Accounting for jokes: Jocular performance in a critical age

In this essay, drawing on the research of Elizabeth and Jay Mechling we focus on the politics of joking and examine the ways in which jokes and joke-telling serve complex political ends. To do this, we provide examples from focus groups, interviews, and popular culture. We attempt to draw lines between those jokes that contribute to a toxic racial environment and other jokes, referencing secondary racial characteristics, that have the potential for creating an integrated community of laughter.