Educação pode mudar sua vida

For presidents and celebrities as well as ordinary people, cracking jokes can be risky business today, provoking anger and resentment instead of laughter.
The problem is that humor, like beauty, oftenisin the eye of the beholder.
Consider a jest by President Clinton. At a tradefair on the White House lawn, Clinton and his cabinet came upon a three-foot-high replica of the WhiteHouse.
With the 4-foot-10 inch secretary of labor,Robert Reich, at his side, Clinton quipped, “Secretary Reich could almost live in there.”
Lighthearted ribbing between longtime pals? Or a remark offensive to those sensitive about theirheight?
Experts who train people to use humor in busi-ness and social relationships say it can be an invalua-ble tool – but it must be used with sensitivity.
Of course, the line between laughing withsomeone and laughing at someone isn’t always soclear.
So in today’s litigious and sensitive society should we all take the safest course and avoid anyattempts at humor? That would make for a dull world,experts said.
The wrong kind of humor, though, can be des-tructive. Jokes that attack often cause people to with-draw, or worse, seek revenge.Supervisors need to be especially careful.Because of the power they hold, their attempts athumor demean an employee.Of course, some people just can’t take a joke.So what can you do?
“On the politically correct front, there are cer-ain people whose mission is to be offended,” Langleysaid. “There’s not really much you can do aboutthem.”