Disparagement Humor and Subversion

In this chapter, we will discuss the uses and consequences of various types of humor that include content and messages referring to individuals and social groups. We will discuss uses and consequences of disparagement humor (i.e., humor constructed to insult and derogate individuals and social groups), satire (i.e., humor constructed to be ironic in its criticism of individuals and social groups), and subversive humor (i.e., humor constructed to undermine existing power dynamics and hierarchies). We will discuss the motivations that inspire the use of these types of humor and their intentional and accidental consequences. We will review the results of relevant empirical research and contextualize our discussion in terms of the sword-andshield metaphor, the justification-suppression model of prejudice, and prejudiced norm theory to explain how these types of humor may be used to derogate or uplift individuals and groups in society.