The "Object" of Humor

Dave Chappelle released a comedy special on Netflix entitled Sticks and Stones, apropos both as a title of vindication that calls out his critics for constantly chastising him and as a title of vindiction (not a word, but I like it) that cautions prospective viewers of the vitriol-to-come. Chappelle simply does not hold back. Whether tastelessly comparing gender dysphoria to nonexistent racial dysphoria à la Rachel Dolezal or shockingly dismissing the opioid epidemic as a dumb, white problem, Chappelle makes clear that he does not subscribe to the belief that humor must be moderated at the behest of political correctness.

Since his special has been released, Chappelle has been widely criticized by the media. Critics seem to suggest that humor ought to be used to some “good” end, or that it at the very least be used to some end that is not overtly “bad.” Making jokes about systemic racial inequality, for example, is acceptable because they can be used to the end of productively criticizing unjust institutions. Making jokes about transgenderism being an inherently hilarious condition, on the other hand, is allegedly unacceptable because such jokes reinforce mechanisms of oppression that hinder the pursuits of marginalized people.

Defenders of Chappelle seem also to suggest that humor ought to be used to some particular end—namely, for the purposes of sapping the evils of this world of their power. When we laugh at jokes about pedophilia, the opioid epidemic, rape, and suicide, we make these things less terrifying and more manageable to deal with in reality, or so it goes. The object of humor on this understanding could then be said to be the mitigation of suffering, whereas the object of humor according to Chappelle’s critics seems to have something to do with social justice.

I’d like to suggest something radical. Perhaps, humor has no object beyond itself.

The foundation for this claim can most readily be found in the way that we refer to one’s taste for that which constitutes the Funny. We call this inclination and capacity a sense of humor. Recall the primary senses: touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing. We have no control over the way we see things or how we receive sound. We fall prey to our senses. I contend that we have no control over the way we perceive funniness. It just happens. Sometimes, you hear a joke that you feel you “shouldn’t” laugh at but you do because the inclination toward laughter is as reflexive as the inclination toward perceiving the color red when in front of a stop sign.

When I hear people suggest that humor should be used to some particular end, I find it as absurd as calling for the use of smell only in those situations that best promote social justice. Certainly, we can use our senses for good, but we consider the use of our senses by and large as value-neutral. Mr. Chappelle had a few thoughts pass through his head that his sense of humor led him to believe were hilarious, and he made a comedy special to share those thoughts. Similarly, Picasso produced paintings that his sense of sight led him to believe were beautiful so he shared them with the world.

I personally thought a lot of the jokes in Sticks and Stones were poorly executed and that there were some jokes that did not land at all. Does this mean that I think Dave Chappelle is some racist that upended the object of humor? Not at all. Some of the jokes, I did laugh at. Does this mean that I think Dave Chappelle did some noble thing by creating conditions under which we could laugh at the terrible things that afflict this world? No. I think Dave Chappelle made a comedy special and some people happened to find it funny while others did not.

Humor does not have some object that it is or ought to be directed at. The object of humor is laughter. And the object of laughter is humor. The two are one and the same, so it can’t be the case that humor has any object beyond itself. So let’s laugh if we feel it, not laugh if we don’t, and allow people to revel in the sensory experience of humor without shame, ridicule, or moralization.