The role of humor in the interpretation of sexist incidents

Effects of exposure to sexist humor on perceptions of normative tolerance of sexism

“…Finally, the fourth vignette described the critical sexist event which was adapted from one used by Bill and Naus (1992). A new female staff member, Paula, was treated in an inappropriate manner by her male supervisor.…”

“…Attardo, 1993;Berlyne, 1972;Bill & Naus, 1992;McGhee, 1972). Speci®cally, it activates a conversational rule to switch from the usual serious mindset to a playful or noncritical mindset for interpreting the underlying message (Attardo, 1993;Berlyne, 1972;Mannell, 1977;McGhee, 1972;Sev'er & Ungar, 1997;Ziv & Gadish, 1990).…”

“It was only harmless banter!” The development and preliminary validation of the moral disengagement in sexual harassment scale

“…Euphemistic labeling, on the other hand, involves the use of sanitizing language to cognitively disguise the appearance and meaning of harmful behavior. This occurs when harassers protest that their actions were only "harmless fun" (Kelly, 1988), "flirting," "banter," "joking" (Tata, 2000) or a "prank" (Bill & Naus, 1992) when confronted with the act. Advantageous comparison involves comparing transgressive conduct to behavior that is considered worse and more flagrant.…”

Moral disengagement as a self-regulatory process in sexual harassment perpetration at work: A preliminary conceptualization

“…They may insist their actions were only Òplay,Ó a ÒgameÓ (Quinn, 2002), or simply innocent Òflirting,Ó Òbanter,Ó ÒjokingÓ (Tata, 2000) or a ÒprankÓ (Bill & Naus, 1992). The use of humor may also disguise the harm inherent in sexually harassing behavior.…”

“…The use of humor may also disguise the harm inherent in sexually harassing behavior. Bill and Naus (1992), for instance, found that the more humorous a series of hypothetical sexist scenarios were rated by male participants, the less likely these individuals were to perceive the scenarios as sexist, and the more accepting and approving they were of sexist behavior. The use of humor may even provide a moral amnesty enabling sexual harassers to deny responsibility for their actions, dismissing any harm or hostility conveyed by their behavior as Òkidding aroundÓ or a ÒjokeÓ (Tata, 2000).…”