The Fraternal Bond as a Joking Relationship: A Case Study of the Role of Sexist Jokes in Male Group Bonding Export

@inbook{citeulike:215824, abstract = {Changing Men assembles some of the most innovative and exciting research on men and masculinity. As such, it contributes to the demarcation of a new field called men's studies, as well as to the examination of masculinity within traditional academic disciplines. The contributors deal with such broad topical and methodological issues as reformulating the male role, men in domestic settings, men/women relationships, sexuality, race and gender, and future directions for men's studies. All the contributors offer scholarly treatments of the issues raised by this emerging field. Ideally suited for gender studies courses either as a text or text supplement, this distinctive volume can also be used in family studies, psychology, social psychology, and sociology courses. Changing Men "contains some very good things which make the book worth having. Two excellent papers use life history interviews: to trace the tensions in the life-course of American male athletes, especially how they handle the end of a sporting career (Messner); and to map the various strategies by which married American women handle their relations with their husbands (Gerson). A well-observed workplace ethnography looks at sexual joking in American male-dominated settings like restaurant kitchens, and the dilemmas it poses for women workers (Fine)....An intelligent piece of social psychology, informed both by Freud and a sense of historical context, looks at the role of homophobia in the construction of American heterosexual masculinity (Herek). A fine piece of history--and the one article in the book not centred on the US--looks at the interplay of sexual politics and imperialist ideology in colonial Benga (Sinha)....Finally there is a superb essay by Lyman discussing an episode of collective sexual harassment in an American university, fascinating in particular for its account of the way 'normal' gender relations were negotiated back into place after being disrupted." --Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology "A valuable addition to any reference library." --Family Life Educator "Written for anyone interested in the evolving roles of men and women in contemporary society, clinicians will find ample material to help them better understand their clients; researchers will be challenged to new vistas; and teachers will find valuable new insights into changing roles and may be challenged to add coursework about men's roles." --Family Relations "Concerning both approach and analysis, we found Kimmel's contribution interesting and inviting for further research along these lines." --The Dutch Journal of Women's Studies "[Changing Men] attempts to push back the frontiers of ignorance and stake out the new territory of men's studies. . . . This lucid book certainly establishes the potential of men's studies. It is also likely that some of the chapters will deservedly find their way onto reading lists in related academic areas." --Reviewing Sociology "An eclectic selection of writings, reflecting the aims and attitudes of the men's studies movement. They seek to examine the effect of traditional values of particular groups of men, or highlight changes in mens roles and perceptions of themselves." --Working with Men}, author = {Lyman, Peter}, booktitle = {Changing Men : New Directions in Research on Men and Masculinity (SAGE Focus Editions)}, citeulike-article-id = {215824}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&path=ASIN/080392996X}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike01-21&path=ASIN/080392996X}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike06-21&path=ASIN/080392996X}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/080392996X/citeulike00-21}, citeulike-linkout-4 = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/080392996X}, citeulike-linkout-5 = {http://www.worldcat.org/isbn/080392996X}, citeulike-linkout-6 = {http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN080392996X}, citeulike-linkout-7 = {http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?keywords=080392996X&index=books&linkCode=qs}, citeulike-linkout-8 = {http://www.librarything.com/isbn/080392996X}, comment = {Chapter Summary: In this book chapter, Lyman uses a social conflict between a fraternity and a sorority as a case study in demonstrating the roles of jokes in helping men deal with internal conflict regarding their feelings towards women and perceived loss of independence and their role in creating social bonds between men. Joking, in a sense, is how men informally learn the rules of a culture in which it is critical to understand, if only subconsciously, the differences between "strength" and "anger" in aggressive behavior, and how to "be cool." The conflict described in this chapter was part of a "ongoing relationship" between the fraternity and sorority involved, in which the men frequently used the women as accomplices in various pledge initiation rituals. In this case, what was seen as another in a series of sexual jokes by the men ("one pledge gave a speech on Freud's theory of penis envy as another demonstrated various techniques of masturbation with a rubber penis" [148], while the fraternity members surrounded the sorority members) was seen as an act of aggression and physical intimidation by the women. For a theoretical foundation, Lyman draws on various authors discussion on the role of jokes in society. He argues that jokes not only "defend social order" but that they play a specific role with regard to gender, as "the mechanism by which the order of gender domination is sustained in everyday life" (150). Here, Lyman is interested in the "emotional dymanics" of male friendship (151). Lyman first recounts the discussion group he facilitated between the men and women and follow-up interviews after the incident. The women described that they understood that what happened was supposed to be a joke, that they accepted the use of sexual jokes as it had happened in the past, but that this had been different. This particular incident, was on the verge of "assault." To the men, the rules of these were an essential part of their relationships with women and with each other and could not be sacrificed. While the men describe their relationships to each other as "friendship," Lyman argues that is is, in reality a "joking relationship" in which the the normal rules and responsibilities of everyday life are suspended in order to deal with the tension between a need for intimate relationships with women and a fear of loss of control of their own lives once they leave the fraternal bond (156-7). To the men, the joke was a form of aggressive play, much in line with many of the jokes they played on each other and constant sexual verbal exchanges that had with each other each day. Lyman contrasts "strength" with "anger" in aggressive behavior. Jokes "allow dangerous things to be said" and allow social rules to be broken in order to build up group strength that is strictly governed by rules (159). The goal is to be able to react to the aggressive behavior in a way that is "cool," not angry or losing control. Lyman concludes the chapter by discussing the role of rule-based aggression in competitive work cultures. Men feel that they have to be aggressive without being angry, and furthermore have to submit the will of the group or organization rather than challenging authority. The joking relationships the men had in the fraternity helped them learn how to participate in the work culture of adulthood that they were to enter following college.}, day = {01}, editor = {Kimmel, Michael S.}, howpublished = {Hardcover}, isbn = {080392996X}, keywords = {1digitalyouth, gender, sociology}, month = {January}, posted-at = {2005-06-01 18:19:31}, priority = {0}, publisher = {SAGE Publications}, title = {The Fraternal Bond as a Joking Relationship: A Case Study of the Role of Sexist Jokes in Male Group Bonding}, url = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/080392996X}, year = {1988} }

TY - CHAP ID - citeulike:215824 L3 - citeulike-article-id:215824 N2 - Changing Men assembles some of the most innovative and exciting research on men and masculinity. As such, it contributes to the demarcation of a new field called men's studies, as well as to the examination of masculinity within traditional academic disciplines. The contributors deal with such broad topical and methodological issues as reformulating the male role, men in domestic settings, men/women relationships, sexuality, race and gender, and future directions for men's studies. All the contributors offer scholarly treatments of the issues raised by this emerging field. Ideally suited for gender studies courses either as a text or text supplement, this distinctive volume can also be used in family studies, psychology, social psychology, and sociology courses. Changing Men "contains some very good things which make the book worth having. Two excellent papers use life history interviews: to trace the tensions in the life-course of American male athletes, especially how they handle the end of a sporting career (Messner); and to map the various strategies by which married American women handle their relations with their husbands (Gerson). A well-observed workplace ethnography looks at sexual joking in American male-dominated settings like restaurant kitchens, and the dilemmas it poses for women workers (Fine)....An intelligent piece of social psychology, informed both by Freud and a sense of historical context, looks at the role of homophobia in the construction of American heterosexual masculinity (Herek). A fine piece of history--and the one article in the book not centred on the US--looks at the interplay of sexual politics and imperialist ideology in colonial Benga (Sinha)....Finally there is a superb essay by Lyman discussing an episode of collective sexual harassment in an American university, fascinating in particular for its account of the way 'normal' gender relations were negotiated back into place after being disrupted." --Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology "A valuable addition to any reference library." --Family Life Educator "Written for anyone interested in the evolving roles of men and women in contemporary society, clinicians will find ample material to help them better understand their clients; researchers will be challenged to new vistas; and teachers will find valuable new insights into changing roles and may be challenged to add coursework about men's roles." --Family Relations "Concerning both approach and analysis, we found Kimmel's contribution interesting and inviting for further research along these lines." --The Dutch Journal of Women's Studies "[Changing Men] attempts to push back the frontiers of ignorance and stake out the new territory of men's studies. . . . This lucid book certainly establishes the potential of men's studies. It is also likely that some of the chapters will deservedly find their way onto reading lists in related academic areas." --Reviewing Sociology "An eclectic selection of writings, reflecting the aims and attitudes of the men's studies movement. They seek to examine the effect of traditional values of particular groups of men, or highlight changes in mens roles and perceptions of themselves." --Working with Men SN - 080392996X TI - The Fraternal Bond as a Joking Relationship: A Case Study of the Role of Sexist Jokes in Male Group Bonding PB - SAGE Publications T2 - Changing Men : New Directions in Research on Men and Masculinity (SAGE Focus Editions) KW - 1digitalyouth KW - gender KW - sociology N1 - Chapter Summary: In this book chapter, Lyman uses a social conflict between a fraternity and a sorority as a case study in demonstrating the roles of jokes in helping men deal with internal conflict regarding their feelings towards women and perceived loss of independence and their role in creating social bonds between men. Joking, in a sense, is how men informally learn the rules of a culture in which it is critical to understand, if only subconsciously, the differences between "strength" and "anger" in aggressive behavior, and how to "be cool." The conflict described in this chapter was part of a "ongoing relationship" between the fraternity and sorority involved, in which the men frequently used the women as accomplices in various pledge initiation rituals. In this case, what was seen as another in a series of sexual jokes by the men ("one pledge gave a speech on Freud's theory of penis envy as another demonstrated various techniques of masturbation with a rubber penis" [148], while the fraternity members surrounded the sorority members) was seen as an act of aggression and physical intimidation by the women. For a theoretical foundation, Lyman draws on various authors discussion on the role of jokes in society. He argues that jokes not only "defend social order" but that they play a specific role with regard to gender, as "the mechanism by which the order of gender domination is sustained in everyday life" (150). Here, Lyman is interested in the "emotional dymanics" of male friendship (151). Lyman first recounts the discussion group he facilitated between the men and women and follow-up interviews after the incident. The women described that they understood that what happened was supposed to be a joke, that they accepted the use of sexual jokes as it had happened in the past, but that this had been different. This particular incident, was on the verge of "assault." To the men, the rules of these were an essential part of their relationships with women and with each other and could not be sacrificed. While the men describe their relationships to each other as "friendship," Lyman argues that is is, in reality a "joking relationship" in which the the normal rules and responsibilities of everyday life are suspended in order to deal with the tension between a need for intimate relationships with women and a fear of loss of control of their own lives once they leave the fraternal bond (156-7). To the men, the joke was a form of aggressive play, much in line with many of the jokes they played on each other and constant sexual verbal exchanges that had with each other each day. Lyman contrasts "strength" with "anger" in aggressive behavior. Jokes "allow dangerous things to be said" and allow social rules to be broken in order to build up group strength that is strictly governed by rules (159). The goal is to be able to react to the aggressive behavior in a way that is "cool," not angry or losing control. Lyman concludes the chapter by discussing the role of rule-based aggression in competitive work cultures. Men feel that they have to be aggressive without being angry, and furthermore have to submit the will of the group or organization rather than challenging authority. The joking relationships the men had in the fraternity helped them learn how to participate in the work culture of adulthood that they were to enter following college. AU - Lyman, Peter A2 - Kimmel, Michael PY - 1988/01/01/ UR - http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&path=ASIN/080392996X ER -