Rethinking Humor

Posted Dec 14 2012, 2:55 am in bullying, Duchess of Cambridge, humor, hyperemesis gravidarum, Kate Middleton, phony phone call, practical jokes, pranks, radio station

This is a difficult blog post to write. I’m one of those people who finds pranks like phony phone calls and practical jokes funny. I’ve enjoyed old episodes of Candid Camera and later Punk’d and laughed until I cried. I’ve even orchestrated some brilliant pranks in my time. First, there was the giant pair of granny panties that were stuffed in everyone’s bag before a plane trip. That pair of underwear has been all over the U.S. Then, there was the time I had my entire staff searching for ID10T forms. Or the time I swiped all the action figures off my coworker’s desk, locked them up, and then went on vacation for a week letting him think I packed them all and took them with me.

At the time, I thought I was building camraderie. They got me back, trust me. The giant panties were shipped back to me in a gift-wrapped box that I opened in public. The colleague who owned the action figures swiped the license plates off my car the day before it was due for its annual inspection. I thought it was all in good fun.

Not anymore.

Since the Duchess of Cambridge’s medical condition was disclosed following a prank phone call aired by an Australian radio station, the person at the butt of the joke – the nurse who answered the phone – has since been found dead, the victim of an apparent suicide. I watched this story unfold with a mix of disbelief and discomfort because, yes, I admit I thought the phone call was funny.

At first.

I don’t think that any longer and am now ashamed that I ever did. Columnist Joe Blundo, in a recent Columbus Dispatch post said, “Humor always has a victim.” His words were like a smack in my face. The more I thought about them, the more I’m convinced he’s right. Sitcoms, comedians, satire – everything funny is funny because the joke is on someone else.

At what point do we stop and ask ourselves, “Would it still be funny if it were happening to me?” I can’t believe this escaped my notice but practical jokes and pranks are bullying in its most basic form. There’s a perpetrator, a victim, and lots of bystanders who laugh at this victim. This nurse, coming off a night shift, is caring for sick patients. That Kate was in the hospital at all should be our first hint that this is nothing to laugh about. Please understand this – Kate doesn’t just have morning sickness. She has a serious condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. Caring for sick people, especially people this sick, is an important and serious undertaking. I’m fairly sure any of us would have answered that phone and believed that we were indeed talking to the Queen. Why would we have any reason not to? 

This entire incident has made me rethink humor. To all the victims of my own pranks, I offer sincere apologies. And to radio stations everywhere, I beg you to end the phony phone call and look for ways to make people laugh with each other instead of at. 

What do you think of phony phone calls? What about jokes made at someone else’s expense? Are we as a nation too sensitive or not sensitive enough? 

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