"Racist" Humor

[Banquo's Ghost]

Those two jokes are not ones I would tell in a public setting, because you never know who knows if you are joking, or who might think you are a racist pigheaded son of a submariner.

But you just did post them in a public setting, despite KukriKhan's eloquent advice.

This thread should be erased and locked immediately.

[Faust|]

Ah, I thought they were more insightful than offensive.

[Duke of Gloucester]

With a really good friend who knows that you respect them, any comments about their race or any other atributes will be taken in the spirit that they are meant. However in any other circumstance, they should, just as good manners, be avoided because they may cause offence.

[Ser Clegane]

In case it hasn't been noticed I repeat it:

I thought it seemed time to answer the "Can I tell Race Jokes here?" question, before anyone got the urge. Short version:

"Can I?". No.

This thread raises a valid question for general discussion (even if the org has a clear policy regarding how the answer looks for this board) - however, the next times I see somebody using this thread just to load off some of his/her favourite racist jokes, this thread will be closed (in addition to the usual individual response to forum rule "violators")

Thanks for your attention

[InsaneApache]

Racist humour is not funny.

[English assassin]

I second IA.

Why is it not funny? Because its lazy and untrue.

By "racist" I take we are meaning some joke that depends on a characteristic thought to be shared by people of a certain race, eg (to keep things nice) that Asians are hard working.

The basic trouble is that the stereotypes aren't true, not for everyone anyway. They use someone of a particular race as a symbol for what the joke is really about, like hard working nerdy kids, or men with large penises (that's englishman jokes, obviously.) So why laugh at them. The humour isn't accurately lampooning something in the real world, and its not totally off the wall and absurd, it inhabits a no-man's land signposted Pointless.

Whether we ought to object to something just because its not funny is another matter. Amongst friends you can say what you like (though personally I winced at the idea that pointing out that someone is a Jew could be funny). People of a certain race can, if they wish, tell jokes about themselves, or anyway if they can't its for other people of the same race to tell them so (you want to do Jewish jokes? Be Jewish). But IMHO a lot of racist jokes work by asking you to buy into some derogatory stereotype about someone different to yourself and laugh along with your WASP/black/whatever buddies. Or, if they don't work like that for you, are you sure they won't work like that for someone else.

So, no, not funny, as a rule.

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

"Why is it not funny? Because its lazy and untrue."

but, that's why it is funny. When I ask my Jewish buddy about how many Palestinian children he has tortured today or how his secret plan to oppress and destroy the white working class is going, well, when I say that crap to him, I really don't expect him to reply with "well, 17 mini ragheads and my plan is going well", no, I expect him to say something charming about gentiles in reply. I'd be horrified if my accussation were found to be true.

[Leet Eriksson]

I voted the first, you guys should check out the org irc channel when SFTS is on, i think at one time my jaws even hurt becuase of all the funny ethnic jokes he made.

[English assassin]

"Why is it not funny? Because its lazy and untrue."

but, that's why it is funny. When I ask my Jewish buddy about how many Palestinian children he has tortured today or how his secret plan to oppress and destroy the white working class is going, well, when I say that crap to him, I really don't expect him to reply with "well, 17 mini ragheads and my plan is going well", no, I expect him to say something charming about gentiles in reply. I'd be horrified if my accussation were found to be true.

Well, like I said, what two friends say to each other is between them. The humour isn't that you think jews kill children, the humour is that you can say something offensive to your mate but because he's your mate its OK. In fact the humour depends on the fact that the joke would otherwise be unacceptable.