‘That wasn't meant to be funny’: mirth and the porn scholar

ABSTRACT

Porn studies scholars have to deal with a variety of tiresome, annoying, and sometimes alarming reactions to their research. One of the more common reactions is that of laughter, even when there is nothing discernibly funny about what the scholar is explaining. In this article, I explore the amused reactions of interested colleagues and acquaintances, tying these responses to the way that humour functions in pornography itself, and proposing the possibility of deploying humour as a useful transition into more complex discussion and incorporating it as a fruitful pedagogical tool.

KEYWORDS:

• Humour
• pedagogy
• porn scholarship
• academia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Not Bewitched (Ryder 2008). The blurb promises ‘perfect tits, ass, and pusy’. Judging by online DVD retailers, the blurb was later fixed.

2 In the opening credits to League of Frankenstein (Bush 2015), Digital Playground is spelled ‘Digtal Playground’.

3 In a fascinating development, YouTube contains what is promised to be a teaser for an actual Lawrence of Alabia feature to be found at Bootybox.com. However, the teaser was posted several years after this title and its accompanying (fake) poster art made the rounds online, suggesting that the film was made in response to the fake title. The ostensible director Paul Carder does indeed produce content for Bootybox and has several parody titles under his belt, but I could not find a trace of Lawrence of Alabia. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN6qsR69grg (accessed January 18, 2018).

4 See, for example, the face-sitting protest orchestrated in London, UK, reported on in ‘Face-Sitting Protest Outside Parliament Against New Porn Rules.’ The Guardian, December 12, 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/dec/12/face-sitting-protest-outside-parliament-against-new-porn-rules (accessed January 18, 2018).