There is no comedic method that has changed so much for the worse these past few years the self-deprecation. Great comedians like Kevin Hart and John Mulaney make self-deprecation integral parts of their shows, and many leaders in comedy and even psychology have claimed that self-deprecating jokes make people more inclined to like the joke-teller and be empathetic towards them.
However, looking at today’s online landscape, it seems like self-deprecation is the only kind of joke out there.
Don’t get me wrong, when done right, self-deprecating jokes can be hilarious. Me and my friends make them all the time. A joke taking a shot at yourself is not inherently bad. The major difference between a light-hearted joke at your expense or a borderline cry for help is context.
In my experience, the more self-deprecating jokes a person make, the more insecure they are about themselves. Someone who has a healthy mindset and view of themselves is not going to bully themselves day in and day out under the guise of a joke.
Someone who calls themselves trash and garbage and useless every day will only believe it as a joke for so long. Eventually, they are going to talk themselves into believing it.
When someone starts getting consistent laughs from talking about how bad they are as a person, they continue to talk about it. This perpetuates the cycle, and makes a person feel even worse. And when they stop getting laughs because their jokes are getting too cutting and mean-spirited? People can get frustrated or upset, crying that it's "just a joke!" when it clearly sounded like (and probably was) a cry for help.
Our generation is one wrought with daunting uncertainty. We are the kids who have to live with the aftermath of the economic downfall in 2008, with rampant poverty, with minimum wages that are unlivable and a drastic lack of job prospects. College students today are burdened with hefty student debt and choices that will affect them for the rest of their lives. The stress from these things can cause depression or anxiety. We, as a generation, are crippled by the world around us. And sometimes we take that out on ourselves.
But, making jokes (or brutal statements masked as jokes) about your fears and insecurities all the time is not a healthy way of dealing with problems. We cannot allow ourselves to perpetuate our own sadness. We need to talk about these fears seriously, and get actual help for them. Allowing ourselves to make mistakes and celebrating in our own humanity puts us in a better place to deal with all that life has to throw at us.
