The Influence of Ethnocentrism and Ethnic Label on the Appreciation of Disparagement Jokes*

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of ethnocentrism and the presence of an ethnic label to the humor appreciation of jokes with socially acceptable or unacceptable aggressors and victims. Forty high ethnocentrics and 40 low ethnocentrics, half males and half females, each read 12 jokes which varied in the acceptability of aggressor and victim and in the ethnic combination of the characters (neutral aggressor and victim, neutral aggressor and ethnic victim, ethnic aggressor and neutral victim). They rated these jokes on humor, as well as justifiability, hostility, and acceptability of aggressor and victim. Results indicated that high ethnocentrics, but not the low ones, found jokes with neutral aggressors and ethnic victims funnier. In addition, all subjects gave higher humor ratings to jokes with justified aggression. Thus, both ethnic stereotypes and the particular description of the characters appear to be significant influences on humor ratings in disparagement jokes.

Gender disparaging jokes: An investigation of sexist-nonstereotypical jokes on funniness, typicality, and the moderating role of ingroup identification

“…In this particular context, highly identified women are likely to be particularly sensitive when hearing critical messages about themselves. Conversely, individuals with low gender identification are probably not egoinvolved or threatened by the jokes, which is why both women and men who have low gender identification did not rate the jokes funniness significantly different (see also Gallois and Callan 1985).…”

“…For instance, in their investigation of reactions to ethnic jokes, Gallois and Callan (1985) found that high ethnocentrics rated jokes with outgroup victims funnier than low ethnocentrics. In the context of gender, LaFrance and Woodzicka (1998) examined women's reactions to female-disparaging jokes and found that as women's level of group identification increased, ratings of joke funniness and amusement decreased.…”

The role of identification with women as a determinant of amusement with sexist humor

“…Expanding on Gallois and Callan's (1985) findings, we demonstrated that people were amused by sexist humor insofar as the social category, women, represented a negative IC in addition to and independently of their affective dispositions toward women. Thus, our findings, along with those of Gallois and Callan (1985), suggest that La Fave's (1972) vicarious superiority theory and Cantor's (1996 [1976]) disposition theory are not incompatible; rather, they are complementary. Each theory emphasizes the importance of different concepts and both predict amusement with disparagement humor.…”

“…Gallois and Callan (1985) provided initial support for the explanatory value of La Fave's (1972) IC concept. They had participants read jokes in which one person put down or disparaged another.…”

Memorable humorous incidents: gender, themes and setting effects

“…Unfortunately for our purposes, a review of the psychological literature reveals virtually no systematic investigations of anecdotal content, and the vast majority of studies which have been conducted are on scripted episodes such äs reaction to jokes (for example , Cantor 1976;Gallois and Callan 1985;Mundorf, et al 1988), Cartoons (for example , Holland 1982;Sewell 1984;Zillmann, et al 1974), and comedy routines (for example , Leslie 1989;Levinthal and Mace 1970). The lack of study of anecdotes appears to be due primarily to problems in methodology.…”