WE’VE all heard the term ‘banter’; often it is teamed with the words ‘harmless’ and ‘it’s a joke’.

This so-called playful teasing is often based on inequalities and power play.

Over the past year there have been examples in the media of powerful and high profile figures such as football pundits and TV presenters offending people with racist and sexist comments that were passed off as banter but were then later retracted and apologies made after a plethora of complaints from the general public.

Earlier this month the head of the army expressed his disappointment at figures implying that almost 40 per cent of servicewomen had “received unwanted comments of a sexual nature in the past year” and most recently The Garrick ‘gentleman’s’ Club in Covent Garden, London voted to keep women out to maintain camaraderie and ‘banter’.

This continued trend for passing sexism and misogyny off as ‘harmless banter’ could be why so few of the servicewomen reported the harassment they experienced, even when it was particularly upsetting.

All too often ‘banter’ is sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or pokes fun at a marginalised community.

This may be amusing for the privileged person dishing it out but for those on the receiving end it communicates that they are not welcome and not respected.

Women and people of colour are often doubly oppressed with references to race, religion and sexual orientation included and they often experience the limiting nature of the subtle but effective harassment that is disguised as banter two-fold.

  • Carmel Offord and Jessica Woodfall are feminists and activists for the No More Page 3 campaign