Aneirin
Posts: 6121
Joined: 3/18/2006 From: Tamaris Status: offline
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A couple of weeks back I heard some racist jokes I had not heard before, and that from the most unlikliest of people, a person I before thought too pure to know such stuff. The statement was first made that the person was going to tell a racist joke and with that saying they had no problems with the people who were the subject of the joke and even made an apology to a black friend with us by saying if you'd rather I not say it and close your ears if you don't like it sort of thing but the person said they were going to air the joke because it is just plain funny and does in no way illustrate their feelings. The joke was stereotypical and yes, it was funny, even the black woman with us who is a bit sensitive about past wrongs laughed and it was a genuine laugh and she admitted it was very funny which was perplexing to me as the joke was playing on the past wrongs she is normally sensitive about. Admittedly, she had had a few glasses of wine and was fairly drunk but the person who aired the joke followed up with more of how they are not racist. So, what does this say, is it a joke can be made about a racial stereotype devoid of any mal intent and actually be funny, or is it we are all basically closet racists for hearing and finding the humour in the joke or even is it we can see humour where it is in the mundanes of life ? If it interests, the makeup of our group was a mix of ethnicities, a majority of white European but of the non white we had some of south American origin and North African descent but only one black of Afro Carribean ancestry.
< Message edited by Aneirin -- 6/24/2010 5:33:46 AM >
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Everything we are is the result of what we have thought, the mind is everything, what we think, we become - Guatama Buddha Conservatism is distrust of people tempered by fear - William Gladstone
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