What’s so funny?: examining sarcasm Dorina Lazo Editor-in-chief A friend of mine, who is from Australia, posed an interesting question the other day. “Why are Americans obsessed with jokes?,” she asked. I had never thought of it before but she had a point. Americans do seem to have an of obsession with jokes. Think about it. We sit around in circles, at dinner tables, in coffee shops and have little competitions as to who can tell the best jokes. There’s the infamous “blond jokes” or the “Yo mama...” variety, which are both popular for competition. Whomever can present the most biting joke gets the imaginary prize at the end of the evening. But sometimes these kinds of jokes can be carried too far. And while people think that their audience understands that they are speaking in jest, people can still walk away offended. For example, there is the issue of Dutch jokes here at Calvin. It not uncommon to hear students and professors making jokes about Dutch people. But what I have noticed is that many of those who tell these jokes or make these references are actually Dutch themselves. It seems an unwritten rule that if you are Dutch it is acceptable for you to tell jokes about the Dutch. This is not something exclusive to the Dutch. I would venture to say that every cultural group does this in some form. It is a sign of intimacy to be able to joke around with an individual. It is an indication that a kind of bond has been established, and understanding has been gained. Yet, in the coffee shop or the classroom some of those bonds have not yet been formed. For a student or a professor to tell a joke about their own cultural background is not as “safe” as it may appear. One never knows the context that the audience may receive that joke in. In contrast to the past, only 55 percent of Calvin College is comprised of students from Dutch Christian Reformed backgrounds. That means that a significant number of students are hearing jokes in the classroom and on campus about a tradition that is not their own, that they do not fully comprehend. As a result, a significant number of stereotypes are reinforced in the minds of those students. Those students may feel they too have the license to go around and make references or jokes about Dutch American culture because their models and peers already have. I am not trying to say we should never be able to joke around with one another. Laughter is both necessary and healthy. Laughter enables us to take a step back and laugh at our faults. When we are able to heartily laugh at ourselves and our mistakes, we are taking the first step towards recognizing our weaknesses. From there we can push ourselves forward to work on learning from our weaknesses.