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Cruel jokes is a
Section "Cruel" Jokes, p. 415
/ref> They belong to the category of sick humor. Typical examples:
In American culture jokes of this kind were recorded as early as in 1930s as the ''Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes''
at
A significant part of them was focused on the in-family antagonism, stressing the unlove and violence. Joseph Boskin attributes them to the increased anxiety within families due to severe societal changes: two working parents, frequent relocations, increase in marital separation and divorce.''The Humor Prism in 20th-century America'' ed. Joseph Boskin, Chapter "The Giant and the Child: "Cruel" Humor in American Culture" by Joseph Boskin,
p. 193
/ref> In 1960 Brian Sutton-Smith classified the 155 collected "cruel" jokes into categories of murder of friend or relative, mutilation, cannibalism, corpses, beasts, excrement, degenerate parents, indifference to young, afflictions/disease/mutilation, religion, famous people. He noted that at this time there was no established name for these jokes and they were variously called Cruel Jokes, Bloody Marys, Hate Jokes, Ivy League Jokes, Sadist Jokes, Gruesomes, Grimsels, Sick Jokes, Freddie Jokes, Depression Jokes, Meanie Jokes, and Comedy of Horror. The collected jokes appear to originate during the 1950s and come both from American and British sources. Brian Sutton-Smith, "'Shut Up and Keep Diggin': The Cruel Joke Series", ''Midwest Folklore'', vol. X no. 1, 1960, pp. 11-22, Sutton-Smith notices the major novelty: all mishaps with Little Audrey (being cooked, crushed, broken, etc.) were due to accidents, while in cruel jokes the macabre acts are intentional. Roger Abrahams pointed out at the terse "vignette" form of the joke, akin to a caption to a cartoon and notices that some of them have already been known in a more narrative form. "Son, will you quit kicking your sister" - "Oh, that's all right. She's already dead". Compare with: "The boy was walking down the street kicking a baby. A policeman walked up to him and said. 'What are you doing here?' - 'I am kicking the baby down the street'. - 'You are what?' - 'Oh, that's all right, he's dead.'" Roger D. Abrahams, "Ghastly Commands: The Cruel Joke Revisited", ''Midwest Folklore'', vol. XI no. 4, 1961/1962, pp. 235-246, Abrahams noted that this kind of anti-
joke cycle
A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...
dealing with cruelty
Cruelty is the pleasure in inflicting suffering or inaction towards another's suffering when a clear remedy is readily available. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept. Cruel ways of inflicting suffering may involve vi ...
and macabre
In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natur ...
topics.''Encyclopedia of Humor Studies''Section "Cruel" Jokes, p. 415
/ref> They belong to the category of sick humor. Typical examples:
:- Mommy, why is daddy still sleeping? :- Shut up and keep digging.
:- Mommy, why is daddy swimming so fast? :- Shut up and reload.
In American culture jokes of this kind were recorded as early as in 1930s as the Little Audrey
Little Audrey (full name: Audrey Smith) is a fictional character, appearing in early 20th century folklore prior to starring in a series of Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better- ...
jokes, with a larger cycle reported during 1950s, many with the "Shut up..." punch line. Sutton-Smith remarks that the macabre of these jokes may also be compared with even earlier 19th century Little Willie rhymes: "Little Willie with his thirst for gore / Nailed his mommy's baby to the door". The origin of Little Willie poetry and other sick humour is attributed to the 1899 book ''Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes'' by a minor poet Harry Graham.at
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
p. 193
/ref> In 1960 Brian Sutton-Smith classified the 155 collected "cruel" jokes into categories of murder of friend or relative, mutilation, cannibalism, corpses, beasts, excrement, degenerate parents, indifference to young, afflictions/disease/mutilation, religion, famous people. He noted that at this time there was no established name for these jokes and they were variously called Cruel Jokes, Bloody Marys, Hate Jokes, Ivy League Jokes, Sadist Jokes, Gruesomes, Grimsels, Sick Jokes, Freddie Jokes, Depression Jokes, Meanie Jokes, and Comedy of Horror. The collected jokes appear to originate during the 1950s and come both from American and British sources. Brian Sutton-Smith, "'Shut Up and Keep Diggin': The Cruel Joke Series", ''Midwest Folklore'', vol. X no. 1, 1960, pp. 11-22, Sutton-Smith notices the major novelty: all mishaps with Little Audrey (being cooked, crushed, broken, etc.) were due to accidents, while in cruel jokes the macabre acts are intentional. Roger Abrahams pointed out at the terse "vignette" form of the joke, akin to a caption to a cartoon and notices that some of them have already been known in a more narrative form. "Son, will you quit kicking your sister" - "Oh, that's all right. She's already dead". Compare with: "The boy was walking down the street kicking a baby. A policeman walked up to him and said. 'What are you doing here?' - 'I am kicking the baby down the street'. - 'You are what?' - 'Oh, that's all right, he's dead.'" Roger D. Abrahams, "Ghastly Commands: The Cruel Joke Revisited", ''Midwest Folklore'', vol. XI no. 4, 1961/1962, pp. 235-246, Abrahams noted that this kind of anti-
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...
jokes is a society-level check against the excessive repressiveness of the societal norms.
See also
*Dead baby jokes
Dead baby jokes are a joke cycle reflecting dark comedy. The joke is presented in riddle form, beginning with a what question and concluded with a grotesque punch line answer.
History
According to the folklorist scholar Alan Dundes, the dead bab ...
*Black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
Footnotes
References
*''Encyclopedia of Humor Studies'', ed.Salvatore Attardo
Salvatore Attardo is a full professor at Texas A&M University–Commerce and the editor-in-chief of ''Humor'', the journal for the International Society of Humor Research. He studied at Purdue University under Victor Raskin and extended Raskin's s ...
, 2014, {{ISBN, 9781483364711
Joke cycles
Cruelty
Off-color humor