Just a joke

Cogito ergo sum Logic and rhetoric

Key articles

Logical fallacy Syllogism Argument

General logic

Argumentum ad baculum Uncertainty tactic Affirmative conclusion from a negative premise Rapoport's Rules Bullshit Paulo Bittencourt

Bad logic

Argument from incredulity Science was wrong before Ham Hightail Argument de l'ami Whataboutism 稻草人谬误 v - t - e

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, 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) to the films Eat the Rich 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

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

Problems

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

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

Occasionally, if rarely, it's even true and justified: The joke in question is being quote mined and stripped of context, or vital humorous context was lost in translation (as can frequently happen when voice is set down in text), or similar; alternately, a joke is badly misinterpreted as being about something it's not (e.g., a joke about monkeys, in a context of discussing actual members of the suborder Haplorhini, being misinterpreted out of context as being about black people, for example).

Dealing with this argument

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.

Examples

This is far from an exhaustive list.

Alt-right

The alt-right and other white nationalists frequently say racist things and retroactively decide they are "just kidding" or "joking" when criticized for them. This behavior in combination with the general alt-right opposition to countersignaling (criticizing people further to the right of oneself), leads people towards a downward spiral.

Donald Trump

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

Fiction

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 or as being intentional all along. This completely ignores the fact that it is possible to do a parody poorly.

Irony poisoning

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. This explains a lot about the alt-right infesting places like 4Chan, ultimately culminating in shit like Gamergate.

See also

• Alt-right glossary#Free helicopter rides
• Cancel culture

External links

• Inside Higher Ed, "The Just Joking Defense"
• Medium, "Don’t Take It So Seriously, It’s Just A Joke — Or Is It?"
• The Conversation, "‘It’s just a joke’: the subtle effects of offensive language"
• The Guardian, "Can't you take a joke, love? Why the 'banter' isn't funny any more"
• risk(within)reason, "“It was just a joke!” How bullies blame their victims"
• Childnet, "Just a joke?"
• MediaSmarts.ca, "Just a joke? Helping youth respond to casual prejudice"
• “They Were Just Making Jokes”: Ethnic/Racial Teasing and Discrimination Among Adolescents
• It wasn't just for the lulz: Bigoted trolls can't get away with claiming they were just kidding: Did the guy who made the Trump-CNN video "apologize"? Nope — like his hero, he just made lame, insulting excuses
• Humour and hatred: the racist jokes of the Ku Klux Klan