Dark humor was popular in my friend group. This made people suffering from a mental health problem feel like they were not alone, like it wasn’t weird to feel the way they do. This new feeling of community gave Janet the courage to speak out about their mental illness.
Dark humor calls attention to overlooked problems in society
Joke -> while being surprised at first at why dark humor became so popular in my group, i gladly welcomed it because it felt like all my friends could now relate to me. Ultimately this gave me the courage to speak out about my mental illness.
Mentally ill people – having experienced first-hand what it’s like suffering from a mental illness, I now want to learn more about mental health. Every part of it interests me, even the science.
Social activism – Dark humor has done a lot to propel my friend group to a place where we comfortable about talking about mental illnesses and get support from one another, but it cannot stop there. I want to do for the world what Dark humor did to my friend group. I want to speak out about difficult topics to bring awareness and help society address these problems so we can all improve our understanding of mental illnesses.
“Hey! Have you heard there’s a new antidepressant? Instead of swallowing it, you chuck it at anyone appears to be having a good time.” my friend, Janet, says jokingly. My other friends and I laugh, respond casually with similar jokes, and continue with our activities. Dark humor jokes like the one Janet had shared was just becoming popular in my friend group.While it may be seen as dark and/or negative, we use black humor as an outlet to bring up difficult topics that would otherwise be avoided, specifically mental health problems. As dark comedy circulated more throughout my friend group, it desensitized them to the topic of mental health, making it easier to talk about. The use of black humor connected us by assuring each other that we all struggle with some of the same things.
After dark comedy opened up the conversation about mental health problem, people in my group who suffer from a mental illness began being more comfortable, sharing their experiences, and seeking support from us.
