Joseph Addison, a renowned essayist of the 18th century, wrote in The Spectator about ridicule and its devastating and lasting effect on those who are persistently jeered and mocked at. Ridicule is an overtly hostile act that is intended to cause contemptuous laughter and inflict humiliation among individuals. Ridicule and mockery is greatly utilized when a specific individual or certain group possesses a particular human behavior, vice, or social issue that is not of the norm. Ridicule can also be employed around individuals that are exceedingly acquainted with each other. Forms of ridicule and mockery are constantly seen through the media, through individuals and groups, and through literary devices such as magazines, novels, and newspapers. I strongly believe that all forms of ridicule should no longer persist in American culture due to the offensive results it can have on an individual or group.