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ABSTRACT
This qualitative study into Australian manhood featured 63 men discussing 'acceptable' masculinity. Homophobic humour emerged as central to the formation of Australian male identity, but it had the potential to induce violence and emotional damage when the 'humour' moved along a malleable continuum from good-natured banter to abuse. Significantly, it was men of all sexualities who were targeted, indicating that it was non-conformity to gender norms as well as sexuality being policed, as boys and men used humour to control and humiliate each other. Recollections of these instances ranged from 'it was just a joke' for some perpetrators, to 'orchestrated cruelty' for men who had been victimised. Some of the latter group reported depression extending into their adult lives based on their youthful experiences. Understanding the impact when humour goes 'beyond a joke' is important for policy makers, educators and healthcare workers, as a potential for emotional damage and physical violence is highlighted. The study highlights the importance of understanding masculinity as an influence on men's health and wellness.
KEYWORDS: homophobia; masculinity; bullying; jokes; sociology; Australia
INTRODUCTION
The modern view of gender and sexuality is that they are not purely essential aspects of the self but rather socially constructed (Connell 1995; Kimmel 1996). Gender is based on a physical body which is sexed, has an evolutionary background, is subject to desires and informed by the historical/political milieu (Weeks 1985). Sexuality is seen as fluid, influenced by culture, temporal and spatial contingencies (Kinsey et al. 1949) and moulded by discourse (Foucault 1990). These positions have come to be understood by comparing understandings of acceptable gender presentation, and same- or opposite-sex behaviour in different historical periods (Boswell 1995; Chauncey 1995; Dover 1987), and other contemporary cultures (Herdt 1984; Totman 2003).
The drive to become successfully male within the context of any given culture's definition of 'successful' is mediated by cultural norms, and learning these norms is accomplished through social interaction, observation and replicating lauded behaviours. Homophobia is central in shaping heterosexual identity in terms of appropriate sexual behaviour, which in turn shapes social ideas of how successful masculine gender is constructed (McCann 2004). This paper is drawn from data collected to investigate the ways in which ideas about sexuality and gender are communicated for Australian...