Comedians themselves are very worried about the massive rise in complaints and threats from all quarters. Satire mocks people and institutions that are too rigid and pompous. It points up stupidity, hypocrisy and social injustice (hoping to promote change). It is the very essence of political humour and is hated by dictators everywhere. It, too, is under attack.
We all know that a sense of humour can operate as a defence against adverse, inescapable circumstances, e.g., disability or mortality. It helps us to screen out negative aspects of reality and promotes optimism. The British, in particular, use humour as a coping method that is thought to be healthy.
PSYCHOBABBLE
It might come as a surprise to many that humour, at least since Freud, has been a respectable area of psychological research and enquiry. Researchers have asked and tried to answer questions such as: What is the psychological function of humour? Are there different types of jokes: funny ha-ha, funny pathetic, funny peculiar? What is the psychological profile of comedians? Why do some people seem to have no “sense of humour”? Does humour travel across countries and cultures? What, indeed, about cruel, racist, sexist or tasteless jokes? What is it like to be laughed at? Does the use of humour
