Parvaneh Hosseini, Anthropologist – BBC Persian – April 5, 2015
Although the origins of racist or misogynistic perspectives in society are not the fault of current members of that society, their continuation is their responsibility. Through their social behaviors, members of society consciously or unconsciously reinforce these racist and misogynistic views.
One such behavior is the creation, dissemination, and even laughing at ethnic and gender jokes. These days, from friendly gatherings to family get-togethers, text messages, and social media, we are inundated with such jokes.
Amid this, some individuals disapprove of this trend and criticize the overwhelming presence of ethnic and gender jokes in society. How do proponents of such jokes typically respond to critics?
Don’t be a buzzkill; we just want to have fun
One of the functions of jokes is to create a sense of intimacy and solidarity among members of a group. Jokes often have a historical-social context that needs to be understood to grasp the humor. Telling a joke is considered a sign of good humor and serves to remind and test group cohesion, while laughing at a joke is a positive response that reciprocates good humor, acknowledges the historical context of the joke, and strengthens group solidarity.
Thus, laughing at a joke is not merely an expression of joy; it also serves other social functions. If someone in a group does not laugh at a joke, it may be interpreted as either lacking shared historical context and thus "not getting the joke" or as objecting to the joke’s content. In either case, not laughing at the joke signals a gap within the group and is often frowned upon by members.
In such situations, rather than criticizing the joke, group members often redirect their attack toward the "offending" individual to preserve their cohesion. When it comes to ethnic or gender jokes, the individual may be accused of being uptight, humorless, bitter, overly sensitive, or even politically divisive. As a result, most people prefer to laugh along to avoid tension and ostracism.
While laughing may be the simplest and most instinctive reaction to a joke, it is a purposeful and impactful social act. Its goal is to reinforce group connections, and its impact is to accelerate the dissemination of the joke and its message. Anthropological studies on stereotypical ethnic or gender jokes show that both producing and laughing at such jokes fall under racist and sexist behaviors.
In this context, creating and spreading ethnic and gender jokes is considered active racism or sexism, while laughing at them is categorized as passive racism or sexism. Consequently, the decision to laugh or not to laugh at a joke is a social one, and not laughing often requires more awareness, agency, and courage. Someone who refrains from laughing at an ethnic or sexist joke aims to resist and reject the perpetuation of racist and misogynistic views. By not laughing, they challenge these perspectives. Their intention is not to weaken group bonds but to foster collective conscience.
Believe me, that’s just how they are – I’ve seen it myself
Discrimination and stereotypical jokes feed into each other in a vicious cycle. They continuously sustain and reinforce one another. Ethnic and gender jokes are both based on prevailing beliefs about certain groups and reinforce these beliefs without addressing their roots.
A common defense of ethnic and gender jokes is personal anecdotes or statements like, "I’ve seen it myself," to validate the stereotype's accuracy. Defenders might cite personal experiences, claiming to have lived among or visited such groups, witnessing traits like low intelligence, lack of honor, or sexual dysfunction firsthand.
The flaw in this reasoning is that these individuals often generalize specific observations to an entire group or fail to delve deeply into the discriminatory roots of what they observed. In doing so, jokes become a medium for reproducing stereotypes rooted in misinterpretations of the oppressive conditions affecting the groups in question.
Reflecting on the origins of these stereotypes reveals that by mocking an undesirable trait and linking it to an ethnic or gender identity (e.g., a student with an accent struggling academically), jokes ignore fundamental issues such as marginalization, poverty, or systemic discrimination that contribute to such problems. In essence, what is being ridiculed is not intelligence or character but rather deprivation and victimhood.
These jokes are akin to bitter almonds coated in salt – when properly chewed and understood, the bitter injustice at their core galls the tongue and sours the taste. For this reason, consumers of such jokes often swallow them quickly, one after another, without reflection.
Don’t be more Catholic than the Pope
Ethnic and gender jokes are harmful not just because they are offensive but because they construct stereotypes, categorizing groups into fixed identities. Their destructive impact may not always be directly observable. Their effects on the lives of those targeted may manifest indirectly and over time.
For instance, a Turkish, Arab, or Lor child humiliated at school may not always recognize the underlying reasons for others' behavior or, in adulthood, connect their low self-confidence to such experiences. A girl who refrains from certain activities from childhood to adulthood out of fear of ridicule may never realize how her talents were stifled.
Moreover, the negative effects of such jokes are not uniform across all members of the targeted group. For this reason, some members of these groups may embrace the jokes and deny their impact, either because they have not personally experienced such harm or are unaware of it.
Beyond denial, some members of these groups internalize the stereotypes, a phenomenon known as "internalized oppression." In this case, individuals accept the attributes assigned to them by stereotypes, believing themselves to be inherently less intelligent, stingy, lazy, or incapable of excelling in certain fields, leading to passivity.
Denying the impact of these jokes or internalizing them does not justify their harmful nature. In fact, not only members of the targeted group but others also have the right to object to racist and sexist jokes, as social harm affects society as a whole.
Undoubtedly, wit and humor, when appropriate and well-placed, are positive traits. Jokes can create warmth in social settings, and constructive satire can highlight social and political problems and raise awareness. However, jokes that confine groups of people to fixed and restrictive stereotypes and ignore their social harm are not the right way to achieve these goals.
The link to the original article in Farsi on BBC Persian:
شوخیهای قومی و جنسیتی، بازتولید روابط نژادپرستانه و ضدزن