Police

© Sam Price, University of Wolverhampton, School of Art & Design, UK Gallows humour is often discussed as ‘laughter in the face of pain’. Galgenhumor, which finds its origins around 1848 Germany, is referred to as ‘cynical humor that derives from stressful or traumatic situations’. However, it has been in practice for many centuries. It is used as a way of getting around situations that are otherwise overwhelming or unavoidable in nature such as death, war, disease or horrific crime.