My wife is a teacher and I'm an OT in a nursing home, so we're both kind of front line in this. We find humor to be essential as a coping strategy. I'm sure you'd be appalled at what doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, etc say in hospitals and SNF's. None of it, and I mean none of it, is malicious. It's simply gallows humor and helps us cope with the reality of our situation.
Why do you take exception? You should hear what soldiers in combat use as gallows humor.