Jokes based on stereotypes aren't the same thing as 'racist' jokes.

There's an important distinction between being a bigot and being a racist that I think you should all consider.

A bigot is Archie Bunker. Benighted, rather crass and callous, ignorant, forms opinions based on stereotypes. At the end of the day though, he doesn't actually believe in keeping slaves and he wouldn't tolerate anybody mistreating Lamont (the Jeffersons' son).

A racist is David Duke. He actually puts the sheets on and works actively to put people, even people he knows in an inferior place and keep them there.

Bigotry comes from ignorance, and a large part fear of the unknown. Racism comes from hatred and an evil soul and the desire to subjugate others.

The point in all of this? The problem with white people using the "N" word isn't simply that it's offensive. (I'll use two of my own ethnicities, so as to not offend other target groups) It's not equivalent to calling somebody a mick or a guinnea. These terms are offensive and are guaranteed to get a reaction out of Irish and Italian people, respectively.

The "N" word is strictly speaking, not an ethnic insult. It's not the same as (forgive me Big John) calling somebody a spook. Because the "N" word was used for centuries, in a non-insulting way. People used it to describe property. You can go back to pre Civil War documents, such as wills, and see "Zechariah H. Hodgepodge bequeaths on his eldest son, Jeremiah: 3 mules, 2 acres of land, and 10 "N".) When non-black people use the N word, black people hear it as though you're referring to THEM as property. They use it among themselves in an effort to desensitive the word, but in reality, I think it's in poor form and Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby seem to agree with me.

That being said, what you described in your opening statement SFTS, I would describe as ethnic humor, or bigotry, not outright racism. Racism implies a goal of maintaining the superior status of one race over the others. If you told a bunch of hispanic jokes in your workplace, where everyone was white except for one Mexican, and you all looked at him and laughed at him while you told the jokes, that would be racist. If you're all redneckin it up, calling each other spic and gringo, hey, that's just being a guy.