Major Elements of Jokes - Essay Example

A joke entails a pain element directed to something or an individual. The pain either causes an injury that is physical or at a minimum causes discomfort or embarrassment. Individuals often love jokes that put down other individuals since they perceive others as worse than themselves. They perceive the joke as a concept that puts them in a better position when compared to the others where the joke is directed (Kumar, 137). Therefore, a joke possesses the capability of presenting fun despite it being distasteful. The reason behind fun coming from a distasteful joke is attributed to the fact that every person possesses insecurities of their own. When a person hears a distasteful joke, it helps the person from keeping away from focusing on their problem.

 Individually, I have in several instances made jokes that put down other individuals to strengthen my ego. To help justify my fat body that is made fun of on various social occasions, I constantly referred the thin people as skinny and in various instances mentioned the negative implications of possessing a skinny body. The joke would yield fun and as a result, help me to avoid focusing on my fat nature helping me to have peace of mind. It is however inappropriate to make jokes that put down other individuals. For example, consider a joke that emanates from a racial connection. The joke may yield bad blood against individuals from different races and if it is done in a working place work relations among people from different races will become destroyed (McGhee). Consequently, it is not every person understands that the joke putting a person down is merely a joke as some may perceive the joke as real.