The Joke's On Who
In this paper, I argue that humour is an underutilized tool in countering social injustice. Within feminist epistemology much has been made about implicit bias stemming from knowledge gaps. Yet studies that have shown that awareness of our implicit bias does little to change our behaviour. Instead,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Wittgenstein Society
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Nordic Wittgenstein Review |
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| Online Access: | https://www.nordicwittgensteinreview.com/article/view/3622 |
| _version_ | 1811185641693642752 |
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| author | Lisa McKeown |
| author_facet | Lisa McKeown |
| author_sort | Lisa McKeown |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
In this paper, I argue that humour is an underutilized tool in countering social injustice. Within feminist epistemology much has been made about implicit bias stemming from knowledge gaps. Yet studies that have shown that awareness of our implicit bias does little to change our behaviour. Instead, I argue that overcoming bias might require a less purely intellectual, more creative approach. Wittgenstein speculated that one could write a book of philosophy entirely in the form of jokes. In part, he thought that jokes offer an illuminating synopsis or overview of a state of affairs. We might even say jokes offer a fresh gestalt. It’s not just about a picture of the facts, but of our attitude towards them. As a result, while it can be tempting to respond to oppressive comments or slurs with outrage and indignation, there is a unique effect when we respond with a joke. First, jokes can reframe the perspective suggested by the slur. Second, jokes allow the speaker to make a lateral conversational move to evade being trapped in a defensive argumentative position. Using tone to open up new discursive planes allows for more communicative possibilities on an emotional as well as intellectual level.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:33:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e0c8a892b96148ba9e52868c5daac621 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2194-6825 2242-248X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:33:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Wittgenstein Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Wittgenstein Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-e0c8a892b96148ba9e52868c5daac6212022-12-22T04:21:43ZengNordic Wittgenstein SocietyNordic Wittgenstein Review2194-68252242-248X2022-12-0110.15845/nwr.v11.3622The Joke's On WhoLisa McKeown0New School University In this paper, I argue that humour is an underutilized tool in countering social injustice. Within feminist epistemology much has been made about implicit bias stemming from knowledge gaps. Yet studies that have shown that awareness of our implicit bias does little to change our behaviour. Instead, I argue that overcoming bias might require a less purely intellectual, more creative approach. Wittgenstein speculated that one could write a book of philosophy entirely in the form of jokes. In part, he thought that jokes offer an illuminating synopsis or overview of a state of affairs. We might even say jokes offer a fresh gestalt. It’s not just about a picture of the facts, but of our attitude towards them. As a result, while it can be tempting to respond to oppressive comments or slurs with outrage and indignation, there is a unique effect when we respond with a joke. First, jokes can reframe the perspective suggested by the slur. Second, jokes allow the speaker to make a lateral conversational move to evade being trapped in a defensive argumentative position. Using tone to open up new discursive planes allows for more communicative possibilities on an emotional as well as intellectual level. https://www.nordicwittgensteinreview.com/article/view/3622WittgensteinfeminismSimon Critchley |
| spellingShingle | Lisa McKeown The Joke's On Who Nordic Wittgenstein Review Wittgenstein feminism Simon Critchley |
| title | The Joke's On Who |
| title_full | The Joke's On Who |
| title_fullStr | The Joke's On Who |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Joke's On Who |
| title_short | The Joke's On Who |
| title_sort | joke s on who |
| topic | Wittgenstein feminism Simon Critchley |
| url | https://www.nordicwittgensteinreview.com/article/view/3622 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lisamckeown thejokesonwho AT lisamckeown jokesonwho |