Disability is no laughing matter. A critical discourse analysis of disability mockery on social media in Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of literature addressing the surge of different types of online harassment (e.g. hate speech, misogyny, racism, religious intolerance, cyberbullying, revenge porn, homophobia, etc.). Yet, despite the undeniable contribution brought by this literature, there is still another aspect that remains underexplored. That is, the interplay between politically motivated hate speech and disability. Furthermore, the potential harm and adverse societal impacts of this type of manifestation can be amplified when triggered by extremist far-right political discourses. Thus, to examine this phenomenon and unpack the embedded meaning of this type of social media discourse, the present study develops a critical discourse analysis on a sample of 160 comments publicly available on YouTube belittling the current Brazil president’s disability (who lost a finger during his youth). The investigation reveals that many social media users find amusement in somebody else’s disability. However, mocking this condition represents a way to remove a person’s value and reduce them solely to their physical or mental impairment, independently of the level of severity. Ultimately, this sort of discursive strategy objectifies the individual, disregards the disability condition and turns them into a laughable object.