As things started opening up and I got vaccinated over the summer, I had strangely seen two comedians (Phoebe Robinson and Mike Birbiglia), but had not seen a single band yet. In no way do I consider myself super knowledgeable about comedy, but I do appreciate it when it is done well.
My own burgeoning love for comedy has increased over the last 5 years or so. I was often so stressed and tired from running a non-profit and caring for a baby, that I could pretty much only mentally commit to watching stand-up. Then it became a bit of a chicken and egg situation where I watch one or two specials and then the Netflix algorithm did its thing and I was pretty much ONLY presented with stand-up as a viewing choice.
I am bringing this up because in pretty much every workshop and training I give, and in the general culture as a whole, there seems to be a concern that people just aren’t allowed to be funny— and especially funny at work— anymore.
As a result, I find myself thinking a lot about what I find funny and what other people find funny— and why certain comedians or individuals in my life and in workplaces more broadly make particular choices with the jokes they tell.
But up until recently, I’d never really researched the academic literature surrounding it— which is FASCINATING and explains a lot about the way that humor functions and its connection to power. So, I’m going to share some of what I’ve found here.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
If you are a person in the world, or more specifically, a business owner who is running a company, or an employee working with others IN a company (in music or beyond!), understanding when jokes are appropriate or inappropriate can be important both in terms of their ability to bring people in— but as you may have predicted— in their ability to exclude others… or even in their ability to create of a hostile work environment, which could increase turnover, get folks fired, or even lead to legal or repetitional challenges.
THE IMPACT OF JOKES
Of course, ethical issues with such jokes are more important than the business case. And there is plenty of research supporting their negative effects, such as: 1) one study found that men who score high on hostile sexism are likely to be rated higher on rape proclivity after reading sexist jokes; 2) another found that after reading sexist jokes, participants were less likely to give money to a women’s organization; 3) a study that found that when a speaker told a racist joke participants viewed the speaker less negatively and were less likely to intervene than when they made a racist comment. And of course, linguistic relativity shows us the importance of language, more generally, in constructing how we view the world (more on that another time!).
THE FUNCTION OF JOKES
Why do people tell jokes at all? There are a number of reasons, but much of this function is connected to sharing identity and connections to in-group members and delineation or degradation of out-group members.
One way you can see this is through the performance of masculinity and heterosexuality present in many sexist jokes. The joke is at once relaying to others that women are the “other,” that women are objects or inferior, or at least un-understandable in some way. By separating themselves from women, they are making themself appear more powerful and by not aligning with women they are also demonstrating that they are not weak like women, or relatedly, that they are not gay.
At the same time, such a joke is meant to bring men together in identifying who their in-group is— men. By stating the “otherness” of women, it states what men are not.
And, of course, if the group the joke teller is speaking to laughs, the joke teller receives social collateral and power at the same time.
HOW DO JOKES WORK?
According to Benign Violation Theory (BVT) which is part of the academic literature on joking by researchers named Warren and McGraw, if you think about the content as a Venn diagram with benign in one circle and violation in the other, a joke is funny when it exists in the intersection between the two. So, a joke is so bland or boring that it is considered benign, it doesn’t work. On the other hand, if it is such a violation of social norms that it is considered harmful, that also doesn’t work. In order for the joke to work, it has to be in the sweet spot where it’s violating norms or expectations at least a little bit, but not too much that it is seen as out of bounds morally.
The problem, of course, is that many people have different definitions of what might be considered benign or a violation.
You can see how groups who come from similar backgrounds might have similar definitions, and therefore, find similar things funny. But those who are not from that same group, might find a joke from that group as unfunny or offensive.
Power is, of course, a part of this calculation. Research finds that people with more power tend to have reduced attentiveness to other people’s thoughts and feelings. My favorite piece of literature on jokes is by Kant and Norman from 2019, which takes Warren and McGraw’s original Benign Violation Theory and extends it, taking into consideration such power differences.
HOW DOES THIS APPLY IN MY WORKPLACE?
So, you are likely making the connections here as to how this might apply to your life and your workplace.
If you have a super homogenous workplace, it is significantly more likely that you will have overlap in your Benign Violation Venn diagram among employees, right? When you begin a diversity effort— whether it’s hiring, marketing, or customer service-oriented, it is, BY DEFINITION, going to place people with non-overlapping Venn diagrams in spaces with each other, leading to potential conflict, with the jokes that would have previously brought a laugh, now potentially alienating and harming new employees or customers, and potentially leading to legal or reputational issues.
IS IT JUST A JOKE?
Of course, there is a difference between someone telling a joke that accidentally offended people and someone making a statement and later claiming that the statement was “just a joke” after someone states they were offended by it. And there is a difference between someone legitimately not knowing that something might be offensive and saying it, versus saying it specifically because it’s offensive with the purpose of alienating others or making them uncomfortable or unwelcome.
This delineation is important in determining how the issue might be addressed, with the latter being much more harmful and aggressive. An employee who engages in purposely harmful behavior might need to find a new place to work, whereas the other might just need education.
NOW WHAT?
So, what do you do with this information? Of course, if you are an employee, understanding the power dynamics inherent in jokes are important, as well as understanding that your Benign Violation Theory sweet spot might be different than others. You can be a little more intentional in the jokes you tell and who is present when you tell them. Of course, jokes based on stereotypes are harmful regardless, as they reinforce that those stereotypes are acceptable or accurate, but it is especially important to know your audience. If you really want to create a more inclusive workplace, it’s super important to be thoughtful around the jokes you tell, and language more broadly.
If you run a company in the industry, there are a few things you can do, which I have outlined in detail in previous podcast episodes and blogs— most specifically the ones on “Where to Start” for men in the industry. But broadly speaking you need to clarify your expectations of behavior and build trust amongst employees.
And it’s important to start these initiatives BEFORE you bring on said new employees so they don’t get frustrated by their lack of overlapping BVPs and quit in two months.
And let’s not forget— if you use jokes or memes in your marketing efforts, recognizing the BVP for those you are trying to reach is key, as well!
Comedians often speak about punching up vs. punching down, and I think that’s always a good reminder. If you aren’t sure whether a joke is appropriate, think about the target and the power whether they have more or less power than you do, or you can stick jokes with no direct target at all.
Humor is one of the best parts of life and it can bring us together. None of this means that you can no longer have fun in the workplace. It just means that people need to be more intentional about who is or is not included in the fun.