Propagating Impoliteness: Disaffiliative humour and attitudes towards the elderly in media discourse.

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ain Shams University WOMEN'S College

Abstract

In recent years, impoliteness came to be utilized as a source of humour to inflict funny reactions on viewers in different media outlets such as sitcoms, stand-up comedies, Facebook posts, advertisements, talk shows, prank shows and competition programs. Stereotyping the elders and their aging process is a way of promoting negative attitude towards them which most probably has an unfavorable influence on their physical and mental health along with their positive or negative face.
In the light of a detailed review and application of Culpeper's impoliteness theory along with Dynel's incongruity/superiority theory, the current paper delved into examining the utilisation of humorous impoliteness towards the elders in media discourse. The motive behind the impoliteness in all analysed excerpts is to entertain even if the means to achieve this end is derogatory to the elders' face. As such, media producers exhibit their power/superiority over the age group of elders and invite the viewers to follow suit.

Through the power differential between the elders and media makers, impoliteness in the analysed data is found to be communicated by various means. First, it is communicated by using falling intonation and elongation of words in some situations. Second, by using direct and indirect sarcasm, disaffiliative humour is communicated and audiences are entertained. Finally, laughter is found to communicate impoliteness through its misplacement in situations that do not call for it.

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References

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