Commenting on footage of Special Air Services soldier Ben Roberts-Smith exercising in a pool, the panel offered up some cracking examples of humour. One of the hosts, Yumi Stynes, remarked that the Corporal was probably diving down to the bottom to search for a brain, humorously mocking the low entry standards of the special forces. However, the remark was met with widespread condemnation and a withdrawal of support by the show's advertisers.
As an experienced mirthsmith, I understand the pitfalls of crafting humour. Occasionally, a joke will not strike the chord it was intended for. So it's for Yumi that I offer up this guide to making jokes, with several examples based around the desired reaction.
Type of humour: Teasing
Clearly, Ms Stynes aimed to get a laugh by teasing the Corporal in the tried and true Australian fashion. Stereotyping his solid physical build, she made the assumption that he must be lacking in intelligence, and accused him of not having a brain.
Better joke: "The women in Afghanistan must put up a fight, because he looks pretty fit!"
Taking another stereotype, that all soldiers are rapists, and using it to tease not only the Corporal but also the women of Afghanistan offers a two-pronged approach at humour, which will cater to both sides of the discussion around the war. Anti-war types will laugh at the rape assumption, whilst right-wing proponents of the war will laugh at the idea of anybody wanting to have sex with a foreigner.
Type of joke: Offensive
Comedians have been known to make their jokes deliberately offensive, in order to push boundaries and make their audience laugh at the inappropriateness of the joke.
Better joke: "This guy got a Victoria Cross for killing brown people? We'd better give one to the rocks at Christmas Island then."
By intentionally misconstruing the reason for the Corporal's award, and using racism to link it to the deaths of dozens of other people from that general area, Ms Stynes could assure herself of causing maximum offence to everybody, thereby causing her joke to achieve critical mass and swallow the entire world.
Bonus advice: George Negus
Veteran newsreader George Negus also came under fire, for speculating that the Corporal was probably an inadequate lover. I'm baffled as to why the show's only 69-year old male panellist was wondering about Roberts-Smith's sexual performance, but whatever. I'm just a humour consultant.
"I'd give my own performance a perfect Ten!"
Suggested improvements:
Since George is clearly preoccupied by the build of the Corporal, we'll stay on a sexual theme with the suggested better jokes.
"His muscles are all so big that he probably has a small penis. That's factual, you can trust me on it. I used to be a reporter."
"Women don't want a man that looks like a fridge, they're attracted to great pubic hair and thirty-year old Logies."
"I feel sorry for his wife; all that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder probably causes impotence."
