Raúl Pérez, associate professor of sociology, discussed his article “Racist Humor and Right-Wing Enjoyment Among Latinos in the U.S.” Tuesday in the Quay Davis Board Room before an audience of about 30.
This article is based on Pérez’s book, “The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy,” published in 2022, and his further research on the topic.
“When this kind of stuff happens within a racial community, and we don’t have an adequate language or framework or a way to better understand, it can be pretty jarring and confusing,” Pérez said.
“This isn’t something that’s only happening within Latino communities, it’s happening (among) other people,” Pérez added.
Pérez said that racist forms of amusement are rooted in the history of racism and white supremacy.
For his research he explored humor, considered power structures, racism and social conflict.
He shared a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center regarding racist humor in Latino communities. Almost half of the Latinos responding to the survey, 48%, had heard racist jokes about Latinos.
He added that there is not a lot of research out there on the effects of racist humor on the communities.
“(But) It is something that we know happens,” Pérez said. “That’s what motivated me to write this to begin with.”
Alessandro Morosin, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, noted that racist humor is a multiracial issue.
“No one is immune, no social group is immune from committing oppression,” Morosin said. “Even groups of people who are historically discriminated against today, whether it’s Latinos, Asian people, Jewish people, none of us are immune and white Americans don’t have a monopoly on racism.”
—Cassidy Diaz
Cassidy Diaz is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. She is also news editor for the Campus Times, and previously served as an assistant editor and a staff writer.
Jesse Juarez is a senior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. A camera has been a very powerful tool and a vessel of expression for him. While originally focused on portraits and fashion photography, his work is continuously evolving. His other work can be found at jessejxo199x.edublogs.org.
