How to Tell Appropriate Jokes

Humour is a social minefield. There are so many different pitfalls and criteria to meet when it comes to telling a joke which is taken in good taste. A lot of people want to branch into comedy, but they’re not sure how to do it. Learning how to tell appropriate jokes is a crucial part of many stand-up routines, so we’ve compiled a few suggestions on how to do that. Think of this as your introduction to comedy.

Be Aware of Current Events

Comedy can be heavily influenced by current events. It’s important to check the news a few days before, and make sure that any of your jokes will not upset people. For example, if there has been a mass shooting in the last few days, it may be sensible to scrub any material involving those types of events from your routine. One of the fastest ways to pick up a bad reputation as a comedian is to be disrespectful of people who are potentially grieving or deeply offended by your content.

Don’t Attack Anyone

We live in a world which preaches tolerance and acceptance of all people from all walks of life. Therefore, a lot of outdated comedy routines aren’t very popular in the current climate because they attack a particular gender or sexuality or race. These are all things you’re going to want to avoid. Satirical impressions of famous people aren’t necessarily a no-no, because they can be done in good sport and with that semi respectful atmosphere. However, blatant hostility towards a particular group or saying something which is known to be contentious is not a good idea. That’s how comedy becomes tragedy.

Remember Humour is Subjective

Humour can be so tricky to get right because it’s incredibly subjective. A joke that you may think is completely harmless can be incredibly offensive to one person in the audience, and then no one else for weeks on end. Generally, you have to except that you’re probably going to offend a couple of people. This is, by and large, a fairly standard part of comedy. Your routine should be based on getting a majority to laugh and making as many people happy as possible. As long as you’re not discriminating against a particular minority, or being insensitive current events, most people take humour with good sport.

In conclusion, telling appropriate jokes is not always easy. We know that. We appreciate that. However, what we will say is that there are subjects which should generally be avoided. It may be tempting to make a name for yourself as a comedian by targeting controversial areas, but this will ultimately damage your reputation more than it will help it. The best comedians are those who recognise the limits and don’t try and cross them so much as gently prod at the lines. They succeed because they are sensitive, and this helps them to gauge how well something is going down.