Episode #03: Disparagement humour and gendered racism on social media in Brazil

“It was just a joke!” It’s a common excuse used to dismiss racist comments online, minimizing the harm they inflict. But what happens when “humour” becomes a weapon, used to reinforce prejudice and maintain social inequalities?

This episode delves into the disturbing reality of racist disparagement humour, exploring how it’s specifically used to target Black Brazilian women, particularly those experiencing upward social mobility—women breaking barriers and achieving success in a society marked by deep-seated inequalities.

The statistics are alarming: in 2017, Brazil reported over 63,000 cases of online hate speech, with a third being racially motivated. Even more shockingly, research reveals that upwardly mobile Black women represent a staggering 81% of racism victims on Facebook in Brazil. This highlights a clear pattern of targeted harassment.

Thus, we’ll discuss a research paper addressing this phenomenon which unpacks how this type of humour reinforces harmful stereotypes about Black women, challenges their achievements, and perpetuates the idea that they don’t belong in certain social spaces.

For additional information, read the full article available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2019.1689278