A history of racial comedy is a history of reclaiming punchlines. In the 1600âs, minstrelsy began because slaves would make fun of their masters. In âWhen the Truth Hurts, Tell a Joke: Why America Needs Its Comedians,â Rosenfield from the American Comedy Institute talks about how minority groups use comedy to their advantage to get acceptance from the American mainstream. He said, âIf they [minority groups] know how to make us laugh, thereâs a connection, a cultural cross-over. The original stereotype will start breaking down, making it harder to perpetuate.â This is a frequently used strategyâ if you fall down the stairs, be the first one to start laughing and making fun of yourself, and nobody else can really make fun of you. Reclaiming stereotypes and punchlines makes it okay to say those stereotypes as long as you are a member of that minority group. As in, for example, it can be okay to make fun of cactuses if you are a cactus. Otherwise, itâs just rude. Like with IGSSâ if any of my friends who arenât in IGSS make fun of IGSS or stereotypes about IGSS kids, I will get very mad at them and defend IGSS. If itâs an IGSSer making a joke about IGSS stereotypes, it can be okay and even funny. Itâs a matter of ownership. Sort of like reclaiming a wordâŚfor example, in the lesbian community, the word âdykeâ was an offensive slur (and still would be, if someone who didnât identify as lesbian used it, really), but many members of the lesbian community have reclaimed and embraced the word, giving it less negative power. Racial comedy works the same way.
