Abstract
This article examines the use of disparaging humour and slurs in Norwegian high school boys’ friendship groups to shed light on the complexity of adolescent males’ friendships and everyday socialization through a phenomenon that is usually connected to bullying. The study employed a qualitative approach consisting of participant observation and individual interviews with students. The article addresses the ambiguity embedded in the boys’ use of disparaging humour and slurs. The findings of this study suggest that the boys employ prejudiced and discriminatory language frequently with friends; however, the intent behind it is not linked to discriminatory or prejudiced attitudes or practices. Thus, adolescent boys utilize a form of humour where lines between harmful and harmless are blurred and inherently complex. The ambiguity of disparaging humour and slurs may cause challenges for teachers, and this article offers valuable new knowledge that may support them in their daily work.
Highlights
Today, possessing a sense of humour is valued
While previous research has addressed disparaging humour and slurs in relation to bullying (e.g., Olsen et al, 2016; Slaatten et al, 2015; Slaatten & Gabrys, 2014) and how it is perceived from the teachers’ perspective, the present research focuses on the perspective of students who use this type of language when socializing with friends
Those who have a visible or disclosed minority trait seem to receive slurs and jokes based on this trait, while those with no such visible or disclosed trait—in this case, white boys—are commonly subjected to slurs and jokes that, for many, are seemingly pulled out of thin air and have nothing to do with the actual identity of the receiver
Summary
Today, possessing a sense of humour is valued. High status often aligns with the ability to make others laugh, while being accused of lacking a sense of humour can. Jonsson (2018) shows how male adolescents at a Swedish multi-ethnic school use language tied to stereotypes, prejudice and assumed traits of specific groups or identities He finds that urban youth styles and previously taboo words tied to identities are reproduced or destabilized through humorous interactions and that identities can be utilized as tools in constructing social hierarchies. Homophobic and otherwise stereotyped and prejudicial language, for example, is often explained by adolescents as generic insults and innocuous banter (see Athanases & Comar, 2008; Cameron, 1997; Pascoe, 2011; Phoenix et al, 2003; Plummer, 2001) This suggests that these words can somehow lose their negative meanings through frequent usage and can instead be regarded as synonyms of ‘stupid’, ‘idiot’, ‘dumb’ and so forth (Athanases & Comar, 2008; Jewell & Morrison, 2010). This ambivalence in gay-related humour—its positive and negative functions—will be discussed later in the article
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