Trash Talk

October 23, 2023
In this rollicking survey, sports writer Kohan (The Arena) examines how trash talk, which he calls “a specific form of incivility” that “allows people to communicate when they’re going head-to-head,” functions in sports, the military, stand-up comedy, and politics. Though athletes usually trash-talk their opponents “in hopes of interfering with their concentration or otherwise diminishing their performance,” Kohan notes that L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant “used verbal and physical challenges to feel out guys in his own locker room,” believing he could rely on those who bantered back to give their all on the court. Studying incivility in politics, Kohan contends that the insults Donald Trump throws at his political adversaries create an us-versus-them dynamic that strengthens his base’s identification with him. Elsewhere, Kohan discusses how the U.S. Army prepares soldiers for possible capture with drills that involve shouting personalized invective at them and how comedians negotiate going “too far” when roasting each other. Kohan’s nuanced inquiry highlights trash talk’s surprisingly diverse applications, and he’s never less than entertaining (“To call it dark humor would be a disservice to Pantone charts everywhere,” Kohan writes of the withering insults at a comedy roast). This is a blast.

November 1, 2023
An entertaining study of the taunts and insults that pervade sports and the larger culture. Consider the dozens, "a ritualized insult game endemic to Black communities" that is both playful and (sometimes literally) deadly serious, always designed to get inside your opponent's head. Take it up a few notches, and you have Muhammad Ali, "the veritable godfather of modern trash talk." Though an ascended master of trash talk, Ali was no pioneer. Kohan, the author of The Arena, traces it a couple of centuries back, locating incivility in American politics as well as sports and popular culture. The author opens with modern professional wrestling and MMA competitions, where bigmouth putdowns are the currency of the realm. He effectively links this nasty (if often staged) streak to what he calls the "Trump disinhibition effect" of the present, where Ali would seem the most diffident of interlocutors against the blustering ex-president, who promulgated an ethos ranging "from general rudeness to outright dickishness, in politics and well beyond." In this light, Kohan cites instances where insult comics backed off, recognizing that their poking fun was crossing the line into verbal abuse. The author deeply examines the psychology of trash talk, connecting it to the more positive quality of empathy--for, as primatologist Frans de Waal tells him, "In order to be cruel, you need to know what is hurtful to someone." Kohan is also enough of a connoisseur of trash talk to distinguish the effective but relatively harmless slapdown from racist, misogynist, homophobic, or downright mean slurs--again a product of that disinhibition effect, which seems to be the current state of what should instead be a fine art of genteel character assassination. A treat for students of language, as well as would-be Don Rickles heirs looking to hone their craft.

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November 1, 2023
In this thoroughly reported, example-laden look at "trash talk," Kohan (The Arena, 2017) makes a compelling case for the power of words. "Sportsmanship is overrated," says former NFL player Malcolm Jenkins. Indeed, Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor wins, in part, by cruelly toying with adversaries, belittling and baiting them. Of course, using threats in combative situations is nothing new. In the Bible, Kohan reminds us, David told Goliath, "I will strike you down and cut off your head." Kohan shares many more examples from sports, the military, and entertainment. Radio comedians Jack Benny and Fred Allen conducted a famous (and fake) feud to draw in an audience. But smack talk is very real and integral to competition. Mean words can hurt opponents and psychologically help the person who says them. Should victims, whether they're on a playing field or in military training, respond to verbal abuse and humiliation? No, says Kohan. Instead, when buttons are pushed, we should try to control our emotions, stay rational, and prove the meanies wrong. Good advice for anyone under any circumstances.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.