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Philosophers including Plato and Descartes largely dismissed laughter and suggested people used humor primarily to establish superiority or in-group status, by making jokes at others’ expense.—Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2025 They are left wielding the tools of instrumentality: in-groups and cliques, buying effort through more money, coercive employment agreements and suits against whistleblowers.—Dave Winsborough, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025 Tattoos can connote in-group belonging or membership to a subculture.—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025 In the right-wing nationalist movement that Trump leads, gutter antisemitism is often considered a cheeky transgression and a sign of in-group belonging.—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 1 May 2025 Democrats have moved in the opposite direction during that time, Gallup found — pointing at the role in-group conversations play in driving support for or opposition to climate action.—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025 Psychologists call these categories in-groups and out-groups.—Julia Standefer, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025
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