Artikel

Het fenomeen van de schuine moppen en de taboeëring van de seksuele communicatie: quid?

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Abstract

Sexual humour and sexual taboo: quid ? — In our society all activity that aims at sexual gratification is culturally defined as strictly private. Hence, making human sexuality the object of communication remains problematic as long as such communication in one way or another reminds the communication partners of this aspect of gratification. How, then, shall we interpret the vast phenomenon of sexual humour ? Does it or does it not oppose the postulate of the so-called sexual taboo, i.e. the social isolation of sexually gratifying activity into the sphere of privacy ? The relation between sexual humour and sexual taboo can be understood in the light of Zijderveld’s theory on humour. In this view, humour is essentially a game played in the socially structured field of symbolization ; a game that consists in restructuring this field in a most personal manner by upsetting the traditional patterns of symbolization. Briefly, humour consists in a jocular negation of the cultural traditions. As such, it makes for continuity in social life rather than for change. Indeed, puzzling and even disturbing as it may be, the (humorous) deviation from traditional norms precisely points to the need for these norms. This holds for sexual humour as well: to the extent that this humour reveals the negation of our traditional sexual norms and therefore raises disgust just as much as a laugh, it tends to corroborate these traditional norms. In conclusion, sexual humour and sexual taboo are not irreconcilable ; on the contrary, sexual humour reinforces this taboo.

How to Cite:

Vandekerckhove, L., (1981) “Het fenomeen van de schuine moppen en de taboeëring van de seksuele communicatie: quid?”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 26(4), 303–315. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.94805