Humor Test

A decent piece in The New Yorker on Sarah Silverman. I like her act, though a lot of it is the effect of a sweet-looking girl saying such outrageous stuff.

A few years ago she got in trouble for a joke that used the epithet "Chink." (Read the article for the joke.) The joke was not racist, but a comment on racism. Neverthless, some people considered it their job to be offended.

She later defended her joke on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect, but her opponents weren't having it. I knew they didn't think it was funny, but what I couldn't tell was if they understood it.

So I think that's a good test. From now on, if someone is offended by a joke, they at least have to explain why the joke is supposed to be funny before they're allowed to hate it.