You make a good point. By making people laugh at themselves or a situation they let their guard down and perhaps are more receptive to looking at things honestly and perhaps seize the opportunity to grow and change by learning.

I am also glad you answered the why. People are not always allowed to ask questions so they can learn from others.

One of the biggest problems today is they we have many more ways of connecting, but we are more isolated due to the lack of civility and opportunity to ask why without being yelled at or made fun of.
Polite human interactions might as well be on the endangered species list.