Lecture Notes: Interview with Chris on Humor and Philosophy

Introduction

Interest in humor began at age five with a pun involving scrambled eggs.
Continued interest in humor, formally analyzed during grad school.
Initially discouraged from writing on the philosophy of laughter due to its lack of marketability.
Shifted focus to consciousness studies, later found connections between humor and political matters around 2009-2010.
Influenced by Frederick Douglass's use of humor against systemic oppression.
PhD dissertation focused on subversive humor as a means to confront oppression.
Currently teaches at Santa Barbara City College; incorporates humor in various classes.

Humor and irony are not always easily separable; irony can have a biting edge and be less collaborative.
Frederick Douglass preferred scorching irony over mere argument in certain situations.
Humor can be perceived as frivolous, but it is highly collaborative and can open minds.

Humor is effective against both overt and covert oppression.
Examples from Frederick Douglass, Viktor Frankl, and others demonstrate humor's power in dire situations.
Historical instances where oppressors, like Nazis, feared humor.

Defined as humor used by or on behalf of marginalized groups to punch up rather than down.
Complex to define, sometimes misinterpreted by privileged groups as attacking them.
Subversive humor challenges stereotypes and aims to change the status quo.
Different from humor that perpetuates stereotypes and maintains the status quo.

Philosophers like Bertrand Russell and Nietzsche argue that seriousness is not the opposite of humor; solemnity is.
Thought experiments often use humor to explore ideas playfully yet seriously.
Spirit of seriousness, as discussed by existentialist philosophers, is about unjustified certainty in one's worldview.

Humor is particularly useful against covert oppression that is systemic and hidden.
Privileged individuals are less likely to recognize incongruities due to a lack of necessity in their lived experiences.
Humor can be a non-threatening way to raise awareness of these incongruities.

Laughter is not necessary for humor; humor can foster critical thinking and reveal societal hypocrisies.
Contagious nature of laughter can bring diverse audiences together.
Examples from Dave Chappelle and others show how humor can highlight systemic issues while making people laugh.

John Morreall's conception of humor focuses on its individualistic and disengaged nature, which Chris disagrees with.
Subversive humor seeks to change the world, not just provide relief or delight.
Morel's examples show humor's practical impact, even when framed as non-serious.

Relief theories of humor are useful but insufficient to describe all humor, especially subversive humor.
Subversive humor addresses social and political incongruities, not just cognitive ones.

Stereotypes and their conscious, critical use are central to subversive humor.
In some cultures, like Germany, stereotypes are hidden, making subversive humor more challenging to produce.
This might lead to a preference for irony over humor in such societies.

Chris's work on humor emphasizes its power as a tool for confronting and exposing oppression.
While serious in its goals, subversive humor fosters collaboration and critical thinking through its playful nature.