Alexandra Berardelli ‘25
Chief Opinions Editor
It’s never just a joke. Well, sometimes it is. Most of the time, though, there’s a little truth in every joke. In preparation for next week’s Eggplant issue of the Spire – one full of satire and jestering remarks – I hope to convince you to actively evaluate the truths behind your jokes and those you receive.
Just as many have argued that love may fuel the irrational part of the soul, some pre-modern philosophers, like Plato, also condemned humor and laughter. I disagree because the force of humor, like that of love, genuinely heals the soul, albeit through the “irrational” part – there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s just part of being human.
To convince you to value the degree of truth in jokes, I hesitantly turned to Sigmund Freud. In 1905, he published Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious on the psychoanalysis of jokes and humor. I wouldn’t call myself a Freudian; however, I find his theory of the unconscious quite intriguing, especially related to how we interact with humor. In total, Freud closely relates jokes within the subconscious mind to his theory on dreams. He notes that dreams express unfulfilled desires, and the subconscious mind guides the conscious mind to deal with these unfulfilled, repressed desires. He argues that the same thing occurs within humor: jokes can be a product of an expression of unfulfilled desires, revealing something about the person telling the joke and/or to whom it is addressed.
Jokes can be a seemingly low-stakes outlet to express yourself without having to face the desire directly. Moreover, they can communicate things that make you angry, frustrated, or upset. When I think of my own humor, I prefer to make lighthearted joking remarks about a tough friend situation or a communal cleanup among roommates or even my fragile emotional capacity (haha). It makes a lot of sense. Why would I want to address the situation directly when I can make a joke about it? But, when you think about the root of the superficially nonchalant, joking remark, you might want to consider on what foundation it is based on, because it may have some serious implications.
This is precisely why we have the art of satire. This writing style is certainly not novel, as it has roots in some of the earliest literature. For example, amid the highly political literature of the ancient Mediterranean, satire made dense, serious commentaries on high political officers and their approach to the populus. This type of writing remains highly influential, especially in our very own Eggplant section. Just as lengthy satire can provide social commentary under jestering remarks, so too can daily jokes offer bits of truthfulness among friends.
I can’t really take full credit for the inception of this article topic because it was not until I heard the witty comment – “there’s a little truth in every joke” – that I thought seriously about the motivations of jokes. Now, I have made it a part of my life’s philosophy to actively think about the truthfulness of humor – both in my own remarks and those I receive.
Perhaps you’ve already received this response from me or even someone else. Maybe you find it annoying or aggravating, but maybe I find it a good way to practice my critical thinking skills (Just kidding. Kind of.). The next time you’re joking with your friends, try it out. In observing my own friends’ reactions to this clever response, I find that the more frustrated the person joking gets after you respond with “there’s a little truth in every joke,” the more serious a truth there may be in it. Quite possibly, they may get more frustrated because they don’t expect you to think about the truthfulness behind it when, in reality, there’s quite a bit to go along with the joke.
Consider being critical about your jokes and those you receive. While I can tell many people don’t like this, do it anyway. (I’m not sorry.) Laughter heals the soul, so keep joking around. Just be aware.
Featured image courtesy of Stock
Leave a Reply