Throughout history, both laughter and humor have been used as weapons – to hurt, demean and control groups of people as well as to single out someone as the “butt of a joke.” Often the phrases “I was only joking,” “Can’t you take a joke?” and “You have no sense of humor!” are used to defend a passive-aggressive use of humor. This class will explore the seriousness of this issue, discuss the destructive effects of humor used this way as well as some surprising and historic examples of positive use.