. It will remind them that they are still alive. Even the people around them keep reminding them about their illness. Humor will not only make them happier but will also help them see the positive things in life. Humor helps a patient ease the pain and also sickness that our body undergoes. A lot of studies have been carried out that prove this. According to the Science of Laughter, laughing decreases viruses and tumors in a person. It is like a natural killer. It also increases oxygen in the blood, lowers the blood pressure, protects the heart and is also a great workout. (Allen, 2008) There are a few measures that can be taken which will help a patient. Toys, games, funny books, etc. will help the patient to get distracted. Sticking funny pictures or posters in the wall would make the patient smile. The patient could also keep a diary of all the funny incidents and things. This diary will help him focus on the humorous things he experienced in the time he spent in the hospital. We can change the way we think about death, illness and life. Our culture teaches us how to see death. This is the reason why we see death as our enemy. Instead if we start to think of it as a necessary part of life, we will be able to deal with it differently. It will produce lesser anxiety and will help us cope with it better. Humor will increase optimism in life. Humor will not stop death from approaching us, but it will not do any harm as well. It will help us deal with it and will also help us live a better a life. Different cultures use different ways to help their people to deal with death anxieties and death. But what's most important is that all the cultures teach their people that death is a necessary part of life and the time that we have left must be enjoyed. Comedy writers, comics, and cartoonists also have a hand in helping us see death through a humorous eye. They make something depressing seem funny and humorous which results in producing less anxiety when we think about death. Adults can also learn a lot by the help of children who handle their pain with less suffering and more humor. Conclusion After discussing all the reasons given above, I come to a conclusion that death humor is appropriate as long as it is not intentionally prejudice, unethical and immoral. Death humor must serve its purpose of helping us accept an essential aspect of life. Besides this, humor has its own advantages which make it acceptable. It helps patients, their loved ones and people in general. We see death as something serious therefore it is not usually paired with humor. But pairing it will help us get rid of anxieties about death, cope with death of others and also help us get rid of stress that is the result of grief. This is why death humor is appropriate. In my opinion, the arguments put forward by James A. Thorson and Allen Klein covers all aspects of the topic at hand. Throughout their arguments, they have explained their points by using the help of examples. However, they could have been improved if the negative effects of gallows humor could have been discussed in more detail. This would have given us an opportunity to better understand the other side of the topic. At the end I would like to quote Roger Rabbit. He stated: "Sometimes a laugh is the only weapon we have." (Klein, 1998) References 1. Allen Klein. (1998). The Courage to Laugh. Penguin Group. USA. 2. Rick Allen. 2008. Benefits of Humor. New Life Hypnosis Centre. Website: 3. Gallows Humor (2008). The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. Oxford University Press. Read More