Opinions
Once a year, the Martlet lets off steam in its April Fool’s Day inspired spoof issue.
Letters
EDITORIAL
KLARA WOLDENGA (GRAPHIC)
Humour: it’s no laughing matter What does it mean to be funny? It’s different for different people. Some people love fart jokes, while others prefer intricate social satire. Different theories on humour suggest that unexpectedness can be a trigger of laughter, or that people who are confused won’t find a joke funny. Humour tends to rely on the shared experience, which means that topics a lot of people know about have more potential to be funny. So a joke that brings up a well-known, serious event, issue, or person, and turns it on its head, making it absurd, light-hearted, silly, is playing off the effect of contrast and universal understanding for its success. Basically, it’s likely to get a laugh. Maybe that’s why comedians who are offensive to some are also funny to most. Interestingly enough, humour can be a clever and surprisingly effective way of holding up a metaphoric measuring stick to the logic of an idea. Humour and satire are valuable because they flout stigmas or taboos in a way that encourages us to examine, process, and re-evaluate. Humour humanizes public figures and complicated issues—it sparks important discussion, breaks the ice, and provides comic relief; it is a way to share culture. It can be used as a tool for communicating to the masses; an idea that’s funny gets across more easily than a monotone lecture or long paper. A prime example of this is Barack Obama taking the stage on the popular Internet talkshow Between Two Ferns, hosted by Zach Galifianakis, who is best known for his acting work in the Hangover films. The webisode consisted of Obama and Galifianakis exchanging biting jokes framed as questions at each other. For example, Galifianakis’ question “What is it like to be the last black president?” was answered by Obama’s “Really? What’s it like for this to be the last time you ever talk to a president?” While some have criticized Obama for participating in the simple online video, he effectively used the opportunity to plug the United States’ healthcare website, which saw traffic go up 40 per cent after the show racked up over 20 million views. On the other hand, humour also has the potential to hurt feelings and change perspectives in ways that are only favourable to some, not beneficial at all, or even harmful. Humour can validate or normalize behaviour that causes harm. So, in deciding whether or not it’s okay to make a joke, the question is whether the harm of telling the joke outweighs the benefit it will provide. A joke told among friends who are unlikely to be negatively impacted or influenced is harmlessly funny. A joke with greater reach, by virtue of affecting more people, has a spectrum of possible good and bad results; the riskier the material, the greater the potential for gain—or harm. As important as humour is, humourists only have so many tools and perspectives with which to predict their jokes’ outcomes. Sometimes, when something’s funny to you, you just have to put it out there, but be prepared to listen to constructive criticism before deciding whether to stand behind your comedic contribution. Editorial topics are decided on by staff at our editorial meetings, held weekly in the Martlet office (SUB B011). Editorials are written by one or more staff members and are not necessarily the opinion of all staff members. Happy? Sad? Enraged? Tell us: letters@martlet.ca The Martlet has an open letter policy and will endeavour to publish letters received from the university and local community. Letters must be submitted by email, include your real name and affiliation to UVic and have “Letter to the editor” in the subject line. Letters must be under 200 words and may be edited.
WILLIAM WORKMAN (GRAPHIC)
UVic PhD student satirizes the type of thinking that may be encouraged by a recent National Post article
POLICING YOUTH RADICALIZATION “Officer, please, can you come and pick up my 14-year-old son? He’s exhibiting symptoms of ‘radicalization.’ The front page of the March 4th National Post instructed me to turn over my children if we thought they might be having symptoms of ‘radicalization.’ No one knows what ‘radicalization’ means, so I looked it up. Radical means to return to our ‘roots.’ So, I told him, ‘Our roots are white, not terrorist!’ I don’t know what really happened to those angry and confused 130 youth who decided to become so un-Canadian? I hope someone had the wherewithal to ask them what they were so upset about. Are they concerned about ‘global warning?’ While I don’t think my child watches Al Jazeera yet, he asks questions about the high rates of cancer for Aboriginal tarsanders. He asks why it looks like an A-Bomb went off from Google Earth (does Google own the Earth now?). He asks
me where vegetables come from? He knows I shop at Amazon. Officer, I’m uncomfortable with these questions and wonder if you could at least speak to him. He wants to get a consumer index barcode for a tattoo. Do handcuffs hurt? Not according to Fifty Shades of Gay. Oh, speaking of my husband. Lately, he’s been crying non-stop. He says all the starfish have melted into extinction and 10 million baby scallops died last week upisland Vancouver Island because they couldn’t form a shell—he keeps mumbling something about “Fukushima.” I told him, “I don’t even like seafood!” Then there’s my neighbour; she sends me 13 petitions a day on Facebook. We used to exchange coupons. What happened to coupons? My gay nephew rages on about rape culture. Or is it the rape of our culture? Please, what is he talking about! Oh, to knock it out of the ballpark, my mother-inlaw has a basement full of protest
signs: “Make love, not war!” Officer, I’m afraid she doesn’t know enough about condoms to make those claims. I feel much safer knowing Mr. Harper’s Canada continues to expand your many police roles to include those of street outreach worker, drug and alcohol counsellor, marriage mediator, and now moral authority over our children. I can only imagine the many years of training you must have, to know so much. I do hope with all the taxpayer’s money raised to secure us against this groundswell of radical socialism you get a little extra for your pocket, too. I remember the days when you were internationally revered. Will Monday after school, work for you?” Robert Birch PhD student Social Dimensions of Health program
CYCLIST ENFORCEMENT DRAMA I’m writing about a situation I witnessed on March 12 in the UVic bus exchange, between two police officers and a student on her bike. It was around noon and quite busy with students waiting for buses and walking back and forth. All of a sudden, a large police vehicle sped into the area, entering the wrong way, and stopped in front of the Bookstore. It caught me by surprise, and I wondered what they were responding to. I looked closer and saw that the
officers were giving a ticket to a student on her bike who had just ridden across the walkway. My thoughts here are not about my personal opinions on our overprotective society (bike helmet laws) but more about the overly dramatic and ineffective way that the police officers dealt with the situation. First of all, in regards to safety, having a large vehicle speeding into this area, in the wrong direction, with a multitude of students walking around,
would potentially cause more damage than a student on her bike. Secondly, if the police are interested in enforcing this law with respect, I would propose that they take an exemplary approach and meet the students on a similar level, on a bike perhaps and without the drama. Frances Semple UVic student
March 27, 2014
MARTLET • OPINIONS 7