Whether perceived as humorous or not, racist jokes are racism. Racism is the safe haven of fools, cowards and tyrants. Those who embrace their particular race with "pride" are racists. In time, humans will all be Asian, and racism will no longer exist.
Hmm, well, I should clarify. I wasn't angry or looking for an apology. I don't care for Polish jokes, or other ethnic/racial jokes, but the reason I said what I did was because of the thread title. I thought you were asking for opinions on such jokes. That's all.
I do agree that in time everybody will be different shades of brown. I am interested by what you said. I grew up listening and watching Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. To this day I find that kind of humor hilarious. Like I said before, I find racists joke funny as well, but the LAST THING ON EARTH I AM IS RACIST. There has got to be a fine line there somewhere. You guys may not know this, and it kinda' ties in here. Over on BBF about 3 months ago I started a thread asking how Team USA would do at the Olympics if we could only send over white players. So I asked who the 12 best white, non-Euro players in the NBA were. It lasted about 10 minutes. Some mod I had never heard of banned me for being a RACIST! ME?!? Hap saw what happened and contacted the guy. I don't know what he said to him, but he sent me a message apologizing and reinstated me. I'm not a racist and the question I asked wasn't racist, but different people can be offended very easily. The funny thing about this whole thing is, if you click on my profile over there, on the top it showed I was banned and in big ass letters it says- reason: Racism! Oh Yeah- What do a truck load of bricks and a 300 lb woman have in common.............. they'll both get laid by a Mexican!
See! I just laughed out loud at that joke. I assume you are not Mexican, and I assume you are not angry and full of hate right?
#1-"Polish" is not a race, it's a nationality. #2- A better title for this thread would be "is stereotyping funny?". Racism, by definition, cannot be funny. Stereotyping can be funny as long as it's good natured.
Exactly right. The thread title should have been something akin to "Silly Polish Joke" or such. It was at least misleading as it was. Oh, well... Thanks, ABM
I've always thought racist/stereotype jokes were hilarious but I've somewhat re-thought it since moving off to college. Everyone I used to hang out with had no problems with racist jokes and we'd constantly spew them at each other in good fun. We all knew no one was really serious and even if they were- its only words and its only stereotypes. I don't get mad when my bastard mick friends call me a dago, wop, guinnea, grease-ball, etc. They don't get mad when I rip on them. A lot of people take words too seriously IMO. That being said my best friend here is half black and she really doesn't like racist jokes because its 'making fun of people for something they can't control'. Never really thought of it like that before. Not to mention shes had to deal with racist jokes on both sides for being black but looking white so shes obviously taking them a lot more than shes dishing them out. I would argue that we should all be able to laugh at ourselves because we ARE different, not superior or inferior just different. But at the same time I completely respect her views on it and my racist jokes have been toned down a lot. I think shes also seeing my view on it too; vast majority of people saying racist jokes aren't racist, they're just trying to get a laugh.
Well that's some bullshit right there. Having pride in yourself is self esteem. Racism, the gain of that negative connotation, is when you think and act negatively about other races.
I always thought racist jokes are funny, and still do. I am in no way a racist. They're just funny. Some people just can't help laughing at other people's expense. I am one of them. I know it's wrong, but it still makes me laugh. I can't control it. Just because I think the jokes are funny doesn't mean I agree with them or think the stereotypes they portray are true. I deal with racist jokes like I deal with drugs: keep that shit on the downlow. I'll give you an example. Here's a racist joke. What do you call a bunch of white guys running down a hill? An avalanche. What do you call a bunch of black guys running down a hill? A mudslide. What do you call a bunch of Mexicans running down a hill? Jailbreak. See, I think that shit is hilarious. It's interesting to think of why. I mean, I don't think that Mexicans are prone to criminal behavior. I don't think any race is prone to anything. If I was Mexican, I would probably not laugh at that joke. But I think I see why it's funny to some people, and for some reason, that triggers a reaction in me to laugh at it. Seriously, I'm still giggling about it. Go figure.
I think it is also that racist jokes, like any jokes, can have an inherent cleverness. Cleverness in their use of stereotypes. If you start from assumptions like "Mexicans tend to be convicts," then the joke you told has a comedic cleverness in the change-over from the first two groups' skin colour being compared to natural phenomena to the third group being used as a (stereotypical and bigoted) social comment. I think it's easy to respond to things like that. Jokes are jokes, and we respond to such cleverness. My opinion is that the damage they can do outweigh the comic positives. But I'll admit that among close friends, I am comfortable with racist/sexist/ethnic jokes. When I'm among people whom I am certain aren't bigoted, and they all know I am not bigoted, there can be a lot of fun, almost an intimacy, about being mock-racist/sexist with them. I tend to be outrageously sexist (in banter) towards close female friends.
I think that's the key. Among people who know each other well, such a joke will be interpreted as a joke and not as an expression of hate (or, at least, it will be interpreted correctly - sometimes hate is the correct interpretation). Throw in someone who doesn't know the joke-teller well, however, and you've got problems. barfo
If you really believe that a joke about Christians or conservatives (both groups that people CHOOSE to be a part of) is the same thing as jokes about a race of people then there is a problem. When did Sarah Palin become a group? Last I checked she was an individual who is made fun of for things that she does as an individual, NOT a group who is made fun of for things that they are STEREOTYPED as doing.
I know, but I haven't seen any "racist" jokes in this thread at all. Racist is a serious word that shouldn't be tossed around so freely. All these jokes are based on stereotypes, none of them are implying that one race is inferior to another.
