Discrimination has existed since the dawn of man. We have all experienced it in one form or another and sometimes we have discriminated without even realizing it. Many people have fought against discrimination by teaching others. Using anger, fear and guilt, many have spread the message of being more tolerant of others, but humor is a less common way of doing this. Wole Soyinka does this well in his poem “Telephone Conversation” in which he takes a more humorous and ironic approach to discrimination. The humorous approach to racism in “Telephone Conversation” should be used more in teachings to further propagate the madness of discrimination. Many people are oblivious to things that have happened in the past; from slavery to the civil rights movement and everything in between, has shaped the current state of discrimination. Most are bored with these subjects and when they are taught in school, they go in one ear and out the other never to be thought about again. The humorous tone of “Telephone Conversation” can help change this situation by teaching others about racism better than conventional methods. Elizabeth Weinstein wrote an article about Mark Shatz and Frank LoSchiavo, two professors at Ohio University, who argue that humor can help you learn. During their study, they concluded that students are more interested in learning when humor is applied. Shatz and LoSchiavo have incorporated humor into their online courses with positive results. Having funny jokes and cartoons related to the topic increased the number of times students interacted on the discussion board and overall increased their interest in the class (Weinstein). Their use of humor in their teachings helps people participate more. Middle of paper ......r in a "telephone conversation" can be used to educate others, but as Greengross warns, this must be done with caution. Many have made the discrimination known in different ways. Humor, being a lesser used method, may be the most effective. As Mark Shatz and Frank LoSchiavo have proven, humor can help people become more engaged in class and learn better. This can help them step out of their comfort zone and participate more in class. While Javier Muñoz-Basols showed that humor can help people remember things better. Because humorous ideas are easier to remember than uninteresting ideas. From my own experience growing up, humor can be a very powerful way to teach others about racism, but as Gil Greengross warns, it has to be done right. Soyinka manages to accomplish this in “Telephone Conversation” and others should use his method in their own teachings.