Why don't you guys post an example of your jokes? I've noticed that when this topic has come up before, nobody has every actually told a joke.
You should check out RocketRiver's thoughts on RDJ's character in Tropic Thunder. Eddie Griffith's a comedian. Yeah, he made his bread and butter on racial jokes and a lot of others did, but if it were that easy to be funny, racists would make a quick buck at the improv. So it'd be like me posting a youtube of an insult comic, such as Lisa Lampanelli, and playing Devil's Advocate that all fat and ugly women were allowed to be racist and abrasive. Watching them can be funny. Me parroting them...not as smooth. The nature of jokes is their power to be inclusive and exclusive. Good comedians honed the skill to include most of the audience and manage, sometimes enlisting, those who could be excluded. When I'm cracking jokes with my co-workers, I could be inclusive at the expense of my boss. It could be playful, or it's explicitly exclusive by being downright mean and nasty. Pre-50's racist jokes were downright nasty and wide open. They were loaded with context and affirmation of a minority's position. We aren't taught this. We learn through our own personal and cultural experience, and we learn by being familiar with the different people around us. Just because I see how easy it is for Chappelle to navigate around taboo subjects doesn't mean I can graduate Comedy101 by bouncing fresh and mostly stolen material off my Black Buddy Bob. Like an emerging comedian, results would be different in a live crowd. Yeah, there is/will be racist black people you run across. Doesn't mean a damn thing to the discussion though.
It depends on who the person is telling the joke and how/to whom the joke is conveyed. As a jewish person, I make plenty of jew (and other races) jokes, right or wrong, to jewish people and non-jewish people. I can always tell when a non-jewish person is confused and or like wtf is wrong with this guy. When people make jewish jokes or remarks towards me it doesnt bother me, as its almost always in jest and partly true. As far as making jokes about other races, theres a big difference between a joke and a snide remark based on anger/hatred. Those remarks usually can lead to trouble, and if you think it might offend people, you probably shouldnt say it. The jokes/stereotypes won't ever go away, to some it only increases the hatred and worsens the overall problem. Personally, I laugh at them and dont take it too seriously.
At their core, a lot of "racial jokes" aren't funny. There is nothing funny about a human being eating watermelon. There is nothing funny about a human being taking a "siesta".
Because they are all too offensive, at least the black jokes I just looked up were. http://www.blackjokes.net/ - so are these the type of racial jokes people should lighten up about?
Well I'm sorry that you got confused and thought I was advocating that they are funny when what I was actually doing was pointing out how wrong and unfunny they are. Maybe if I had found a sound effect for "wah waaahhh" or used some rolleyes, it would have been more blatantly obvious. Oski: A thread about racial "humor." Here we go again, people complaining about being deprived the ability to joke about stereotypes. I know, I'll point out how wrong and stupid they are by making up a stupid scenario where they are told. I'll use Fatty since he started the thread. Oski: Now I'm feeling pretty smug and satisfied that I've effectively skewered Fatty and others who agree with him. Beck: Oh no, Oski is making racist jokes, I'm totally missing the point that he's actually making. Somebody with the ability to give negative and "balance" reputation points: Oh man, I gotta give Oski one of those weird blue squares that don't make sense. Oski: *WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*
Racial jokes play mostly on stereotypes of each race. That's why its funny, because most ignorant people believe it's true for all members of that specific race.
not sure what you're getting all worked up about...I was agreeing with you. I just used some of your post as an example.
This was brilliantly written and 100% correct. People in power rarely willingly turn over their rights and priviledges. Humans just don't work like that and intellectual reasoning and changing the laws of interaction cannot eradicate the unhappiness of those who have to share some of their priviledges.
I agree with most of what is mentioned in this post. However, I must point out that minorities by definition can never be characterized as racist by the majority in power. Dictionary.com defines racism as a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination or hatred or intolerance of another race or other races. Last time I checked, minorities do not control any aspect of America that will allow their biased thinking to affect the majority in power. Therefore, minorities can only be biased against the majority in power or show in group preferences when characterizing the differences between themselves and other cultures.
Just to clear up some things, the lack of being in a position of authority doesn't excuse minorities of hateful and bigoted speech or acts. I wanted to shed some proper context into ILoveTheRockets's perceived double standard against white people.
For every racist joke I make I also make one about being Asian. Kind of like the zero carbon footprint of racism.
People of all backgrounds have the capability to be bigoted and hateful, but only those with power can establish institutions to perpetuate their bigoted views. Institutional power is what characterizes the quality of life for people and frankly nothing can override that magnitude of power. What act can a minority perpuate against the majority that tops enslavement, lynchings, rape or 200 yrs of free labor? All jokes aside, there is a reason some minorities respond differently to jokes at their expense. No other ethnic group in the US, less Native Americans, have endured what Black people have endured.
The jokes themselves might not be as offensive as the unchangeable racially-based social and economic distinctions they insinuate. Blacks will always be the least affluent or influential people in this society, that makes any indirect inference to it is somewhat unforgiving.
You are exactaully correct. If the person tarked understand that it is a joke and accept it as a joke then it is definatly OK. But when you tell a joke that is not accepted then its a bad joke. Really its that simple. You can say black racial jokes around your black friends as well they can say white racial around you. Its the relationship you have that makes it accepted.
I work in a building that is largely comprised of black people. It just so happens that one of the companies is a "shift work" company in the professional building, so at certain times the employees get like 15 minutes to run and get stuff. Well they (the employees, most black, a few white) rush the elevators and are generally a pain in the butt. They jam in there, scream at the top of their lungs...it is very annoying. Now, why do they act that way? Well it's pretty simple really. They are cooped up on long shifts and get very little time to go and get what they need, smoke a cig, joke with each other, etc. But for me as someone who isn't in that situation, it's annoying and it makes me extremely dislike the company of the people that work for the company even though I understand their behavior. So, the point of the story? Well one of our employees has a tendency to tell the following when anyone complains about those employees: "Well you can't blame them really. Not too long ago they were eating themselves in the jungle! Juuuuuuuuuuust kidding."
