Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them gets shot by another hunter. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?". The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guys says "OK, now what?" That's a freakin hilarious joke! ... but not at the funeral of a hunting accident victim. Hunting accidents are a real thing that have scorched the lives of countless people. There's a time and a place for everything. Even ****ed up, seemingly insensitive jokes. An airplane crash is hilarious when all the passengers are sock puppets. Here, here's a joke I read (note that I'm a man, sexually attracted to other men): What do you call a gay drive by? A fruit roll up. HAH! Come on! That's kind of funny! Why are people telling me I should feel offended?

A joke is a joke for a reason. We laugh because we are self aware, we know it is wrong, and for most that is where the humour stems from. Not to mention that we all have different views. What you find wrong may differ to what another finds wrong. But being ‘wrong’ doesn’t result in the guaranteed right to being offended in the context of a joke, especially to the point where we tell them to stop. It’s too easy to throw around words like censorship, but we all know the connotations that comes with. So a better way to simplify it would be just to say let’s all chill out a bit and have some fun. There’s too much genuine harm going on in the world to be focused on judging those who make jokes targeting those who actually do find the humour in it.

**While jokes don't necessarily have to avoid all serious and sensitive subjects, under particular social contexts they contribute to the perpetuation of dangerous mentalities.** A common response to limiting the subjects we can be humorous about, is that a joke must be taken in context - i.e., with a grain of salt. It is often argued that jokes are made with colloquial, jovial intentions and should not themselves be used as evidence of a person's beliefs and ideals. If I make a dead baby joke, for example, I am usually not implicated in having violent thoughts against infants. However, the social context underlining the subject of the joke matters immensely. There is little discordance on harming children, the undesirability of bathroom phenomena, and other 'harmless' humour - but sexist jokes are implicated in an existing and evolving discussion on the equality of the sexes that is undermined by the flippancy of a joke. With a sexist punchline, the narrator is risking: - _The validation of prejudiced individuals._ Prejudice is an ugly character, and is often hidden until it receives the indication that it is welcome in a particular space or conversation. Sexist jokes can indicate that a certain prejudiced idea or behaviour is acceptable within that environment, thereby [making prejudiced individuals more comfortable](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.56) voicing and acting on their less desirable idealogies. - _A misinterpretation of poignant humor._ Sexist jokes can be made 'ironically', i.e., at the expense of sexism to subliminally highlight its vacuity or irrationality, etc.. The result of this humor, however, is contingent on the ability of the audience to correctly interpret the joke. It has been shown that [the more prejudiced an individual, the more likely they are to receive this humor as a satire on those being discriminated](https://academic.oup.com/joc/article-abstract/24/1/36/4553566?redirectedFrom=fulltext), rather than a commentary on the discrimination itself. This interpretation only perpetuates discriminatory and stereotypical ideas, potentially going so far as to normalise the subject of the joke in a sexist light. - _The trivialisation of a critical social concern._ Some may argue that jokes do not posses the power to wholly trivialise a sensitive subject, e.g. we might not feel as though we are subliminally diminishing the horror of the Holocaust simply because of a meme. But, when it comes to the inequality of the sexes, there is greater ambiguity surrounding the establishment of the phenomenon as a genuine, critical issue. Even today, there are [studies demonstrating existing prejudice](https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2020/0803/Sexism-isn-t-a-relic-of-the-past.-How-men-s-views-are-shifting), even while large proportions of studied populations [believe that sexism is not](https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/half-of-young-men-oppose-feminism-uk/?template=next), or no longer, a valid concern. Making a sexist joke in the midst of this ideological turmoil can detrimentally skew the development of productive outlooks on gender equality, even potentially empowering the notion that sexism is not to be taken seriously. For these reasons, _it is quite enough with the sexist jokes._ Until we collectively recognise an adequate degree of equality in society, and the phenomenon of sexism is more concretely established in the majority of minds as a serious, significant, and genuine issue, we should refrain from enveloping it within the flippant and trivialising presentation of humour.

**Is society becoming increasingly sensitive and politically correct and do we need to see a joke for what it is, a joke?** - I think there is a key difference between a purposeful sexist remark and a sexist joke. The latter is with the intended purpose of humour and to make someone laugh. The best humour has a sense of truth in them and or relatable aspects, that’s what makes them funny. Shows like Family Guy and Little Britain would not be funny if they didn’t poke fun at and caricature relatable scenarios. - However, all this being said can a joke sometimes go too far. I don’t think this discussion is exclusive to sexist jokes. Some jokes for example poke fun and play up to racial stereotypes. The key is working to find a middle ground between what is funny and what is offensive. This may also involve being aware of the context you make the joke. Being aware of how those around you may react. - In an article by The Guardian. [‘Should Little Britain and The Simpsons change with the times?’]( https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/apr/11/should-little-britain-and-the-simpsons-change-with-the-times) It makes a case that whilst being totally offensive, many of the jokes broadcast decades ago were applauded and seen as okay to air on television. However, they certainly would not be met with the same reaction aired today. What we are seeing in general within society is less tolerance towards such humour that may cause offence.