Laughter as Medicine
Cracking jokes can release tension and help you find people who “get you.” Self-deprecation and laughing at someone are distinctly different. Many jokes can really only be said by a specific identified group.
Humor and the Disability Community
The disability community is one that anyone can join at any point. Because of the spontaneity and variety of types of disabilities, having “unspoken anxieties about disablement that only applies to ones we know. Because disabilities often happen more than we care to notice.” (Longmore, p. 132)
The opinions surrounded by anxiety cannot excuse the constant perpetuation of pity on the disability community from those who use it to get something when they are temporarily disabled.
From R. du Plessis on Unsplash
The most significant examples for me come from childhood. When someone would be in a cast and claim the license to use cripple and get anything they want for a few weeks.
It was hard to argue because we often excuse childish behavior, and I don’t really have a problem with self-identification. It felt like they were using a temporary disability as a privilege to certain things.
The Media’s Sense of Humor
In the media, “the advent of the camera eliminated the personal relationship between the spectator and the spectacle, allowing the observer to view a photograph with the same impunity as the reader of a comic book. (Butler 2019, p.95)
Unlike Spider-Man (2002) or Superman (1978), Fantastic Four (2005) is designed to be more comedic and campy. As a child, I laughed at the pranks Johnny Storm pulled on Ben Grimm. They start before the test flight that gives them powers, and then they remain constant afterward.
“Not only do these portrayals suggest that it is okay to laugh at deformities and disabilities, but also that it is acceptable to play pranks on and poke fun at people with reference to their disabling impairments. (Butler 2019, p. 97)
Alter Ego
From Igor Bumba on Unsplash
Choosing to have a mild-mannered, clumsy alter ego like Clark Kent or being a public figure like Iron Man Tony Stark, they’re active decisions. And often portrayals of disability are passive because of being pitiful.
Fantastic Four
Reed Richards says this after the Four’s debut of powers. “I swear to you. I will do everything in my power till there’s not a breath left in me. You’re going to be Ben again.” The devotion to get Ben back from the permanent rock stems from the anxiety that makes people seem monstrous and broken. After that first save, Ben’s wife leaves him and her ring on the street.
Reality
From Marija Zaric on Unsplash
According to Bertschi, Meier, and Bodenmann, “the expectation that they should provide emotional support may cause additional distress for partners. A stressor pertaining originally to the patient, the health impairment, can come to affect the patient’s romantic partner as well.” (2021, p. 2)
The moment Ben’s wife leaves, it’s implied she’s afraid of what he’s become, and this is sadly accepted, as Reed’s reaction suggests he is no longer the same Ben. Still, Reed can fix him from The Thing to normal.“ His superhero name alone suggests that Ben Grimm has lost his humanity and should be pitied. The Thing’s new form renders him incapable of functioning normally in society. (Butler, 2019, p. 97)
Conclusion
Ultimately, humor has the potential to be both liberating and damaging, depending on how it is used and who is directing it. Within the disability community, laughter can foster connection, empowerment, and shared understanding. Still, when it becomes a tool of pity or mockery, it reinforces harmful stereotypes. Recognizing this distinction is essential if laughter is to serve its purpose.
References
Bertschi, I. C., Meier, F., & Bodenmann, G. (2021). Disability as an interpersonal experience: a systematic review on dyadic challenges and dyadic coping when one partner has a chronic physical or sensory impairment. Frontiers in Psychology, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.624609
Butler, B. (2019). It’s Okay to Stare: Visual and Unseen Disabilities in Comic Book Super Heroes. Journal of Science Fiction, 3(2), 93-107. https://publish.lib.umd.edu/index.php/scifi/article/view/355/685
Longmore, P. K. (2003). Screening stereotypes:images of disabled people in television and motion pictures. In Why I burned my book and other essays on disability (pp. 131-146). Temple University Press.