5 Easy Ways to Deal with Sexist (or any kind of -ist) Humour at Work or Anywhere Really!

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a sexist, racist or any other kind of stereotypical joke or comment? I would imagine your answer is a resounding “Yes”! And how many times have you heard someone make a joke that insults someone else—but not been sure what to say? Well, this article is for you!

It seems like it’s finally becoming acceptable to speak up and call it out. Not that it’s easy yet, but the mood is shifting…

Which is great, because none of us are safe from discrimination until EVERYone is respected as an equal—no matter your race, gender, sexual preference/orientation, religion, size, ability, age etc.

Consider that as long as discrimination is acceptable towards one type of human—then it can easily shift onto another.

And this means that it’s important to speak up (when safe to do so) when someone makes an inappropriate comment or joke. So in this article we’re going to take a look at specifically how to do that and some of the things to watch out for.

Jokes are more damaging than they seem…
Have you noticed how the worst sexists and racists get away with it—over and over again—because it’s said with a laugh, a nod and a wink?

Growing up, I remember bristling at sexist jokes which were common in England at that time. I would get defensive and angrily say something, and mostly just got laughed at—or told I was too sensitive: “It’s just a joke!”.

But it isn’t, is it?

Conveniently for the speaker, when something is said as a joke, it makes it much harder to speak up without being seen as over-reacting.

Jokes which target a particular type of human are a crafty and subtle way to put people down in a “socially acceptable” manner. Humour literally “softens” the blow, and this reduces the perception that the speaker is being discriminatory.

And this makes jokes and offhand remarks a great way to make others feel smaller. They can embarrass, shame and humiliate. And they leave the joke teller (and those who share in the joke) ‘one-up’ on whoever is being made fun of.