Racist jokes

[Strawberry_Xu]

I was wondering what your opinion was on racist jokes. What do you think are the limits? And are there any limits at all, if you happen to belong to the race which is the subject of the joke?

 

My friends and I are a diverse bunch ethnically speaking, and we tend to make a lot politically incorrect jokes when we're alone. I think the idea is that we all know each other well enough to know none of us harbours any serious racist ideas. Mostly we just play around with existing stereotypes to make fun of each other and others.

 

So is racism too serious a subject for humour?

[Miriam1]

There is a limit naturally, and an person would set such a limit in accordance with nature of thier friendship. If a person is a good freind they should understand you and know what is offensive and wat is not. Personally, when it comes to ppl that i just met or dont know that well, a joke about black or somali ppl(if they who somalis are!) is something i cant take. I make it clear! from the start that what they said was rude and ignorant.

But honestly, i thnk jokes between freinds is no harm, if everyone is trustworthy and generally a decent person. Sometimes u just dont know a person and thier intentions behind saying something that on the surface sounds inocent.

[DraGon]

As far as its in good taste I don't mind. Me and friends make racial jokes at times.

[Animal Farm]

I think racially based jokes can be funny at times, but at certain moments they can also be offensive and they can be decoded differently. This could lead to confrontations, misconceptions, and being labeled as being a racist person. I think, in today’s politically correct environment, racial jokes are dying are disappearing. Unless you’re an over the line anti-social conservatives with an underdeveloped sense of humour, which by the way most people who make dim-witted racial jokes are, than they could be offensive. There’s always intent, whether it be good or bad or whether it is masked through humour, racism is everywhere. Especially in the post-civil rights era, we are witnessing more and more cases of enlightened racism. How can we fight this, because even tv shows, especially minority shows display these stereotypes and implied messages. I think racially motivated jokes are rude, improper and I will admit I have made some of them at times. I guess were all a little biased, but let’s try to change that at some point.

[lol]

^^^ I don't think I agree brotha Farm. We make jokes with people we know. I would be rather astounished to find someone I don't even know joking with me... its just absurd. But once I have built enough confidence to be able to joke with u, than I am sure it doesn't cause any harm, if we joke about stereotypes or racist jokes.

 

For example, all blacks call each other nigga...but a white or a non-black can not dare to call u by that.. so if I being a black woman use the word nigga its fine, coz they know I don't mean it the way a white person might. Or if my friend who is white and I know her too well, calls me hey nigga gurl! I won't be bothered why? coz I know her... so it depends on who is saying it and to whom.

[Final_Say]

yeah i agree, in any case jokes are between friends, anyone on the outside does not know if you are making a joke or simiply taking the piss out of their race, so they will always jump to defend their race. but when u are friends wid someone dey know wag1 and dey know ur not hating. somali people are the perfect example, friends often take the piss out of each others qabils and wat each is known for, da jokes u make wid em u would not make it wid someone who u just met that is from the same qabil as them, if you do u'll probably get into a fight for no reason or they will think ur a hater.

 

 

so jokes are cool, if u and ur friends are on da level.

 

hibo; SOL should pay u, ur da only person posting regularly, i always seem to see ur name;

[lol]

MIzz: Am trying to cover up for all that I have missed in 2003/2004....and some of 2005....the people before whom I have joined SOL, have posted more than 2000 postings and I haven't even reached 1000 yet

[Curly]

Xu interesting question! I recently watched the film “Guess who†with Bernie Mac and it sort of covered the same issue, lol

 

Movie is about inter racial relationships, and in the movie Bernie Mac’s daughter brings home a white man as her new fiancé, which of course the family didn’t take too well. But there was this one dinner scene, where they were all having a meal around the table and Ashton the fiancé is forced to tell black jokes by the family. The scene was very funny and very typical of the society we live in… where some black jokes are acceptable and others are boarder line racist and have the ability to turned nasty within just a few connotations.

 

A classic example from the film is when Ashton says “what are the three things black men can’t get?...a tan, something else (can’t remember..sorry!) and a job†Which had the whole family up in arms about, lol

 

Yet they didn’t seem to mind the other jokes, like when Ashton said… “what do you call a turf with 100 black men buried up to their neck?....an afro turf†They thought that was ‘cute?!’

 

I also found it strange that this African American family who were the dominate figures were some how threaten, by this one white man, shouldn’t it be the other way around?! ~(Just a thought)~

 

Anyways getting back to what I was saying…obviously people dislike jokes that are based on stereotypes, and because these stereotypes are usually based on the actions of a minority or a majority from that ethnic group, then people are usually offended by these.

[Janna]

^^^ I watched that movie!