JOCELYN Chia's MH370 joke is repugnant. Her 'wisecracks' about Malaysia feed on stereotypes.
Bah! But I'm sure she can climb out of the pit, if she works hard enough.
The thing is, this writer has heard jokes about almost everything. Nothing is off-limits.
People mock God, the prophets, disability, skin colour and weight. War and suffering, murder and mayhem are fodder for some comedians. There's a funny side to everything!
Has it always been like that? I don't know. I didn't hear many of such jokes growing up. But social media didn't exist then.
Our comedic world was small. The funnymen were far and few between. Mat Sentol and A.R. Badul come to mind. So does Tan Sri P. Ramlee.
I don't recall any of them cracking jokes about people's misfortunes. Theirs was mainly slapstick humour.
But the world was a larger place then; the Internet had not made a village of it yet. Perhaps much was said that offended folks, but not many heard those remarks.
Comedians are irreverent creatures. That is to be expected.
But is there anything they should not make fun of? Avoid going beyond what is decent, including remarks that make light of someone's loss?
The problem with 'decency' is, it means different things to individuals A and B.
For example, a leader in a northern state uses a vulgar word. The response? Some laugh it off, some are repulsed. Many are indifferent.
At a funeral once, someone remarked wryly in the presence of the writer that the deceased looked like he had eaten too much in his final days. Few tried to suppress a laugh.
And picture this scene. An obese man struggles to walk up a staircase. A comedian says of him: "Any bigger and maybe they can roll him up."
Is that funny? Do we know that man's challenges? The answer to both questions is "No".
But there are folks who would disagree and say to this writer, "Get a life, man! And get rid of that self-righteousness".
Maybe Chia belongs to this group. Anything and anyone is fair game for a joke. Even sorrow in the family. "As long as you can make it funny."
Is this the world we are living in now? Or, has it always been like that, in public and private conversations?
This writer knows individuals who make what they think are funny remarks about the pain others endure.
Sometimes, it's because they dislike those people. Sometimes, the words just roll off the tongue for no apparent reason.
So perhaps, it is time for introspection.
Are we like Chia? Or is Chia one of us? Is empathy only a mist in our lives, coming and going but never enduring?
Everyone, not only comedians, should think hard about milking people's sorrow to impress others.
It is not only repugnant. As the MH370 joke shows, it is also cruel. Don't stay in the pit.
The writer is NST production editor
