Just a joke

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Just a joke, just joking, just kidding, or just satire, among many other variations, are phrases used to excuse harmful or bigoted statements and actions as mere jokes. These statements are attempts to exploit Poe's law, because it's often hard to distinguish genuine belief from parody. Trolls are well known for using this defense. A user of these types of arguments is sometimes derisively referred to as a Schrödinger's douchebag,[1] because like the thought experiment, they are either sincere or joking depending upon the reaction to their statements or actions.

It should go without saying, but it's being said here just this once that the best humorists never feel compelled to give way and say that what they said was 'just a joke' or similar such variants. This is true from Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick to Mark Twain's satire to Paul Krassner's The Realist (which intermixed real and satirical articles, forcing the reader to unpack them)[2] to the films Eat the Rich[3] and Blazing Saddles. If a person needs to be told that A Modest Proposal was satire, then there's a good chance that the person 1) is a cannibal, or 2) has cannibalistic tendencies, or 3) is too dense to understand satire even when told.

In the case of 'just a joke' as used here, however, it is not the recipient who lacks understanding; rather, it is the deceit of the speaker in not admitting bigotry.

Form[edit]

Alice: "(Bigoted or harmful statement)"
Bob: "That statement is bigoted"
Alice: "It's just a joke/satire, man."

Problems[edit]

One problem with this defense is that a statement "actually" being a joke does not mean it can't be bigoted or otherwise harmful, as they can perpetuate and reinforce negative stereotypes and beliefs. Minstrel shows, for example, are technically comedic and they frequently used stereotypes of African-Americans to obtain their "humor". Because minstrel shows were extremely popular, stereotypes that originated there could spread to a wider audience, reinforcing them.

Another problem is that what is "obviously" a joke to you might not be obvious to other people. This is an indication that the 'joke' is just not funny.

Why people use this argument[edit]

People use this argument because it implies that a statement should not be taken seriously, making their critics look humorless.

Dealing with this argument[edit]

One way to deal with this argument is to point out any of the above problems. Another way is to ask the person making the joke to explain it, forcing them to restate it in plain language. This would then make the joker (and the audience) reflect on what was said. Additionally, being forced to explain a joke makes it less funny, if it ever was. These two factors make it less likely that they repeat the joke.[4]

Examples[edit]

This is far from an exhaustive list.

Alt-right[edit]

The alt-right and other white nationalists frequently say racist things and retroactively decide they are "just kidding" or "joking" when criticized for them.[5][6]

Donald Trump[edit]

Donald Trump is a prolific user of this tactic, with examples stretching back at least to 2016.[7] The most egregious example was when he said his remarks about injecting bleach into oneself to cure COVID-19 were "sarcastic".[8]

Fiction[edit]

Sometimes, if a work of fiction or aspect of a work is received poorly, the creator of the work may retroactively declare it a parody[9] or as being intentional all along.[10] This completely ignores the fact that it is possible to do a parody poorly.[11]

Irony poisoning[edit]

Irony poisoning is a term used to describe something that was once believed to be ironic but that is now sincerely believed. The idea goes that if somebody is exposed to memes and content about something dark like 9/11 or the Holocaust, they become desensitized. This erodes taboos and makes it easier for extremist ideas to take root.[12][13][14] This explains a lot about the alt-right infesting places like 4Chan, ultimately culminating in shit like Gamergate.

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Schrödinger's Douchebag (December 24, 2020) Urban Dictionary.
  2. Best of the Realist by Paul Krassner (1984) Running Press. ISBN ISBN 089471287X.
  3. Eat the Rich IMDb.
  4. Unpacking the Conversations that Matter: “It’s just a joke! Why are you so upset?” by Leigh Morrison. November 21, 2019, The Inclusion Solution
  5. How Extremists Weaponize Irony To Spread Hate By Tom Dreisbach April 26, 2021 NPR
  6. “Just joking” is no joke: How the Alt-right really communicates online by Mathew Feldman August 29, 2018 Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right
  7. 6 Times Donald Trump Says He's Been 'Sarcastic' or 'Misinterpreted' by ABC news (yes really, that's what's been credited) August 13 2016 ABC news
  8. Trump says he was being sarcastic with comments about injecting disinfectants By Jane C. Timm, April 24 2020 NBC News
  9. Parody Retcon, accessed 30 March 2024, TV Tropes.
  10. Deliberate Flaw Retcon, accessed 30 March 2024, TV Tropes.
  11. See:
  12. 'Deadly serious': Ex neo-Nazi and Iron March user speaks out on de-radicalization by Christy Somos (December 4, 2019 8:30AM EST) CTV News.
  13. Should We All Be Taking ‘Irony Poisoning’ More Seriously? by Max Fisher & Amanda Taub (August 23, 2018) The New York Times.
  14. What is the Diagolon extremist group and what does it want? by Christy Somos (Feb. 17, 2022 12:14 p.m. PST) CTV News.