GREED, LIES AND NEGOTIABLE JUSTICE: STEREOTYPED LAWYER IN AMERICAN LAWYER JOKES
GREED, LIES AND NEGOTIABLE JUSTICE: STEREOTYPED LAWYER IN AMERICAN LAWYER JOKES
Author(s): Anna T. LitovkinaSubject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Cultural history, Customs / Folklore, History of Law, Recent History (1900 till today), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Akadémiai Kiadó
Keywords: lawyer; joke; American; stereotypical trait; negative;
Summary/Abstract: In the early 1980s, a new joke cycle appeared in the USA, and has continued to flourish ever since. This is a lawyer joke cycle. Lawyer jokes have been published in book form, and have also been displayed on various American websites. Why is it the lawyer, and not the representative of any other profession or occupation, who is permanently made fun of in so many American jokes? What are the dominant stereotypical traits of a lawyer? What negative features is he hated for? Does the lawyer’s stereotype in American lawyer jokes contain any truth? These and many other questions could be asked in regard to American lawyer jokes. The present study focuses on stereotypical traits of lawyers. All the jokes quoted and discussed in the study can be found with references to their Internet sources. The vast majority of jokes were collected from hundreds of websites in spring 2009.
Journal: Acta Ethnographica Hungarica
- Issue Year: 56/2011
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 227-248
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF