In this essay I examine the ethics of offensive humor through the lens of the Benign Violation Theory, which posits that humor arises when something seems wrong (a violation) but also okay (benign). I argue that while offensive humor can cause harm by promoting stereotypes and disengaging compassion, ultimately the arguments for free speech justify allowing it, as restricting such speech could lead to a slippery slope of unjustified censorship. Instead of restriction, the better response is more speech and efforts to address the root causes inspiring offensive humor.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-226152 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Tellhed, Oskar |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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