B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman writes for the Jerusalem Post:

It is well-established that minority groups, particularly Jews, have a lengthy history of using humor to deflect the arrows of personal misery and tragedy. Equally well-researched is how humor serves as coping mechanism against persecution. Mel Brooks once dug into his vault of comedic psychology to explain, “If they’re laughing, how can they bludgeon you to death?”

Self-deprecating humor not only keeps people humble, it helps people out of difficult situations or keeps them alive. When minorities poke fun at themselves, it carries a far different message than if someone else delivers the same message, whether it’s a reference to money or racial or ethnic name-calling.

Read the full op-ed here.