Why dark humor is actually kind

Dark humor has an image problem. It is associated with people who laugh at the wrong things, who don’t take life seriously or who use jokes to avoid feeling something. This is a rather unfair description of something that is actually quite human.

For most people who like dark humor, it’s just the opposite.

It is a way to deal with what is difficult

Healthcare professionals, undertakers and police officers are known to have exceptionally dark humor among themselves. It’s not because they are callous, it’s because humor is one of the few tools that actually helps when reality is heavier than it should be. You don’t laugh at what is terrible, you laugh to cope with it.

It’s an old mechanism and it works.

It requires you to understand what’s at stake

A good dark joke is precision instruments. It hits the mark without hurting someone who is already down, it assumes that the recipient understands nuances and it requires you to know your audience. This is actually quite a high requirement for social intelligence, not a sign of a lack of it.

Anyone who can’t read the room is doing dark humor wrong. If you know how to do it, it is one of the most powerful ways to connect with another person.

It is inclusive in an unexpected way

When you share a dark joke with someone and they laugh, something happens. You have confirmed to each other that you see the world in a similar way, that you can hold two thoughts at the same time, that you don’t have to pretend that everything is easier than it is. It’s a shorter route to genuine contact than most conversations about weather and holidays.

WrongShirts is built on that principle. The motives are not meant to shock or repel, they are meant to find the right person. The person who sees the print and thinks “that’s just wrong” is exactly who we design for.