A slap in the face : why insults hurt and why they shouldn't
Record details
- ISBN: 9780199934454 (hardcover)
-
Physical Description:
vi, 253 pages ; 19 cm
print - Publisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, [2013]
- Copyright: ©2013
Content descriptions
General Note: | New October 2014. |
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Insult arsenal -- Words like daggers -- Subtle digs -- Bludgeoned with praise -- Benign insults -- Insult psychology -- World of hurt -- Who gets hurt? -- Why we insult -- Dealing with insults -- Personal responses to insults -- Societal responses to insults -- Insults, the inner game -- Insights -- Works cited -- Index. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Resilience (Personality trait) Invective PHILOSOPHY / General |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Prince Rupert Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prince Rupert Library | 155.2 Irvi (Text) | 33294001853019 | Adult Non-Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
Summary:
William Irvine undertakes a wide-ranging investigation of insults, their history, the role they play in social relationships, and the science behind them, examining not just memorable zingers, such as Elizabeth Bowen's description of Aldous Huxley as "The stupid person's idea of a clever person," but subtle insults as well, such as when someone insults us by reporting the insulting things others have said about us: "I never read bad reviews about myself," wrote entertainer Oscar Levant, "because my best friends invariably tell me about them." Irvine also considers the role insults play in our society: they can be used to cement relations, as when a woman playfully teases her husband, or to enforce a social hierarchy, as when a boss publicly berates an employee. He goes on to investigate the many ways society has tried to deal with insults-by adopting codes of politeness, for example, and outlawing hate speech-but concludes that the best way to deal with insults is to immunize ourselves against them: We need to transform ourselves in the manner recommended by Stoic philosophers. We should, more precisely, become insult pacifists, trying hard not to insult others and laughing off their attempts to insult us.