Student Response – 20210627z

Please respond to each student with 10 sentences Student 1 Morreall disagrees with traditional views on humor that connect it with emotion. Give an example of humor (in your own words, not from the text) that demonstrates disengagement (as Morreall describes it). Identify the theories of humor and ethical considerations in your example. Morreall disagreed with the traditional views on humor in that he came to the conclusion that humor doesn’t necessarily have to be linked with a certain emotion, as is the traditional thought. The traditional view on humor is that the laughter you receive from a situation is based on a linked emotion related to that situation. Emotions are said to have four different components: beliefs and desires, which cause physiological changes, which lead to adaptive actions, and finally lead to sensations of the physiological changes (feelings) (Morreall, 2009). Humor and disengagement teach us that it is possible for us to see something and find it funny, without us necessarily having to have an emotion about said thing. For instance, I may see a man and a dog walking down the street that happen to resemble each other. The fact that the man and dog look alike won’t stir up any emotions in me, but I will still be amused. Another example that incorporates a different aspect of disengagement might be if I see someone come out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to their shoe. I may experience superiority but since the circumstance isn’t involving me, I am disengaged and amused. The text mentions that the role a person plays (or lack of) in a situation drives their response (Morreall, 2009). Because the toilet paper isn’t on my shoe, I am disengaged, and therefor find amusement in the situation. References: Morreall, J. (2009). Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor. Malden, MA. Wiley-Blackwell. Student 2 Morreall disagrees with traditional views on humor that connect it with emotion. Give an example of humor (in your own words, not from the text) that demonstrates disengagement (as Morreall describes it). Identify the theories of humor and ethical considerations in your example. Hello class, I believe that there are a lot of examples of disengagement going on in our world. There are a lot of things that bring up emotions, such as fear, and instead of feeling the fear, people are turning them into jokes. One example of humor that I have seen lately is the Sweet caroline Tiktok video that was going around. School-age kids have been making videos about school shootings with this soundtrack, and instead of bum bum bum, there are gunshots. School shootings are a major thing that school-age kids are afraid of, but instead of feeling that, they turn it into a joke and disengage from their fear. A lot of people would say this joke or humor is unethical because people who have been in shootings feel this is very traumatic. Most people would say this is a serious issue that should not be turned into a joke. I think people use humor to cope with uncomfortable or scary situations. My therapist told me that you could not be in fight or flight and laughing at the same time, and that has been one of my main coping mechanisms with PTSD. If I start to feel fight or flighty, I will open TikTok and start watching videos to try to trick my body into thinking that it’s safe.