My Reply to Davies' Criticism of My Argument "Structural Functions of the Targeted Joke"

What is it about?

I have, on a few occasions, critiqued Christie Davies’ “exculpatory” attitude toward humor (Weaver 2011: 9), especially his denial of the role jokes might play vis-à-vis the social order (Abedinifard 2012, Abedinifard 2013a, Abedinifard 2013b, Abedinifard 2015, and Abedinifard 2016b). I was initially pleased to learn that my latest, more detailed criticism had encouraged him to enter into the conversation; however, in his critical reply, Davies has demonstrated little interest in advancing a dialogue. Davies’ response, as I show below, reveals his misapprehension and misrepresentation of my critique, while also featuring eristic arguments and self-contradictory evidence.

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