Dangerous Jokes

Dangerous Jokes develops a new theory about how humor in ordinary conversations communicates prejudice and reinforces social hierarchies, drawing on the author's expertise in philosophy of language and on evidence from sociology, law and cognitive science. It explains why jokes are more powerful than ordinary speech at conveying demeaning messages, and it gives a new account of listening, addressing the morality of telling, listening to, being amused by, and laughing at demeaning jokes.