Seriously Funny: Disability and the Paradoxical Power of Humor (Disability in Society)

"Exploring a paradox, Shawn Bingham and Sara Green show how humor has been used both to challenge traditional views of disability and to reinforce negative stereotypes and social inequalities. Seriously Funny ranges from ancient Greek dramas to medieval courts jesters to contemporary comedy, from stage performances to the experiences of daily life. Rich with insights into issues of identity and social stratification, it offers an eye-opening perspective on attitudes toward disability across the ages."--Amazon.com Title Page 3 Copyright page 4 Contents 5 Acknowledgments 7 Chapter 1- The Social Significance of Disability Humor 9 Mapping Disability Through Humor 14 Organization of the Book 17 Notes 18 Chapter 2- Humor as Aesthetic, Analysis, and Activism 21 Humor and Social Interaction 24 Humor as a Way to Shape Perceptions 25 Humor and Coping 26 Carnival Consciousness: Humor as a Tool for Subversion, Activism, and Social Change 29 Disability Humor: Enabling Social Actionin a Politically Correct World 32 Getting Serious About Humor 34 Chapter 3- Disability and Humor in Historical Context 37 Greco-Romans: Impairment as Ridicule-ous Comedy 41 From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment: Jesters and Fools 44 The Vaudeville Era 54 The Rise of Stand-up 61 Disability Humor and Emerging Views of Disability 70 Common DNA 71 Note 72 Chapter 4- A Twenty-First-Century Cast of Comic Characters 73 Setting the Stage: The Cast of Characters in Social Context 74 The Intersection of Humor and Disability in Everyday Life 78 The Delicate Dance of Creating New Perspectives on Disability Through Comedic Performance 88 Chapter 5- Creating New Narratives 101 Tired Jokes: Superiority Theory and the Moral and Medical Lens on Disability 103 Relief Theory: Humor as an Outlet, Humor as Liberation 108 Inferiority Theory: The Ironic Power of Self-deprecation and the Sympathetic Imagination 111 Jokes as Reframing: Incongruity Theory,the Social Model Lens of Disability, and Beyond 116 In Sum: Humor and Comedy as Sociocritical Tools 123 Chapter 6- Disability Humor in a Politically Correct World 129 Evolution of the Term Political Correctness 131 Comedic Views on Political Correctness 141 Two Thumbs Up for “My Midga,” Roger Ebert 146 Chapter 7- Using Disability Humor to Reimagine Society 151 Historical Threads: Folly, Disability, and Critique 153 Comedians Playing with Theory? 154 Behind the Mic: The Comedians’ Perspective 155 Encountering Disability Through Humor 158 What’s Next: Suggestions for Future Research 165 The Final Act 167 Note 169 Appendix: Biographical Sketches of the Comedians Interviewed 171 References 185 Index 199 About the Book 208 Untitled 1