Social norms are such that people didn’t need to wait for jokes to justify expressions of prejudice against these groups. However, disparagement humor didn’t have the same effect against two “justified prejudice” groups: terrorists and racists. In our study, we found that off-color jokes promoted discrimination against Muslims and gay men – which we measured in greater recommended budget cuts to a gay student organization, for instance. At the same time, however, many whites still covertly have negative associations with and feelings toward blacks – feelings they largely don’t acknowledge because they conflict with their ideas about themselves being egalitarian.ĭisparagement humor fosters discrimination against social groups – like black Americans – that occupy this kind of shifting ground. Public opinion polls over the same period have shown whites holding progressively less prejudiced views of minorities, particularly blacks. But even as society as a whole becomes increasingly accepting of them, many individuals still harbor mixed feelings.įor instance, over the past 60 years or so, the United States has seen a dramatic decline in overt and institutional racism. Some groups occupy a unique social position of what social psychologists call “shifting acceptability.” For these groups, the overall culture is changing from considering prejudice and discrimination against them completely justified to considering them completely unjustified. Social groups are vulnerable to different degrees depending on their overall status. In another study, my colleagues and I demonstrated that this prejudice-releasing effect of disparagement humor varies depending on the position in society occupied by the butt of the joke. Sexist humor signaled that it’s safe to express sexist attitudes.
WOLDNT THAT MAKE YOU GAY MEME FREE
So, in this context of expanded acceptability, sexist men felt free to express their antagonism without the risk of violating social norms and facing disapproval from others.
Sexist humor essentially stretched the rubber band it expanded the bounds of acceptable behavior to include responses that would otherwise be considered wrong or inappropriate. Everything on the inside of the rubber band is socially acceptable everything on the outside is unacceptable. How did sexist humor make the sexist men in these studies feel freer to express their sexist attitudes? Imagine that the social norms about acceptable and unacceptable ways of treating women are represented by a rubber band. Sexist humor can expand the bounds of what’s an acceptable way to treat women. Even more disturbing, other researchers found that men higher in hostile sexism expressed greater willingness to rape a woman upon exposure to sexist versus nonsexist humor. Men higher in hostile sexism also recommended greater funding cuts to a women’s organization at their university after watching sexist versus neutral comedy skits.
And in a variety of experiments, my colleagues and I have found support for this idea, which we call prejudiced norm theory.įor instance, in studies, men higher in hostile sexism – antagonism against women – reported greater tolerance of gender harassment in the workplace upon exposure to sexist versus neutral (nonsexist) jokes. They need something in the immediate environment to signal that it is safe to freely express their prejudice.ĭisparagement humor appears to do just that by affecting people’s understanding of the social norms – implicit rules of acceptable conduct – in the immediate context.
They express prejudice only when the norms in a given context clearly communicate approval to do so. Most of the time prejudiced people conceal their true beliefs and attitudes because they fear others’ criticism. Laughing together at others’ expense? Laughing image via Jokes that release restraints