US election: how Trump and his followers use offensive humour to make prejudice acceptable

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Hannity asked Trump to guarantee he would not abuse his power or seek retribution if he was reelected in 2024.

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The Conversation

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https://theconversation.com/us-election-how-trump-and-his-followers-use-offensive-humour-to-make-prejudice-acceptable-221364

Retrieved on:

Friday, February 16, 2024

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Trouble, Internet, Woman, Survivor, Violence, Solidarity, Democrat, Research, Joke, Republican, Trump, Prejudice, Pleasure, Hope, House, Fear, Roe v. Wade, The Daily Show, News, Prisoner, Fox News, Orientation, Politics, Relation, Athlete, Speech, Assault, Justice, Entertainment

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IOWA

Summary

Key Points:

Hannity asked Trump to guarantee he would not abuse his power or seek retribution if he was reelected in 2024.
But evidence suggests that Trump may, in fact, abuse power and seek retribution if he regains the presidency.
For example, Trump hinted that he will use the Department of Justice to persecute his political adversaries.
So Trump’s jokey response may tell the truth, or at least a distorted version of the truth.
But what’s different is the type of humour that Trump and the politicians that follow him indulge in.
Telling an offensive joke serves up prejudice and hatred with a side order of irony.
Delivered with a nod and a wink, humour reassures us that it’s all just “a bit of fun”.

Joking aside

In his 1905 book The Joke and its Relation to the Unconscious, Freud argued that jokes – especially offensive ones – reveal our inner urges.
We are trained from an early age to be kind and polite to other people.
But offensive jokes let us temporarily pause social prohibitions and flirt with our innermost fantasies.
After all, Trump was only joking about being a dictator.

Nick Butler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.