By Yueran Ma, Columnist • Apr 24, 2026

I wouldn’t have believed that a joke could feel both funny and uncomfortable at the same time until I came across one online.

On Reddit, under the question “What is your favorite 9/11 joke?” one striking answer reads: “Who are the fastest readers in the world? 9/11 victims. They can go through 110 stories in a few seconds.”

Joking about a tragedy like the Sept. 11 attacks seems deeply inappropriate at first thought. Yet, jokes like this continue to circulate widely online. In fact, the trend of making fun of tragic or taboo events is growing.

This type of “inappropriate” humor has a name: dark humor. Scholars define dark humor as “a form of comedy that treats taboo, morbid or distressing subjects with a transgressive light-heartedness.” It often takes the form of absurd memes or jokes about trauma, death or other socially sensitive issues.

It does seem strange that people would approach social taboos in such an entertaining way. One explanation is that humor allows people to confront emotional strain. In some cases, it functions as a coping mechanism for secondary traumatic stress.

Consider a nurse working in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. After hours of chaos, exhaustion and witnessing life-and-death moments, a simple remark like, “If one more monitor starts beeping tonight, I might start beeping back,” can feel oddly comforting.

The joke is not meant to mock patients. Instead, it is shared privately among coworkers experiencing the same emotional pressure. It serves as a reminder that everyone in the hospital is struggling through the same difficult moment.

In such situations, humor helps relieve tension and builds solidarity among people facing traumatic circumstances. It reinforces the feeling that people are confronting hardship together.

Dark humor also serves another purpose by encouraging discussion about serious issues. Its sarcastic tone can make solemn topics feel more approachable and stimulate public opinion. A study published in Mass Communication and Society found that audiences respond more actively to political satire programs like “The Daily Show.”

Unlike straightforward news reporting, satire often communicates its message indirectly through irony and exaggeration. Viewers must recognize the difference between the literal joke and the underlying criticism of real events. Because audiences must interpret these two layers of meaning, they tend to invest more mental effort in processing the information and are therefore more likely to reflect on the issue critically.

In this way, dark humor can draw attention to social problems or tragedies that might not otherwise receive sustained public discussion. It encourages deeper reflection and critical thinking while also allowing people to acknowledge painful realities without becoming emotionally overwhelmed.

However, a joke is still a joke, regardless of whether it is meant as sarcasm or pure entertainment. Without boundaries, dark humor can easily become offensive.

Consider the scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. Imagine a relative of one of the victims encountering a meme under a post about the Epstein files — a picture of a black-furred puppy jokingly labeled as “what the files look like.” What might seem like harmless humor to some could be deeply painful to someone directly affected by the events.

According to Vanity Fair, the release of Epstein files exposed victims’ identities while shielding powerful individuals, leading to threats and retraumatization among survivors. In this context, humor does not simply entertain — it risks compounding existing harm by trivializing real experiences of abuse.

Moreover, the online conversation surrounding such tragedies shifts away from the crimes themselves and toward memes and conspiracy jokes. What may begin as commentary on a controversial issue can gradually turn into entertainment detached from the seriousness of the situation.

This is why boundaries should exist.

Context and audience should always be considered. Dark humor shared privately among people who understand the situation and the intention behind the joke is very different from humor posted publicly online. Once a joke enters the internet, it can reach anyone, including those who may still be grieving or traumatized.

The content of the joke also matters. The punchline should never target victims. Instead, humor can be more meaningful when it “punches up,” aiming at institutions, systems or powerful figures responsible for social problems. When dark humor criticizes power structures rather than vulnerable individuals, it is more likely to function as satire rather than cruelty.

Dark humor, at its best, helps people cope with painful realities and encourages reflection on difficult issues. At its worst, it turns tragedy into entertainment and silences the very people most affected by it.

In the end, the question is not whether dark humor should exist. Humor has always been part of how humans process suffering and uncertainty. The real question is whether we are thoughtful about how we use it. 

If dark humor helps people think, reflect and confront uncomfortable truths, it may serve a meaningful purpose. But when it exists only for shock value or amusement at the expense of others, it stops being clever and becomes careless.

Yueran is a freshman in Media.

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