A good laugh is very healthy every once in a while, but there is that line that should not be crossed. Whether the joke is about something, someone, somewhere, the joke should have some good nature to it but we all know that that is not always the case. In “A Bad Joke” by Ha Jin, two jokers made a joke about “counterrevolutionary slander” and were being chased and eventually got caught by the police. These men made the joke in a store to get the employees to laugh and somehow word got to the officials. It is crazy to me how far one punchline can reach so far and cause this much backlash. While in this store, the 2 peasant jokers cited the recent rise in prices and the joke was: “all the prices go up, but Deng Xiaoping never grows” who is ruler. Inflation was a big problem at the time and I think we can see the connection between the two, but apparently officials did not find that too funny. While in jail, the police officers said how these peasants are lucky to still be alive because people are often killed for making jokes regarding the revolution.
In today’s world, in America at least, jokes do not go that far in terms of getting arrested and possibly killed. Jokes can be funny to one group and super disrespectful to another which is why it is important to be aware of everything and everyone around you. Personally, I was just shocked to find out how harsh they were with the revolution and counterrevolution joking and could not even imagine someone being investigated for saying a single punchline. Every country is a little different but hopefully no country is this harsh anymore.