most important poll of all eternity

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
We do. But they're not ethnic stereotypes.

Which makes no difference, as we are discussing bigotry, not racism. Bigotry is not exclusively ethnic in nature.

A belief that Asian women are meek, subservient, etcetera might be racism and is certainly bigotry, but unless you can link that to sexual preference it does not hold that preferring asians in a physical, sexual sense is bigotry.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Q Cubed

We do. But they're not ethnic stereotypes.

They didn't start out that way, but I think that they have been internalized as such. I find most "blonde" jokes to be racist. I know that they originally referred to a lifestyle: that of the bleached blonde, California Barbie type bimbos. The jokes have changed, losing their lifestyle connotations. They're used by many as a synonym for stupidity. For instance, when someone is oblivious to something obvious, they are said to be having "a blonde moment." I know that I was ashamed to have blonde hair as a child because of these assumptions. Other children would call you stupid because you had blonde hair. I get mildly offended by blonde jokes, especially when made by a non-White person.

[Q Classic]

A belief that Asian women are meek, subservient, etcetera might be racism and is certainly bigotry, but unless you can link that to sexual preference it does not hold that preferring asians in a physical, sexual sense is bigotry.

Which is exactly what I state earlier--that because it's so difficult to prove the latter, the best solution is to give the benefit of doubt.

They didn't start out that way, but I think that they have been internalized as such. I find most "blonde" jokes to be racist. I know that they originally referred to a lifestyle: that of the bleached blonde, California Barbie type bimbos. The jokes have changed, losing their lifestyle connotations. They're used by many as a synonym for stupidity. For instance, when someone is oblivious to something obvious, they are said to be having "a blonde moment." I know that I was ashamed to have blonde hair as a child because of these assumptions. People would call you stupid because you had blonde hair. I get mildly offended by blonde jokes, especially when made by a non-White person.

Truth be told, I can understand why some find such jokes offensive. I wouldn't, however, place them in the same category as most other ethnic jokes. As Mao points out--hair color can change with a dye job. It's slightly harder to change one's ethnicity.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
Truth be told, I can understand why some find such jokes offensive. I wouldn't, however, place them in the same category as most other ethnic jokes. As Mao points out--hair color can change with a dye job. It's slightly harder to change one's ethnicity.

The thing that makes them racial for me is that there's only one group of people in the world that has predominately natural blonde hair: Northern Europeans. When the jokes go from ridiculing a lifestyle to marking a distinct group of people with that natural hair color as being stupid, I think that it has crossed the line into being racist. True, I could have dyed my hair, but it's not a legitimate argument to say that something isn't bigoted because it could be changed. Why should a 6 year old kid have to dye his hair a different color to avoid mockery? Does that sound just?

I know, this may seem to be a strange complaint to some people. Others may feel that it's justified... it's about time that Northern Europeans felt the sting of bigotry. However, blonde children are a very distinct minority in many areas of the country. My fiancee's blonde siblings are some of the few blondes in their respective classes in suburban Northern Virginia middle schools. They've often had to deal with the name calling associated with this, and have come home quite upset on a number of different occasions. When there are common, acceptable jokes that can be applied to people because of their natural traits, then those jokes are bigoted. If we really want to live in a racially neutral society, I think that we'd have to make these jokes as unacceptable as jokes about any other minortiy.

[Dis]

but northern europeans aren't considered stupid. So I can't see how the geographical region of blondes applies.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Dis
but northern europeans aren't considered stupid. So I can't see how the geographical region of blondes applies.

No, they're not. The jokes didn't originate because the average blonde was considered stupid, they originated because of the idea of the vapid bleached blonde party girl stereotype. However, the meanings of the jokes have changed over time. The connection to that old stereotype have weakened, and now every blonde child gets tarred with the "stupid" brush. It's something that happens primarily in elementary and middle schools. Those formative years are very important for a varietry of reasons, and having an apparently acceptable stereotype that is designed to denigrate one group of people as being naturally stupid can have a very negative impact, especially on the children being picked on. When the hair color generally overlaps with other traits, like race, these little jokes have dangerous potential.

[Elok]

Er, they are? I have brown hair, so I wouldn't know, but I've never known anybody to take blonde jokes as anything but a lame form of teasing.

[Timexwatch]

Originally posted by Kontiki
While this sociological discussion is fascinating, I think we need more pictures of the beautiful ladies.

Done!

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Wycoff
The thing that makes them racial for me is that there's only one group of people in the world that has predominately natural blonde hair: Northern Europeans.

As a northern European, I must protest the notion that blond hair is predominant here!

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Last Conformist

As a northern European, I must protest the notion that blond hair is predominant here!

I should have phrased it better. I meant that naturally blonde people are predominantly of Northern European descent, not that the majority of people in Northern Europe are blonde.