Verbal Abuse as Child Discipline

Contesting Adult Power in Mark Angel Comedy

Abstract

Although many studies have been carried out on child humor in Nigeria, especially, on Mark Angel comedy, an internet humor mode, they have often ignored the imbalance of the power structure between the adult and the child. Thus, this study argues that evident in the power structure skewed in favor of the adult is the resort to verbal abuse as a tool for disciplining the child. The essay argues that the adult construes the child's expressive observations as resistance to the adult mode of life. The ultimate result is that the child does not achieve a symphony with his/her environment which stunts his/her development, so he/she deploys a defense mechanism to protect his/her conscious thought processes from any form of antagonism the adult poses. This essay draws on the concept of adultism to highlight the disciplinary power expressed in the form of verbal abuse exercised by adults over children. It reveals how the adult assumes the dominant role, while the child's actions become secondary, leading to the suppression of the child's thoughts as a consequence of verbal abuse. The essay unearths how the power exercised causes the child to abide by the adult’s will, thereby, shriveling up the child’s thoughts and ideas. Examining skits that mostly exhibit the above scenario of verbal abuse as a response to child contestation of adult action, this essay concludes that an adult’s abusive behavior is essentially psychologically impactful on a child’s behavior, and leaves a huge stratum of the child’s consciousness undeveloped.