LAUGHTER AND DEHUMANIZATION: CAN SHARKS BE SYMPATHIZED?

Cruel jokes are common in wartime, but they raise questions about dehumanization. It is necessary to define the principle of “permissible level of cruelty” in jokes. Is it the dehumanization when jokes violate the moral norms? Making a decision about the permissible or unacceptable cruelty of a joke should not be guided by the principle of balance “and they also offend us, so we can”, because in this case it is really not understanded what is the difference between the victim and the offender. Assessing of the acceptable degree of cruelty must be accompanied by an analysis of the narrator’s purpose: does the joke not only attempt to make the immoral funny (which is acceptable, such as jokes about cheating on exams), but also does it attempt to increase the level of discrimination and/or encourage bullying? If so, such a genre may seem funny to a group that discriminates against others, but it is unacceptable and requires public condemnation. As Steinert notes, “The moral disgust of the one who tells the joke spills over into the joke itself. We might suspect that the person telling the bad joke wants us to approve of his derogatory attitude or the stereotypes on which the joke is based” [Steinert 2017]. Does cruel humor provide relief? It is very doubtful, especially if we recall the history of the detente theory, which today does not have sufficient factors for its acceptance. Does cruel humor dehumanize? Yes, that is why it cannot be encouraged as acceptable in relation to the ruling majority towards national minorities and potentially vulnerable social groups (for example, cruel jokes about dystrophies, which were very popular in Soviet times).