Jokes in contrast to stereotypes

Abstract

The article deals with the role of jokes in the changing of stereotypes of people with disabilities. The analysis is based on verbal jokes and memes collected online, disseminated by the disabled themselves – therefore, they are not malicious but closer to what Kleiner called a well-meaning and loving laughter. They help build a community and at the same time allow people from outside of it to cope with their fear of otherness, to reconstruct their stereotype of the disabled. This is achieved by activating contradictory conceptual frames, a mechanism that evokes a comical effect, relieving the tension that arises in contact with the different and the unknown. One of the frames is the stereotype of the disabled person, marked with Goffman’s stigma, which downplays all their features except their visible disability: the person is viewed as someone on a wheelchair, without a hand, etc. The inclusion of a person in the category “disabled” activates a stereotypical, culturally grounded knowledge – incorrect but providing a sense of security. The features stereotypically attributed by Poles to disabled people are discussed with reference to sociological research. A safe laughter at the Other facilitates a change of cognitive schemata, and as a result can change the stigma of disability prevalent in Polish society.