Dangerous Jokes: How Racism and Sexism Weaponize Humor

People often get away with belittling others if they frame their speech as jokes-speech that would be condemned if stated seriously. "It's just a joke," they say. But what is different or special about joking? And if jokes about lawyers and politicians are morally acceptable, then what is wrong with joking about race or gender? Furthermore, if we may joke about a politician's shirts, may we joke about his weight? People who are targeted by demeaning jokes feel their impact but may not be able to pinpoint where the harm lies. Dangerous Jokes develops a novel, well-researched, and compelling argument that lays bare the power of demeaning jokes in ordinary conversations. Claire Horisk draws on her expertise in philosophy of language and on evidence from sociology, law and cognitive science to explain how the element of humor-so often used as a defence-makes jokes more potent than regular speech in communicating prejudice and reinforcing social hierarchies. She addresses the morality of telling, being amused by, and laughing at, derogatory jokes, and she gives a new account of listening that addresses the morality of listening to demeaning speech. She leaves us with no illusions about whether "it's just a joke" is an excuse for demeaning humor. Cover Dangerous Jokes Copyright Dedication Contents Note to Readers Preface Introduction Why this book about jokes contains so few jokes Slurs and expletives in court transcripts Professional comedy The terms ‘speaker’ and ‘hearer’ Singular ‘they’ A note for philosophers and linguists Acknowledgments 1. Why joking matters Introduction Jokes are funny peculiar How philosophy can help Jokes versus joking remarks The ethics of joking and cultural limitations Jokes that cross the line Derogatory jokes and implication Derogatory jocular remarks and intent Humor and harm Guilty listeners Conclusion 2. The popular wisdom about jokes Introduction Jokes and harm in popular wisdom Harm versus offense Audiences in popular wisdom Jokers in popular wisdom Is the popular wisdom consistent? Conclusion 3. Is the popular wisdom supported by science? Introduction How can jokes be assessed in moral terms? Are belittling jokes harmless fun? Assessing Wrong Audience and Wrong Joker Conclusion 4. Crossing a line Introduction How derogatory jokes and joking remarks differ Derogating, disparaging, and belittling Moral concern about (merely) disparaging humor Jokes that do not derogate Conclusion 5. How do jokes communicate ideas? Introduction What are generalized implicatures? Reinforcement and cancelation Using implicature to mislead and insinuate Explaining Wrong Audience Explaining Wrong Joker Troubleshooting: ‘Missing’ implicatures Troubleshooting: Unconvincing cancelations Conclusion 6. Humor and hostility Introduction Dual-​process theories of cognition How a good mood affects cognitive processing Troubleshooting: Why is neutral humor harmless? How might humor influence cognitive processing? How amusement affects the common ground Dual cognitive processes and the Wrong Audience Conclusion 7. Joking remarks and joking intentions Introduction Two definitions of ‘joking’ Jocular remarks and the warranty of truth Does truth-​in-​jest have a warranty of truth? Channeling the common ground The common ground and the ambiguity of humor Conclusion 8. Listener culpability Introduction What is listening? Being part of a conversation Being part of a conversation and the common ground There is no hidden common ground Public humiliation Good listeners and ethical listeners Bystanders Conclusion 9. Finding derogatory jokes amusing Introduction What kind of person is amused by derogatory jokes? Am I morally responsible for being amused? Awareness of derogatory ideas in a conversation What is acceptance? Acceptance and presupposition Willingness to accept Why amusement is correlated with social identity Why amusement is correlated with derogatory belief Telling derogatory jokes and presupposition Huh, I’ve never met a contentious joker Conclusion 10. Laughing at derogatory jokes Introduction Welcoming ideas into the common ground The morality of laughter Going along with the crowd The laughter of others Conclusion 11. The racist uncle, and other awkward situations Introduction Listening versus failing to challenge When challenging is difficult When challenging is pointless or dangerous When you are the target of belittling speech Between a rock and a hard place Social hierarchies and the common ground Changing the topic or walking away Conclusion 12. Joking and power Introduction How belittling jokes support unjust disadvantage Disparaging humor Constitution and causes of harm Jokes and speech acts Joking and perlocutionary acts Joking and illocutionary acts Conclusion Postscript: Some practical advice Notes References Index