Humour as Aggression: The Case of Ho Lahla Mollo among Students at the National University of Lesotho

Abstract

Humour is one of the most prevalent features of social life. It pervades human interaction and even occurs in situations where it is not normally regarded as appropriate. Humour has several other functions in human conversation besides just making people laugh. Using a form of joke prevalent among students at the National University of Lesotho known as ho lahla mollo, this paper seeks to demonstrate that humour can be used to express aggression. Ho lahla mollo literally means to throw fire at (someone). The practice is also referred to as ho thonya which literally means to shoot with a gun. The depiction of humour as an act of throwing fire at or shooting someone with a gun illustrates the paradoxical nature of humour. While it often promotes positive feelings and encourages social cohesion, as in the case of ho lahla mollo, it can also be used as a form of aggression.

Keywords: humour, symbolic, joke, aggression, violence