I tried an experiment this morning in my humor class. They had read an essay on the origin and function of "dumb blond" jokes, "Blond Ambition," in which Elliot Oring argues that the stereotype of the "dumb blond" serves as a placeholder to allow us to distance ourselves from characteristics that are inappropriate in the world of work (stupidity and sexual promiscuity). We also discussed research on what sorts of ethnic groups get stereotyped as stupid in different places: Canadians might tell "dumb Newfie" jokes and Nigerians tell "dumb Hausa" jokes, but in general, Nigerians are unlikely to tell jokes about those goofy Newfoundlanders. Stereotyping a particular group as stupid seems to require a willingness to project negative behaviors or attitudes on those just outside our own neighborhoods.
After some discussion, I broke the students into pairs and gave them instructions: find a way to distinguish yourself from a neighboring group and develop some negative stereotypes about them. They got to work only after I promised to issue a blanket absolution after they were done.
They're a pretty clever group of students, but they encountered trouble right away. One group came up with an anti-tall-people shtick while another heaped some mild derision on commuters, but we learned more by talking about what made this exercise so difficult. "It's just hard to come up with stereotypes about people we know," explained one student, and isn't that the key? We stereotype people close enough to be visible--sometimes close enough to appear to pose a threat--but not so close that we really know them. Real knowledge negates stereotypes.
When I tell people I'm teaching a humor theory class, they sometimes assume that it must be pretty lightweight. I mean, how difficult can it be to spend an hour talking about dumb blond jokes? Go ahead and stereotype my class as stupid--but don't be surprised if we nod knowingly. We know why you're poking fun at us. Do you?
2 comments:
I love this, Bev! What you're saying is so true. I'm really glad you're teaching this!
I get so discouraged when I read some of the venomous comments people make about others who see things differently than they do. This is particularly visible in the political realm. There aren't real people who hold opposing views. There are only Dumbocrats and Repukes. I find myself wanting to distance myself from people I agree with politically because of it. The group hate and intolerance is so offputting!
I wish we could all just look for common ground, celebrate our shared love of our country and intelligently talk through issues. Instead we stand entrenched in our own camps with our hands over our ears shouting about what is wrong with THEIR way of thinking. If any facts have changed that should make us take a second look at an issue, we won't hear them. We'll just stand huddled with our own group congratulating each other for being the only ones smart enough to see things as they really are! Bets
I'm discovering a new "dumb" stereotype lately--older people, or "seniors," as they're obnoxiously called. Especially older women. It's galling to find oneself lumped into a group that's supposedly unable to figure out telephones. Hilarious it's not. A few white hairs and a limp, and you're "dear." Oh no I'm not!
Carol, formerly of Fresno
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