By: Lex Perry

Visuals by: LDR

It’s ironic that while it is observed that people, especially millennials, get offended at the slightest thing - some pranks, jokes, and the ever popular ‘memes’ also tend to step out of bounds. Where and how do we actually draw the line?

I’m not necessarily saying that all forms and types of jokes are insensitive or below the belt, I just want to acknowledge that there are in fact some which may or may not be rude and offensive. The thing is, they are subjective - both the punchline, and how it’s perceived. There are jokes that may be funny for some, but aren’t for others. There are jokes that may be acceptable for some, but inadmissable and distasteful for others, and that’s due to the fact that we have different perceptions.

Before it gets out of hand, let me make it clear that I’m not trying to impose nor suggest a standard or metric in how jokes should be and what its substance or meaning should be about. Instead, what we’re trying to do here is challenge and somehow bridge the gap between humor and humanity, because when they get mixed up, chances are, they result to consequences that aren’t funny at all.

We are told and encouraged to ‘never judge a book by its cover’. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that similarly, it suggests that we should not be convinced by the headlines without knowing about the whole story; or in other words, to practice better judgement – especially when you don’t have clear knowledge and information of what’s going on. Simply put, a proper discernment.

How do we determine what’s proper you might ask? Well let me ask this to you in return. Are you someone who’s quick to create implications about someone or something just because of their physical appearance? Do you make hasty assumptions about a certain person or thing just because of the visible change you see within them?

Allow me to elaborate on that.

Do you derive fun and laughter out of someone’s image just because they look oddly different to you? Do you assume that a person is under the influence of illegal substances just because of the change in how they physically look? Now, is that proper for you? Think it through.

There’s nothing wrong about pondering and thinking about things because of how they seem to appear, but what we find to be bothersome is how people find it decent to think it’s funny to spread jokes at the expense of someone being humiliated for the wrong reasons. At times, we tend to forget that what we find as a laughing matter may very well be about someone’s personal struggles and battles in life – which is not something we should take lightly or joke about, regardless if it was intentional or not.

I don’t want you to think negatively about sharing and making memes, jokes, pranks and the likes because they make us laugh, and smile and puts us in a lighter mood. We do think that they are a necessity in life, but at the same time, I also do believe that it’s about time we start to practice being considerate beings before we completely blur or no longer see the fine line between what is appropriate and not.