The concept of ethnic, racial, and gender humor is as sensitive a subject today as it has ever been; yet at no time in the past have we had such a quantity of this humor circulating throughout society. We can see the power of such content manifested continually in our culture's films and stand-up comedy routines, as well as on popular TV sitcoms, where Jewish, black, Asian, Hispanic, and gay characters and topics have seemingly become essential to comic scenarios. Though such humor is often cruel, it can be a source of pride and play among minorities, women, and gays. Leon Rappoport's incisive account takes an in-depth look at ethnic, racial and gender humor. Despite the polarization that is often apparent in the debates such humor evokes, the most important melting pot in this country may be the one that we enter when we share a laugh at ourselves.
ContentsContentsContentsAcknowledgments ixIntroduction: The Hazards and Joys of Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Humor xiWhy should anyone care about such humor, is it really harmful, and how I came to spend years studying it.1.The Sword and Shield Metaphor and Other Perspectives 1Common misperceptions of stereotype humor and a corrective overview.2.What Makes Us Laugh: Humor Theory and Research from Plato and Aristotle to Sigmund Freud 13The perennial questions and answers about why we laugh; modern research showing the social, psychological, and physiological benefits of humor.3.Prejudice, Pride, and Play in Ethnic Comedy 31Theories, research, and the wide range of positive social functions served by humor within minority groups.4.The Origins and Psychology of Stereotypes and Slurs 45Reflections on the unique vocabulary of disparagement, its surprising sources, connections with obscenities, and multiple meanings.5.The Dominant Role of Jews and African Americans: Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and the Culture of Irony 65The rise of irony in American culture and how the major targets of social prejudice became the major creators of contemporary ironic humor.6.Jewish and African American Roots Humor: Saving Grace in the Face of Oppression 81The origins, growth, and characteristic features of traditional Jewish and African American humor.7.Males versus Females, Gays versus Straights, and the Varieties of Gender Humor 101Stereotypes reflecting sexual tensions and social power differences; the rise of women comedians and their struggle against sexist prejudice.8.The "New Breed" of Comedians and Transformation of Ethnicity 119Disparaging humor is not what it used to be; multicultural awareness and the impact of 9/11; why false stereotypes can be funny.9.Becoming a Comedian: Ethnicity Helps but Is Not Enough 129On heredity, patterns of childhood experience, and the benefits of a minority background; learning the craft of comedy is harder than it looks.10.In Defense of Ethnic Humor and Its Role in Our Multicultural Society 149Comedy in the face of prejudice is no sin. The funny-serious benefits of laughter amid the endless dilemmas of diversity.Bibliography 163Index 171
