When does dark humour go too far?

[AidSource]

Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like has always kind of reveled at testing the comfort levels of its readers. The most recent post, "Joking about the possibility of imminent war" is no exception. Like many other posts before it, some say this one goes too far.

But aid workers, like soldiers, morticians, and ER staff are famous for their dark, cynical humour. 

What about you? When it comes to rueful, jaded, cynical humour where do you draw the lines? What's okay? What's off limits? Why? And how do you know?

[John Frum]

the line is at beneficiaries, 'the poor', whatever you want to call those we allegedly help. we should never mock them or find humor at their expense. violence, too, whether direct, literal, structural or institutional. violence is never funny.

everything else is within the pale. no humor too dark, no cynicism too deep. gender, race, ethnicity, age, nationality, sex, religion, D.I.Y. aid, journalists, the host government, the military, LNGOS, FBOS, INGOS, BINGOS, for godsake the UN... all fair game for aid worker humor.