Tachyony: Imported page

2022-01-19T14:57:07Z

Imported page

New page

{{short description|Wikipedia essay on humor}}
{{About|when and how humor is acceptable on Wikipedia|a history of humorous moments on Wikipedia|WP:SILLY|the WikiProject on comedy|Wikipedia:WikiProject Comedy|examples of humor on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Department of Fun}}{{redirect|WP:LOL|text=You may also be looking for {{section link|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Lists of lists}}}}
{{essay|WP:JOKE|WP:LOL|WP:FUNNY|WP:HAHA}}

==Humor needs indicators==
{{shortcut|WP:HREQ}}
Humor that is counter to the truth or verifiability of a page on Wikipedia requires clear and concise indicators, as decided by the community in [[Wikipedia:Requests for comment/April Fools'#Require all jokes other than the main page to be tagged|a 2013 RfC]]. Text can be marked inline with <code>{{[[template:april fools|april fools]]}}</code> or <code>{{[[template:sarcasm|sarcasm]]}}</code>. Full pages or sections can be marked with indicators before lead paragraphs or under the section header such as <code>{{[[template:humor|humor]]}}</code>. Sarcasm following these methods can [[WP:INDCRIT|prevent many disagreements]] from escalating. Humor, used inappropriately without indicators, can and often does result in blocks or other corrective actions against editors.

{{Humor disclosure templates}}

==<span class="anchor" id="Responsible humor"></span>Why responsible humor is important==
{{Shortcuts|WP:SKUNK|WP:RESPONSIBLE}}
[[File:Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) 01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|No one wants to be the skunk at the garden party, but we have responsibilities.]]

No one wants to be the skunk at the garden party. But Wikipedia is no longer the fledgling experiment it was back in the 2000s. It's now the world's foremost repository of humanity's collective knowledge, and with that privilege comes some custodial responsibilities. The benefits of humor in helping boost [[Wikipedia:Editor retention|editor retention]] must be weighed against its potential for disruption. Consider:
* '''Humor is sometimes misinterpreted''' – sarcasm is hard to convey in writing that lacks the cues of verbal communication. Many editor and administrator hours have been spent resolving disputes arising from this.
* '''Irresponsible humor damages Wikipedia's credibility''' – we've all worked hard to cultivate the [[Reliability of Wikipedia|reputation for trustworthiness]] Wikipedia enjoys. Readers come here expecting information, and when they find jokes instead, they lose faith in our reliability.
* '''Not everyone is looking for humor''' – Sometimes, an editor is engaged in a serious task and just wants to focus on it. Clear disclosure gives them the option to do so, whereas undisclosed jokes often draw attention and take time to figure out.

Think of the disclosure requirement not as an obstacle, but as a challenge. Humor can still be funny even when it's disclosed — try reading [[WP:Sarcasm is really helpful]] with a straight face — it just needs to be, well, good.

== Humor in articles ==

There is no clear [[WP:CON|consensus]] as to when and how humor should be included in articles.

If humorous content is included in an article, it must be done in such a way as to meet all the usual article requirements, including:

* [[WP:V|Verifiability]]
* [[WP:NPOV|Neutral point-of-view]]
* [[WP:NOR|No original research]]
* [[WP:RS|Reliable sources]]

Writing an article ''about'' humor or humorous subjects is not the same as adding humor ''to'' an article. One can write "dry" articles on humor, should that be considered appropriate. This concept is somewhat analogous to the style guidelines for [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)|writing about fiction]].
===How humor can be included===

When a humorous work on a subject has attracted enough attention to be [[WP:V|verifiable]] in [[WP:RS|reliable sources]], it can be appropriate to reference that work on the page for the subject it is written about. For example, whereas an article in ''[[The Onion]]'' might not be an acceptable source/reference to use to add a humorous observation to a page, if an article in ''The Onion'' attracts outside attention, such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20090331112144/http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/03/soundgarden-reu.html here], then the humorous article can be mentioned, using the source written about it.

== Humor outside of articles ==
{{Rquote |1=right |2=Humor is the grease of communications. |3=Unknown}}

Outside of the encyclopedic content, humor is often seen on Wikipedia pages. The primary purpose of [[Wikipedia:Project namespace|project namespace]] and similar pages is to coordinate the mission – the building of the encyclopedia – but being a human [[WP:COMMUNITY|community]], humor often appears as well.

Humor can appear in many different ways, with considerable overlap. These ways include:

* Sometimes Wikipedians just highlight the humor — in articles or other areas — without intending to criticize at all. For example, [[Wikipedia:Unusual articles]], which generally considers the humorous nature of the listed articles to be a positive thing.
* Sometimes Wikipedians create humor for its own sake in out-of-the-way places where readers are unlikely to find it. For example, see [[WP:END]] or [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Vowel|the AfD for Vowel]].
* Humor is often used in attempts to "lighten the mood" in an active discussion, with varying degrees of success and failure.
* Irony is often used to illustrate a point. For example, [[Wikipedia:BOLD, revert, revert, revert]] provides an example of how ''not'' to behave.
* Humor is sometimes used to illustrate a point without irony. For example, the list of the [[WP:LAME|Lamest Edit Wars]] may serve to curtail edit wars by providing examples of just how absurd they can become.
* Wikipedians often make jokes about the Wikipedia community, and/or which are intended for the Wikipedian community. These may sometimes qualify as "in-jokes", as without community experience, the humor will be lessened or lost. For an example, see the [[User:Ritchie333/Requests for adminship/SineBot|1 April 2018 RfA for SineBot]].
* Wikipedians sometimes voice the opinion that other Wikipedians are taking a given issue too seriously, and will create "spoofs" of the issue, which many find humorous.

Humor tends to be very subjective. One should remain aware that what one finds hilarious, another may find offensive. The use of humor does not override such core policies as [[WP:CIV|Civility]] and [[WP:NPA|No Personal Attacks]].

Many pages which at least some [[WP:USERS|Wikipedians]] found funny have been categorized into [[:Category:Wikipedia humor]].

== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:Silly Things]]
* [[Wikipedia:Rules for Fools]]
* [[:Category:Wikipedia humor]]

== External links ==
* [[Uncyclopedia:Uncyclopedia:How To Be Funny And Not Just Stupid|Uncyclopedia:How To Be Funny And Not Just Stupid]]
* [[d:Wikidata:Humour|Wikidata:Humour]]

[[Category:Wikipedia humor]]

Wikipedia:Humor - Revision history

Tachyony: Imported page