Conversations at The Lake Merritt - Lecture Series

The Irony of Satire and the Promise of Anecdotes: Different Forms of Racial Comedy Have Different Relationships to Racial Prejudice
 

Racial comedy has been defended by some comedians as an effective manner by which to reduce prejudice for adults. However, some academics and social commentators believe that racial comedy may only serve to increase racial prejudice. Who is right and who is wrong? Scientific evidence suggests that the answer depends on the type of racial comedy used. Anecdotal racial comedy (i.e., pointing out humorous differences between racial groups that are not well-known or negative stereotypes) appears to decrease racial prejudice. However, racial satire (i.e., hyperbolizing existing negative stereotypes) appears to increase racial prejudice. 

 

Faciliated by Charlotte Tate.  Charlotte Tate, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University, where she studies the causes and consequences of as well as ways to reduce prejudice and discrimination. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in Social/Personality Psychology in 2006.