Laughing at Sexist Jokes on TV: Implications of Sexist Humor in Lebanese Media
Does sexist humor in media increase tolerance of sexism and discrimination?
Sexism appears to be a persistent and serious challenge for women in Lebanon, as March 2021 was remarkably derogatory for women hosted on national television. Indeed, former MP Paula Yacoubian was humiliated in an episode of “It’s Time” that aired on March 5, 2021, on MTV channel.
Not only was she repeatedly interrupted, accused of being a liar and a thief, but also received sexist remarks from a male guest. As he was narrating his nationalistic history, MP Hikmat Dib stopped to say “I don’t know on whose lap she [Yacoubian] was sitting at the time,” (Megaphone, 2021).
The host, Marcel Ghanem, laughed his eyeballs out in response to this sexist remark, which arguably trivializes sexism and makes it appear as a joke. This raises a huge question mark on the dangerous effects of sexist humor in media. As such, it is worth exploring the implications of sexist humor in Lebanese media as well as how we can confront sexism through media.
Sexism, Gender Roles, and Media
Sexism is rooted in gender inequality; it can be defined as “any expression (act, word, image, gesture) based on the idea that some persons, most often women, are inferior because of their sex” (Council of Europe, 2020). There are two types of sexism, one of which is hostile sexism that is usually resentfully expressed towards women who do not follow traditional gender roles, and benevolent sexism that is expressed in a gentler way towards women who do conform to such gender roles (Mastari et al., 2019).
The symbolic interaction theory attributes the development of gender roles to the process of socialization (Copenhaver, 2002), which is “the lifelong process through which individuals learn their culture, develop their potential, and become functioning members of society” (Lindsey, 1997). The process of socialization allows for different mechanisms in society to pass on as well as reinforce distinct gender roles. The presentation of gender in media can influence gender roles in the sense that it can either serve to reinforce or challenge accepted gender behavior for women and men.
The way gender is currently presented in media appears to reinforce stereotyped gender roles, as current research suggests that gender stereotypes are found across various media outlets. Indeed, Collins (2011) found that women tend to be depicted “in traditionally feminine (i.e., stereotyped) roles… as nonprofessionals, homemakers, wives or parents, and sexual gatekeepers”. The prevalence of such gender stereotypes in media has huge implications on the media’s potential to reinforce stereotyped gender roles, considering the media’s ability to shape our social reality.
According to Gerbner’s theory of cultivation, messages found across media outlets cultivate public beliefs. He contends that widespread messages form “a common culture through which communities cultivate shared and public notions about facts, values, and contingencies of human existence” (Gerbner, 1969). Considering that gender stereotypes are prevalent in media, and widespread messages may largely shape public beliefs, the general public would be more inclined to endorse gender stereotypes.
The endorsement of gender stereotypes may indirectly perpetuate hostile sexism since people tend to have sexist attitudes towards people who do not conform to stereotyped gender roles. However, the implications of sexism are amplified when sexist remarks are seen as merely funny jokes, especially because humor conveys that the content at hand is to be interpreted playfully as opposed to seriously and critically. Sexist humor indeed allows for the insulting, demeaning, stereotyping, victimizing, and/or objectifying of a person based on their gender (Woodzicka &, Ford 2010).
Research has shown that perceiving sexist jokes as just being harmless, funny jokes not only increases the chances of women experiencing distress and harassment but also increases tolerance of sexism and discrimination. Indeed, Mallett et al. (2016) found that humor reduced perceptions of sexism in the speaker. As these perceptions decreased, so did women’s confronting and tolerance of sexist behavior and harassment.
Ultimately, humor increases the danger of sexist remarks and makes it even more difficult to confront as compared to remarks that challenge sexism.
Sexism in Lebanese Media
Arab cultures, including the Lebanese culture, are characterized by traditional norms that include stereotyped gender roles. This is evident in a study where participants in Lebanon described the ideal man as being the sole provider for the family, a decision-maker, as well as an authority figure, whereas an ideal woman was described as being the good housewife and mother who is devoted to her family (Usta et al. 2015).
It is also apparent from the remarks of many public figures in Lebanon. For example, interior minister Mohamed Fahmi suggested that women start cooking as an alternative to the ban on deliveries during a coronavirus lockdown (Ayoubi, 2020) and claimed that women would not be able to be successful at his job because they cannot lower their standards to certain levels of society (MEE staff, 2020). Another example is that of singer Nina Abdel Malak who claimed that the fundamental role of every woman is to be a mother and that a woman’s main purpose in life is reproduction and childrearing (Majzoub, 2020).
Given the prevalence of stereotyped gender roles in Lebanon, it is no surprise that women who do not conform to these gender roles end up experiencing hostile sexism. Female politicians in Lebanon most prominently face sexism from the general public. Indeed, newly appointed female ministers were sexualized and objectified on social media, disregarding their qualifications (Naji, 2020). Moreover, Lebanese women in leadership positions tend to face criticism and hostility for being too outspoken. For example, Joumana Haddad, an independent candidate, and women’s rights activist was criticized for being impolite and received sexist remarks for her personal opinion on social and civil affairs (Issa & Jazzar, 2020).
Notably, male independent candidates do not receive remarks related to their marital status or targeted for sexual morality. Sexism in Lebanon extends to the media, as in the case of former MP Paula Yacoubian mentioned earlier. Also, male politicians often threaten female politicians to expose sexual scandals during interviews in an attempt to silence them (Al Bawaba, 2020).
Implications of Sexism in Lebanese Media
Sexist remarks are often not taken seriously by TV hosts in Lebanon, as in the case of Marcel Ghanem who laughed when his guest gave a sexist remark to another guest. While humor has been shown to facilitate tolerance for sexism and discrimination, one cannot help but wonder if this is amplified in the case of media, such as national television. In an attempt to understand the effect of humor in the context of sexism in Lebanese media, I used the content analysis method to analyze the public opinion on the matter using data from (1) Megaphone’s Facebook post and Instagram post, and (2) semi-structural interviews.
Megaphone (2021a, 2021b) posted a video on both Facebook and Instagram titled “SEXISM: FPM’S ANSWER IN POLITICS” in which MP Hikmat Dib attacked former MP Paula Yacoubian and made several sexist jokes during an episode of “It’s Time”, hosted by Marcel Ghanem on MTV channel. From Megaphone’s Facebook post’s 513 reactions, it appears that a fair amount of people was angry about the video (21.87% reacted with the “Angry” emoticon) and others found it amusing (14.45% reacted with the “Haha” emoticon).
In terms of comments, 12 themes emerged from the analysis of 474 comments (56.54% females, 36.61% males, 4.85% unknown) from the Instagram and Facebook posts: criticism of Marcel Ghanem, general negative comments, criticism of Hikmat Dib, support for Paula Yacoubian, negative emoticons, mention of political parties, criticism of the show “It’s Time”, other, criticism of content concerning Lebanon, patriarchy, support for Hikmat Dib, criticism of Paula Yacoubian.
Although drawing conclusions from these data may not be entirely accurate as they are probably not representative of the Lebanese population, the findings suggest that people generally recognized that Ghanem’s response to Dib’s comments was problematic.
Indeed, 48% of those who criticized Ghanem particularly criticized the fact that he laughed in response to the sexist remark. One Instagram user called Marcel out for his lack of professionalism,
“Let’s not focus on what that ignorant human being just said to Paula, the fact that Marcel was dying from laughter instead of controlling this so-called debate shows that he doesn’t deserve to be a TV host.” (F)
However, it is important to note that those who commented on these posts may be light television viewers as opposed to heavy television viewers, which may influence their chances of challenging what is presented on television. Gerbner (1986) argues that the extent to which television shapes our ideas of social reality varies according to the amount of time spent watching television. While television becomes a primary source of knowledge for those who are heavy viewers, light viewers tend to seek information from other outlets.
Moreover, television largely shapes the heavy viewer’s worldviews, while light viewers tend to have diverging views. Individuals who are relatively older and perhaps uneducated tend to spend more time on television, especially those who are not tech-savvy, compared to youth who usually resort to other media outlets, such as social media like Instagram and Facebook.
In addition, the majority criticized Ghanem’s laughter, but only around 10% of the users presented the issue of sexism as a real problem. This could mean that the fact that humor was involved, the seriousness of confronting sexism was diminished. Perhaps if someone calls something out in the media, people are more likely to be critical about it or give it a second thought.
It could be the case that because people saw an Instagram or Facebook post with people in the comments problematizing Ghanem’s laughter, they recognized that there was a problem. However, if someone laughs about a sexist joke, you might probably think that it’s normal and it’s funny, especially if we live in a patriarchal society. One user particularly commented on how humor may normalize sexist remarks,
“Politically Paula is just another piece of their puzzle, but this way of communication should never be accepted, and please point out that the stupid host is still laughing and normalizing these comments on TV.” (M)
Essentially, the dangerous implications of humor in Lebanese media appear to trivialize the seriousness of sexism. Although people may acknowledge that there is a problem, people are less likely to take sexism seriously, let alone, identify it as sexism, if it is joked about. This is particularly amplified if sexist humor is in the media because it tends to have a huge influence on the way our social reality is shaped.
Confronting Sexism Through Media
Acknowledging a problem is not enough, as we need to address and confront it. It is noteworthy to note that only 7% of the users showed support to Paula Yacoubian and almost none mentioned anything about confronting sexism. Although the problem lies in the media, it is still possible to confront sexism through it.
The media has the power to promote gender equality in three main ways. First, media can aid in breaking gender stereotypes by producing gender-sensitive and gender-transformative content. Second, media can challenge traditional social and cultural norms as well as attitudes towards gender roles. Third, media can showcase successful women in leadership roles and as experts daily as opposed to occasionally.
It is critical to encourage the media industry to generate gender-transformative content and implement self-regulatory equality policies, including access to decision-making positions. Monitoring and assessment frameworks must be developed in order to evaluate the sector’s progress, thereby achieving gender equality in content, workplace, and management.
Enforcing policies that ensure gender-sensitive and gender-transformative content may be a long shot in Lebanon, considering the absence of state support and presence. However, we, as Lebanese, can work collectively to confront sexism through media. Not only can we create sexism awareness campaigns on social media, but we could also take advantage of influential social media accounts, such as Megaphone, to try to address the issue of sexism as a serious one.
We need to reject sexist humor everywhere–especially in media–in order to challenge sexism in our society at large, because its implications may endanger the possibility of addressing it as an issue that needs to be confronted.
