The right amount of comedy can be priceless during difficult times. On the other hand, according to Amanda Martinez, it may sometimes do more harm than good.

A presentation on the use of race in comedy, the damaging effects of it and where people draw the line on what is acceptable and what isn’t was presented by Martinez, who is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Davidson College Tuesday night.

Her lecture, “The Fine Lines of Race-Based Comedy: Politeness, Political Correctness, & Post-Racial Racism,” was a part of the Traveling Scholar Series hosted by the Communication Program.

A lot of comedy is heavily influenced by race and includes race-based jokes, so she said it can have a hand in how we view people of other races in our diverse society.

According to Martinez, this is one reason why it was an important subject for her to study.

In her speech, she noted that a lot of people don’t see a problem with this kind of humor, and think others should be able to “take a joke.”

“People don’t take entertainment seriously, as we’re not supposed to, but I think that is because it’s the place where we give a pass to

otherwise really offensive and controversial and negative things,” she said.

Martinez used clips of stand-up comedy acts from comedians Carlos Mencia and Dave Chappelle that highlighted a few racial stereotypes.

Carlos Mencia’s “U.S. is the Best” bit parodied stereotypes for almost every major racial group out there.

Dave Chappelle pointed out the differences in his behavior and the behavior of his “white friend Chip.”

The type of humor showcased in these acts is usually accepted, according to Martinez, because it’s relatable, familiar and often parodies a wide range of racial groups instead of just one.

Though this acceptance of racial comedy is common, Martinez questioned whether it actually heals or harms racial tensions.

She said comedians are often faced with the question, “does it really reduce prejudice or does it make prejudice just seem more acceptable?”

Her research, though still unfinished, suggested this type of comedy sharpens harmful stereotypes through which racism is perpetuated, accepted and even celebrated.

“We can’t move past race by continually making light of it and only relegating to this ‘just joking’ context as a way to break the ice and overcome racial barriers,” Martinez said.

Senior communication advocacy major Xin You Chen said he thinks race-based humor is a complicated issue, but he would like to learn more about it.

“I grew up in a very culturally diverse country, and there were a lot of racist jokes because there’s just so many cultures,” said Chen, who is from Malaysia.

“I thought it’s good to really get down to analyzing it, whether it has positive effects or negative effects.”

Martinez said what she presented was only “the tip of the iceberg,” as she still has an abundance of data to analyze and plans to write a book about her findings.