ABSTRACT
Humor often goes wrong in the public sphere. Television personalities, politicians, sports figures, and the like often make joking statements that run afoul of social mores concerning race, gender, sexual orientation, and others. There are a number of things that fit under the banner humor: gags or practical jokes, witticisms, word play, puns, impersonations, and jokes, to name a few. There are several theories about what makes something humorous, for instance, superiority, incongruity, relief, and play theories of humor. Not everyone believes an account of racist humor can be given. Most views of racist humor adhere to the simple binary that a piece of humor is either racist or not racist. Defining stereotype is a contentious matter. Some accounts build in notions of negative evaluation, while others remain neutral. There is much work to be done on the subject of offensive humor in general, and on racist humor in particular.
