that joke isn't funny anymore
by patrick crowley
In today’s society it seems that some jokes that are morally wrong have become more acceptable because of the amount of attention they get from social networks. First morally wrong must be defined in the sense of this paper: Anything that does bodily or mental harm to an individual. Friedrich Nietzsche would disapprove of how these jokes have become more permissible because they create entertainment for a large number of people at the expense of the individual.
Friedrich Nietzsche had a strong sense of opposition towards all utilitarian ideals. The idea that a morally wrong joke could be seen as acceptable by the amount of attention the joke gets on a social network such as YouTube is rooted in the ideals of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the belief that an action is morally correct as long as it makes a larger amount of people happier. For example: If a video containing footage of a man being hurt makes a larger amount of people happy than the man, then the joke is morally permissible. Friedrich Nietzsche disliked utilitarianism because he believed it represents a type of herd mentality. One of Nietzsche’s most prominent beliefs is that the herd is weak and afraid of being disrupted by a strong individual. Take a pack of gazelles and a lion, for example. The gazelles are all afraid that the lion will pick them out of the herd and devour them. So the gazelles crowd together in hopes of finding strength in their neighbors that they do not have individually. This is an example of the herd mentality. Nietzsche believed that to be strong an individual must be that lone lion that does not need to rely on the safety of his neighbors. Thus the concept of something morally wrong being accepted by a large amount of people and therefore becoming morally correct is something that Nietzsche would be opposed to.
A very important question comes to mind while looking at the scenario of a joke being accepted because of the attention it gets: Is it really okay to accept a joke in our society that is morally wrong and make it right because of the entertainment the joke gives? This cannot be a morally correct thing to do in our society. A child could easily see this joke and the attention it has gotten. The child might then think it is permissible under any conditions and go do it to his friend. If no one is around to be entertained by the joke except for the child that is pulling it, then the overall happiness of the group can be either neutral or less than before the joke. The idea that accepting a morally wrong prank or joke as morally correct because of the entertainment or attention it gets in one scenario is wrong because of the discomfort the joke could cause in another.
Friedrich Nietzsche had a strong sense of opposition towards all utilitarian ideals. The idea that a morally wrong joke could be seen as acceptable by the amount of attention the joke gets on a social network such as YouTube is rooted in the ideals of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the belief that an action is morally correct as long as it makes a larger amount of people happier. For example: If a video containing footage of a man being hurt makes a larger amount of people happy than the man, then the joke is morally permissible. Friedrich Nietzsche disliked utilitarianism because he believed it represents a type of herd mentality. One of Nietzsche’s most prominent beliefs is that the herd is weak and afraid of being disrupted by a strong individual. Take a pack of gazelles and a lion, for example. The gazelles are all afraid that the lion will pick them out of the herd and devour them. So the gazelles crowd together in hopes of finding strength in their neighbors that they do not have individually. This is an example of the herd mentality. Nietzsche believed that to be strong an individual must be that lone lion that does not need to rely on the safety of his neighbors. Thus the concept of something morally wrong being accepted by a large amount of people and therefore becoming morally correct is something that Nietzsche would be opposed to.
A very important question comes to mind while looking at the scenario of a joke being accepted because of the attention it gets: Is it really okay to accept a joke in our society that is morally wrong and make it right because of the entertainment the joke gives? This cannot be a morally correct thing to do in our society. A child could easily see this joke and the attention it has gotten. The child might then think it is permissible under any conditions and go do it to his friend. If no one is around to be entertained by the joke except for the child that is pulling it, then the overall happiness of the group can be either neutral or less than before the joke. The idea that accepting a morally wrong prank or joke as morally correct because of the entertainment or attention it gets in one scenario is wrong because of the discomfort the joke could cause in another.