Humour and its relational consequences

Quote

‘Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humour to console him for what he is.’  Francis Bacon

News

The tragic death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, three days after the hoax phone call by two Australian DJs to the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness, has led to some serious soul-searching.

It is not yet known the degree to which the hoax call drove Mrs Saldanha to suicide, but it was almost certainly a contributing factor.  Hoaxes have been part of radio broadcasting for decades, but their humour relies on the victim coming to realise it’s a joke and calling the perpetrator’s bluff.  When that fails to happen, what began as a prank may become a more serious deception.

Humour is culturally determined, so when two DJs from Australia phone a hospital in London and speak to an Indian nurse, there’s a big risk that the funny side will be lost.  However, the radio station’s decision to broadcast the conversation was probably not based on the (failed) humour but on the media scoop of having got so close to the Duchess of Cambridge – despite the obvious breach of patient confidentiality involved.

But the damage has been done, and in this tragic case it’s irreversible.  What should happen to repair the harm done?  A problem like this is not ultimately going to be solved by financial means (e.g. the radio station putting its advertising profits into a memorial fund), nor by legal measures (e.g. regulators reviewing the station’s broadcasting license or their compliance with the law).

Although these steps are of some value, at the end of the day relationships of respect and then reconciliation can be neither bought nor legislated.  They will come from greater relational thinking and awareness, and might lead to more relationally careful broadcasting.

And when things do go seriously wrong between people or groups, the response which is essential to begin the process of restoration and healing is the simple relational one from the heart: saying sorry.

Read on…

Humour is an essential part of life, but as we’ve seen, is not without risks.  For a Christian perspective on this, you can read James and Kate Williams’ Cambridge Paper on humour, scripture and Christian discourse here.

Walk the talk

Relationally responsible humour does not exclude poking fun at others, provided it’s done with sensitivity and you can also laugh at yourself; how are you doing on that count?

The last word

From the Bible, Numbers 22, verse 30: ‘But in response, the donkey asked Balaam, "I'm your donkey that you've ridden on in the past without incident, am I not, and I'm the same donkey you're riding on right now, am I not? Am I in the habit of treating you like this?"  "No," he admitted.’