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Many African Americans believe they can find humor in anything.
Their show’s motto is “There is nothing amiss if it’s humorous,” and Rod and Karen Morrow, a married couple who are also a comedic duo, steadfastly adhere to this assertion on their podcast, “The Black Guy Who Tips.”
Karen Morrow said, “We have discovered a way to make it humorous and take away the pain, but these things are very sensitive topics and … They joke at funerals, they joke when babies are born, they joke when people die, and they joke if you’ve been around enough Black people.”
The Morrows continue this tradition of Dark comedy in their podcast, joking about topics ranging from COVID-19 to law enforcement violence.
Morrow Rod said, “Our show is a lot like that. It’s funny too, and it’s also funny. Moreover, if we decide, it’s sad that someone is being harassed by the police because of the absurdity of racism and irony.”
Black individuals in America, who have a long-standing tradition of finding amusement in sensitive subjects, have utilized it as a method of dealing with challenging situations since 1619, when the initial enslaved Africans were transported to the shores of the United States.
Corliss Outley, a professor at Clemson University and co-author of the “2020 paper,” explores the use of humor among Black individuals as a means of coping and resistance during the Pastime Pandemic.
Outley stated, “It was a straightforward observation. It has always been a method for masters to conceal things. Humor has historically served as a means for individuals to connect with each other, not to enslave them. Since we arrived here, we have used humor.”
She described how enslaved Black individuals used various forms of “resistance” in their everyday lives, such as cleverly avoiding trading insults and engaging in sarcastic jokes to secretly embed messages about their masters and work, all while lovingly interacting with one another.
The game known as “The Dozens” among Black Americans is widely recognized as a form of insult trading. It is an interactive verbal activity that depends not only on the contributions of two participants but also on the surrounding audience.
The Morrows integrate a comparable type of call-and-response aspect into one of their segments, known as “Guess the Race.”
It is a segment in the style of a game show that starts with an introductory song reminiscent of “Double Dare”.
In the best segment of his game show, the voice announcer introduces Morrow Rod, who everyone knows is playing a racist character. We ask our contestants to guess the race, and we play and read news articles from all over the world, where we land. It’s the No. 1 game show across all podcasts.
Essentially, the hosts read a news article, and their live chat room audience writes in and guesses the race of the perpetrator.
“We discuss, like, occasionally gruesome offenses,” Karen Morrow stated.
The discussion began with an essay concerning an incident involving a man from New Jersey who pierced his stepson’s chest due to neglected dishes, a segment titled “Guess the Race” from the beginning of 2020. The online group reacted with responses such as, “‘But, Daddy, must I?’ Caucasian.” And “African American man with a Newport cigarette dangling from his lower lip.”
Rod Morrow stated, “We find humor in the dark places and acknowledge that as human beings, we are complex and messy.” Rod Morrow added, “I’m glad that we have kept doing this thing without it becoming preachy, because I mean, I think over the years it has been one of those things I appreciate.”
According to Karen, the segment was inspired by a typical reaction Black folks have when watching reports about crime on the news.
Since I was a child, I have heard my mom say this about them. They would describe someone and hope that they are not black, just like I have heard my mom say before.
Joking, but also reclaiming power
In-joking among African Americans can serve various purposes. Outley and her colleagues investigated this phenomenon in their research article.
According to her, African Americans have employed comedy as a form of communication this year. “Not only to deal with challenges, but also as a means to regain authority, manage stories that were circulating about our community, and express our genuine experiences, all while fostering a sense of shared identity among Black individuals,” she explained.
In recent years, there has been a significant focus on the various ways in which systemic racism affects Black Americans, both on a daily basis and during times of crisis. High-profile incidents of police violence and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 have shed light on the need for the Black community to come together and create a sense of collective empowerment and resilience.
“This year has been absolutely crazy,” stated Francis Janicia. Karen and Rod are avid fans of Morrow’s J. Queen Tea “podcast,” where she co-hosts, Francis Janicia added.
“Especially during this period of isolation, I enjoy listening to podcasters laughing together. I find myself laughing out loud like them, so I am here in my apartment,” Francis said, before letting out a hearty laugh that fills the room.
When we see someone else doing the same action and when we do that action, the neurons in our brain fire. Genfi Akua, a mental health counselor in New York, said that Francis’s neurons may mirror his work.
“When you laugh, you are essentially demonstrating how neurons in the brain mirror the act of laughing. This imitation of firing neurons is similar to the concept of mimicry. In this context, I have used fake laughter and fake laughter initiation with clients during sessions to illustrate what mimicry is all about.”
Dark comedy facilitates further shared amusement with inside jokes, slang, and shared experiences.
Outley expressed, “There is actually a whole genre of research that looks at the linguistics of terms in secret languages. Especially if they are not part of the community, people don’t often understand it.”
However, as per Diamond Stylz, there are situations where humor can be damaging and not inclusive.
Stylz said that she feels like she is being made the butt of the joke. Stylz is the host of “Marsha’s Plate” podcast and the executive director of a nonprofit organization, Inc., Which focuses on addressing concerns within the Black transwomen community.
Stylz expressed, “It’s nearly belittling these sorts of extremely grave circumstances when they utilize women as punch lines, when they utilize gay individuals as punch lines, when comedians employ, like, trans individuals as punch lines.”
She referenced Dave Chappelle’s 2019 standup comedy special “Sticks and Stones.”
Dave Chappelle labeled the LGBT community as the ‘Alphabet People’ … I hadn’t encountered anyone utilize that phrase prior to his comedy special.
Chappelle somewhat coined a derogatory term, and she mentioned that Stylz encounters the expression “Alphabet People” in online platforms connected to anti-LGBTQ discourse. Currently.
However, her involvement with Chappelle’s body of work is subtle.
She stated matter-of-factly, “I am such a big fan of Dave Chappelle.” I’m going to watch his specials because I find him hilarious. Even though some of his jokes can be controversial, that doesn’t bother me. I don’t engage in making problematic jokes in public myself.
The main factor, as stated by Stylz, is being conscious of your influence and the environment in which you share humorous anecdotes.
I think your job is actually to push our whole culture forward, using comedy as a tool or being a comedian, everyone who adds not to the burning flames.
Whether or not personal responsibility exists, it cannot be denied that humor is a tool. It can be utilized to punch down and unintentionally generate slurs. It can also be employed to punch sideways and embrace inside jokes from the convenience of your preferred podcast.
African Americans were causing a stir, it appeared as though in 2020, Outley remarked, to employ comedy to elevate, how does it appear?
“African Americans were employing comedy … To challenge structures of authority. Encouraging individuals, especially Caucasians, to feel uneasy.”
So far, Stylz’s response to the uncomfortable element of Black comedy has been the most amusing part of 2020, and it fits well within the tradition.
“I find all this COVID situation amusing for me.”
Stylz herself has tragically lost six individuals dear to her due to COVID-19. The pandemic has resulted in an unequal impact on Black Americans, leading to a higher risk of economic instability and limited access to medical care for vulnerable trans Americans.
Yet, amidst the pandemic, she still finds irony in how the privileged individuals, who possess identities that are marginalized and struggle to see the struggles of disabled, Black, and transgender populations, have been given ample time to reflect.
How long have people with disabilities rallied to create jobs for us, given that I have lost three jobs and my life trajectory has changed without any stimulus checks, she said, laughing heartily out loud?
“We have been engaging in this activity. Acclimate yourself to
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