Does a single person here find this racist? My rant on my sociology class

[Imran Siddiqui]

No, the reason for this is that the teacher asked them to think about the word 'cannibal'. The word is located two lines above the joke, in the original post.

And, like Ves said, the kid was totally unprepared so threw in a joke. It had only very limited correlation with the topic. The question was was the JOKE racist! Secondly we have no idea which 'natives' we are talking about. What if the person had in mind South American natives? Why does Africa pop up? It's silly.

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
And, like Ves said, the kid was totally unprepared so threw in a joke. It had only very limited correlation with the topic. Secondly we have no idea which 'natives' we are talking about. What if the person had in mind South American natives? Why does Africa pop up? It's silly.

You're mixing up stuff.

The teacher had probably prepared his lecture- in which the word 'cannibal' would be the fittest example to illustrate his point, i.e. that some words carry an unconscious stereotype. The teacher tought about it: 'cannibal' was an educated choice.

Now, is it wrong that a word carries a stereotype? No. The teacher is stupid.

Then, why are the Polyers assuming the joke talks about cannibals? Simply, because the word cannibal is written two lines above the joke, and that the post seems to assume that the joke WILL be talking about cannibals.

edit: syntaxic corrections

[Imran Siddiqui]

But now, why are the Polyers assuming the joke talks about cannibals? Simply, because the word cannibal is written two lines above the joke, and that the post seems to assume that the joke WILL be talking about cannibals.

Perhaps the post does, but I don't think the joke considered them cannibals at all.. because there is no reference to cannibalism in the joke. Perhaps the lecture dealt with tribes who engaged in cannibalism, and the student thought of a joke for that part of the world.

If the joke was about cannibals, wouldn't "bunga-bunga" have meant eating other people or something of that nature?

[Whaleboy]

OB is completely correct. The cries of racism are inconsistent and frankly absurd. People should lighten up and not be so bound by political correctness. It says something about peoples acceptance of history if they get offended by jokes on the Holocaust or slavery.

[Spiffor]

Whaleboy:

I'm sure you's just love if I was joking and laughing about your dead mother

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Perhaps the post does, but I don't think the joke considered them cannibals at all..

Exact. If you tell this joke outside of the Poly context, which was spoiled in the way the joke was brought up, no one would have imagined the tribe as being cannibal.

It remains the vast majority would associate the tribe with Africa, Polynesia, or America (maybe the Tupis).
That's why I think you were nitpicking.

There were indeed no references to cannibalism in the joke, but the teacher made a lecture about RACISM. The joke was merely what inspired him to do so.

[Whaleboy]

I'm sure you's just love if I was joking and laughing about your dead mother

It wouldn't be polite to do it to my face, but then, I'm still alive . And you wouldnt be doing so out of hatred for me or my mother one presumes.

[bipolarbear]

I don't find it racist, and I'M WHITE! So go rub that in your professors face. But seriously, the only angle I can see where that would be racist, would be is the whole "reenforcing a negative stereotype" thing. But have there been any white cannibal tribes? I think your prof. is just trying to compensate for his own bigotry, or just general shortcomings in some other are by making himself feel above the rest of you. That is definitley not racist, it doesn't even qualify as a gay joke.

[Wernazuma III]

About cases of "white" cannibalism: There is a case of archaeological evidence pointing to the possibility of cannibalism in the Minoan culture, but this is very debattable and the evidence is far from conclusive.
Greek historians (Herodot) have it that there was a Scythian practice of cannibalism. Germanic warriors drinking blood from skulls isn't far from cannibalism either, especially if we accept that most of cannibalistic acts are religious rituals involving only the consumption of certain parts of the body of slain enemies in order to get their strength. Nobody had "Human ribs on Gorgonzola sauce" for dinner anyway...
And then there is two things: a) Documentation Of course we are better informed on the practices and rituals of American, African and pacific tribes because European scholars made notes. Don't forget that the number of recorded cases of cannibalism are not many compared to the total of observations.
b) Again one has to see that the accusing of cannibalism was a very powerful tool to legitimate conquests. Does that mean that no cannibalism existed? Of course not, but the number tenfolded and became a stereotype - that's exactly what makes it racist.


@Imran: Even if we eliminate the cannibal thing from the argument there still is the sodomy which doesn't change anything about the nature of the joke. The very word "bunga-bunga" is a stereotype which leads the imagination automatically towards Africa or the South Pacific.

@Whaleboy: I'm sure someone would tell a joke about your dean mom because he likes you so much...

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Wernazuma III
@Imran: Even if we eliminate the cannibal thing from the argument there still is the sodomy which doesn't change anything about the nature of the joke. The very word "bunga-bunga" is a stereotype which leads the imagination automatically towards Africa or the South Pacific.

That's the point of the joke! The listener must not know the meaning of bunga-bunga: this adds a lot to the effect of surprise.