--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can make fun with Saddam Hussein…" description: "\"You can make fun with Saddam Hussein jokes ... but you can't make fun of, say, the concentration camps. I think my target was not so much evil, but ben..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg" --- # You can make fun with Saddam Hussein jokes ... but you… ![“You can make fun with Saddam Hussein jokes ... but you can't make fun of, say, the concentration camps. I think my target was not so much evil, but benign stupidity people doing stupid things without realising or, instead, thinking they were doing good.” quote by Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg) > “You can make fun with Saddam Hussein jokes ... but you can't make fun of, say, the concentration camps. I think my target was not so much evil, but benign stupidity people doing stupid things without realising or, instead, thinking they were doing good.” [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor can target trivial stupidity, but should avoid mocking profound tragedies like concentration camps. **In simple terms:** Jokes are okay for silliness, not for horror. Key Takeaway Know the line between satire and disrespect. Themes ethics humor sensitivity Mood thoughtful cautious Type critical educational When to use this quote - stand‑up routines - political cartoons - media commentary - educational settings Key Concepts satire historical trauma comedy boundaries Questions to Reflect On - When does satire become harmful? - How can comedians address dark history responsibly? A Different Perspective Humor about serious topics can provoke dialogue but risks alienation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benign/) [Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camps/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) [Doing good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-good/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Fun Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun-saddam-4909565/) [Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hussein/) [Hussein Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hussein-jokes-4909564/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Jokes Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes-make-1225986/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Realising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realising/) [Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddam/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-things/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Stupidity People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity-people-520454/) [Target](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/target/) [Target Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/target-evil-4909566/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [In the end, this world will go under because of the stupidity of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/in-the-end-this-world-will-go-under-because-of-the-stupidity-of-people/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [I knew that was coming. That's another stupidity. The people who use the term don't even know the meaning. They use it to refer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-knew-that-was-coming-that-s-another-stupidity-the-people-who-use/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-stupidity-of-people-comes-from-having-an-answer-for-everything-3/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The true axis of evil in America is the brilliance of our marketing combined with the stupidity of our people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-true-axis-of-evil-in-america-is-the-brilliance-of-our-marketing/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Never underestimate the stupidity of people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/never-underestimate-the-stupidity-of-people/) [wildbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wildbow/) > [“But then again, you could never underestimate the stupidity of some people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/but-then-again-you-could-never-underestimate-the-stupidity-of-some/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [There is no greater stupidity than for people...to marry and so surrender themselves to the small miseries of domestic and private life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/there-is-no-greater-stupidity-than-for-people-to-marry-and-so/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [There is more to be said for stupidity than people imagine. Personally I have a great admiration for stupidity. It is a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-is-more-to-be-said-for-stupidity-than-people-imagine-personally/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [It is better to be a fool than to be dead. It is better to emit a scream in the shape of a theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-better-to-be-a-fool-than-to-be-dead-it-is-better-to-emit-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“People are all born ignorant but they are not born stupid. Much of the stupidity we see today is induced by our educational system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/people-are-all-born-ignorant-but-they-are-not-born-stupid-much-of-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Any jokes I make I try to make sure it's on story and helps the characters and makes sense with the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/any-jokes-i-make-i-try-to-make-sure-it-s-on-story-and-helps-the/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [Jokes that make me laugh out loud when I write them almost always bomb. I have no idea why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/jokes-that-make-me-laugh-out-loud-when-i-write-them-almost-always/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Now I put up something, and I have to think, 'Oh, there are millions of people watching, and some of them could be affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/now-i-put-up-something-and-i-have-to-think-oh-there-are-millions-of/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [Make a list of all the lovers you've ever had. Warren Lasher Ed "Rubberhead" Catapano Charles Deats or Keats Alfonse Tuck it in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/make-a-list-of-all-the-lovers-you-ve-ever-had-warren-lasher-ed/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I love to be on camera, and make jokes, make people laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-consani/i-love-to-be-on-camera-and-make-jokes-make-people-laugh/) [Alex Consani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-consani/) ## More by Tom Lehrer > [Plagiarize, plagiarize, / Let no man's work evade your eyes, / Remember why the good Lord made your eyes, / Don't shade your eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/plagiarize-plagiarize-let-no-man-s-work-evade-your-eyes-remember-why/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [When someone makes a move Of which we don't approve, Who is it that always intervenes? U.N. and O.A.S., They have their place, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/when-someone-makes-a-move-of-which-we-don-t-approve-who-is-it-that/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't solicit for your sister, it's not nice. Unless you get a good percentage of her price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-solicit-for-your-sister-it-s-not-nice-unless-you-get-a-good/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/it-is-a-sobering-thought-that-when-mozart-was-my-age-he-had-been-dead/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [“I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-am-never-forget-the-day-i-first-meet-the-great-lobachevsky-in-one/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Counting in octal is just likst counting in decimal--if you don't use your thumbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/counting-in-octal-is-just-likst-counting-in-decimal-if-you-don-t-use/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Disclaimer: If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny under oath I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/disclaimer-if-anyone-disagrees-with-anything-i-say-i-am-quite/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Don't write naughty words on the wall if you can't spell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/don-t-write-naughty-words-on-the-wall-if-you-can-t-spell/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-don-t-want-to-satirise-george-bush-and-his-puppeteers-i-want-to/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [San Francisco is a city of twenty-something millionaire white kids named Doug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/san-francisco-is-a-city-of-twenty-something-millionaire-white-kids/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [On Christmas day you can't get sore, Your fellow man you must adore, There's time to cheat him all the more The other three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/on-christmas-day-you-can-t-get-sore-your-fellow-man-you-must-adore/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Be prepared, and be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/be-prepared-and-be-careful-not-to-do-your-good-deeds-when-there-s-no/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [There's something mathematically satisfying about music: notes fit together and harmony and all that. And mathematics has to do with abstractions and making connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/there-s-something-mathematically-satisfying-about-music-notes-fit/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) [Explore all 130 Tom Lehrer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) ## More Benign quotes > [The plausible outcomes range from the gradual and benign to the more precipitous and damaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-geithner/the-plausible-outcomes-range-from-the-gradual-and-benign-to-the-more/) [Timothy Geithner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-geithner/) > [Whereas religions may serve a benign purpose by letting many people feel comfortable with the level of morality they themselves can attain, no religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/whereas-religions-may-serve-a-benign-purpose-by-letting-many-people/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Factory-farm lobbyists are so powerful and so well funded and they do everything in their power to hide the truth about farming. They keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/factory-farm-lobbyists-are-so-powerful-and-so-well-funded-and-they-do/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Fame is indeed beautiful and benign and gentle and satisfying, but happiness is something at once tender and brilliant beyond all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-maclane/fame-is-indeed-beautiful-and-benign-and-gentle-and-satisfying-but/) [Mary MacLane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-maclane/) > [Cultural institutions by and large share one primary objective: herd control. Even when ostensibly benign, their propensity for manipulation, compartmentalization, standardization and suppression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/cultural-institutions-by-and-large-share-one-primary-objective-herd/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [Acid wasn't getting a whole lot of bad press at the time, and as I saw the whole bad-press thing happen, I became aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/acid-wasn-t-getting-a-whole-lot-of-bad-press-at-the-time-and-as-i-saw/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [Beneficent spirals, operating by benign feedback, mean that everything needful is not required at once: each individual improvement is beneficial for the whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/beneficent-spirals-operating-by-benign-feedback-mean-that-everything/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-looked-up-at-the-mass-of-signs-and-stars-in-the-night-sky-and-laid/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Orders can be benign or malign, but the habit of obeying them can become ingrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/orders-can-be-benign-or-malign-but-the-habit-of-obeying-them-can/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Intelligence may indeed be a benign influence creating isolated groups of philosopher-kings far apart in the heavens... On the other hand, intelligence may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/intelligence-may-indeed-be-a-benign-influence-creating-isolated/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Every major player is working on this technology of artificial intelligence. As of now, it's benign... but I would say that the day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-bell/every-major-player-is-working-on-this-technology-of-artificial/) [Ted Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-bell/) > [Of course, I prefer organic farming to chemical-dependent farming, but sometimes absolutist organic prescriptions go too far. I don't even rule out the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/of-course-i-prefer-organic-farming-to-chemical-dependent-farming-but/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [How do you survive living in a cell knowing you are innocent? Many of those exonerated whom I have met seem to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/how-do-you-survive-living-in-a-cell-knowing-you-are-innocent-many-of/) [Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/) > [Human nature has its fatal weaknesses, but 'love' means embracing the whole of human nature, the bad within the good, the benign within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/qiu-miaojin/human-nature-has-its-fatal-weaknesses-but-love-means-embracing-the/) [Qiu Miaojin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/qiu-miaojin/) [Browse all 210 Benign quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benign/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can make fun with Saddam Hussein jokes ... but you can't make fun of, say, the concentration camps. I think my target was not so much evil, but benign stupidity people doing stupid things without realising or, instead, thinking they were doing good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Lehrer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jokes-but-you-can-t-make-fun-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Benign" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jokes-but-you-can-t-make-fun-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/253/tom-lehrer-3442_benign_you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jok_1400915.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can make fun with Saddam Hussein jokes ... but you can't make fun of, say, the concentration camps. I…” — Tom Lehrer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Lehrer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can make fun with Saddam...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jokes-but-you-can-t-make-fun-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/you-can-make-fun-with-saddam-hussein-jokes-but-you-can-t-make-fun-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```