#CleanHumor Newsletter (12.18.19)

'Tis the season to be jolly! Indeed, social gatherings during the holidays are a great time to be festive and model our activations! 

Who doesn't want a good laugh? We sure do! But we also want gender equality. Hence #CleanHumor, aka jokes that are kept free from "isms" (sexism, racism...), homophobia, bigotry, and the like. 

Offensive humor in the form of sexist or racial jokes have psychological implications which contributes to the ongoing cycle of gender inequality. There is power in the language that we use, so much so, that one study found sexist humor decreased male perceptions of the seriousness of rape. Another study found offensive jokes act "as a releaser of existing prejudice."

The bottom line is that it is never acceptable to laugh at the expense of others' identity. It's also not enough to not to personally make these jokes; it's on each of us to ensure that those around us also understand the harm that is done through sexist, racist, homophobic, or ethnic jokes and innuendos.

The power of our individual actions and interventions will slowly, yet surely, bend the arc towards positive culture change.