Bigots and those who are not bigots but use bigoted jokes.

[Kuciwalker]

Re: Bigots and those who are not bigots but use bigoted jokes.

Originally posted by MrFun
Is there really a difference between the two?

Yes. Next?

[SlowwHand]

Omni Rex Draconis & b etor, starring in "Terror in Tiny Town".


Canadian, that's ok. Arrogant? I can be as arrogant as you, so that's ok. Bald? Not that huge a deal.
Short? Well, I don't know. Maybe I can work on my opinion. Improve myself.

[Deity Dude]

OK did you hear the one about the clone of Hitler?

He's at his first press conference with his aide and he takes the mic.

He says: "Yes, I AM ADOLPH HITLER!!! I am the Leader of the German People!!! This Time I will not make the same mistakes!!! This time I will kill 13 million Jews..... and a clown!!!"

The press core is in an uproar. "Did he say "a clown?" "Why a clown?" "Whats the deal with the clown?"

Hitler turns to his aide and says.....















"See, I told you no one cares about the Jews"

a: Is that bigoted?
b: If so is that bigoted against Jews, Germans, clowns or all of the above?
c: Is it funny?

My answers are a=no b= no, no, no and no and c=yes

BTW it is much funnier when told in person with a German accent.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I'd say it's funny, for 3 reasons:

1) It doesn't traffic in negative stereotypes about the Jews; if anything, the joke insults the rest of the world, not the Jews

2) The type of humor it displays is actually very, very Jewish (and more specifically Yiddish). For example, the short stories of the great Russian-Jewish humorist, Sholem Aleichem, are full of that kind of dark, self-deprecating jokes.

3) As an American, I'm largely on the outside of the whole joke. If the joke were about a Grand Wizard of the KKK calling a press conference and announcing that he plans to lynch a dozen black men and a clown, I'd find it a lot less funny -- or maybe just as funny, but also more distasteful.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Deity Dude
OK did you hear the one about the clone of Hitler?

He's at his first press conference with his aide and he takes the mic.

He says: "Yes, I AM ADOLPH HITLER!!! I am the Leader of the German People!!! This Time I will not make the same mistakes!!! This time I will kill 13 million Jews..... and a clown!!!"

The press core is in an uproar. "Did he say "a clown?" "Why a clown?" "Whats the deal with the clown?"

Hitler turns to his aide and says....

"See, I told you no one cares about the Jews"

a: Is that bigoted?
b: If so is that bigoted against Jews, Germans, clowns or all of the above?
c: Is it funny?

My answers are a=no b= no, no, no and no and c=yes

BTW it is much funnier when told in person with a German accent.

Well, with this one, I do not see how it could be bigoted - how does this joke negatively portray Jews or other groups who were Holocaust victims? But maybe Holocaust survivors would have found this joke to be offensive? Or maybe Jews in general even though it's not bigoted persay?

How about another one - this really happened between some friends and myself. We were talking about when we came to realize we were gay or lesbian (some of these friends with me are lesbians). So, at one point, I turned to the black lesbian who is my friend and joked (but in a serious-tone, non-chalantant manner), "So how long have you known you're black?" One of my other friends burst out laughing and almost spit his drink out, and the black lesbian and her partner found it to be funny as well.

I guess that's because the joke was not one that negatively portrayed blacks -- it was a joke that was made in context of our discussion about realizing a part of our identity.

[BeBMan]

IMO the effect of it also depends a bit on who would tell exactly this joke, in what environment, and with what intentions. If you're with people that all agree that Hitler = bad it's different from a situation where say a group of antisemites tells the joke in front of a Jew. In both situations you could give the joke completely different 'meanings' (well not sure if meaning is the right word here).

[MrFun]

Originally posted by BeBro
IMO the effect of it also depends a bit on who would tell exactly this joke, in what environment, and with what intentions. If you're with people that all agree that Hitler = bad it's different from a situation where say a group of antisemites tells the joke in front of a Jew. In both situations you could give the joke completely different 'meanings' (well not sure if meaning is the right word here).

true

[David Floyd]

to over-sensitive people. Who cares. If it's funny, it's funny. And if there's an element of truth to it, it's usually funnier.

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Nothing is wrong with being ignorant. Ignorance is not knowing. No one but God and Mobius know all. (Please forgive me, God. I know You really appreciate that analogy.)

And since I know that God doesn't exist...

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by MrFun

I guess that's because the joke was not one that negatively portrayed blacks -- it was a joke that was made in context of our discussion about realizing a part of our identity.

Wow, hell froze over, MF was funny.

What would've happened if she wasnt amused by your witticism? Would your innocent joke have become a bigoted joke (consider GT's recent faux pas)?

[Lorizael]

I don't have the patience to make a long post about this right now, but I'm going to voice my opinion because I like to think I'm important somehow.

It's extremely hard for me to be offended by any sort of joke that plays on negative stereotypes. I can think such jokes are uncreative or repetitive, but their nature alone is not enough to raise my ire.

I say this, btw, being a Jew and being not completely straight as well. Jew jokes, holocaust jokes, nazi jokes - none of these offend me. Gay jokes don't bother me either.

The reason why is simple: I have better things to do than be offended. My emotions and feelings are my own, and I'd much rather use them for productive endeavors that benefit my purposes. I won't have my feelings being taken control of by someone else. And that's exactly what happens when you ever let anything anyone else says affect you in any way.

Why get offended when, instead, you can spend your time and effort attempting to solve problems at their core? Racist jokes are not the source of racism. Homophobia doesn't exist because people tell gay jokes. Solving these problems involves looking at much deeper issues in society, and wasting your time getting your panties in a twist because someone told a joke is, well, silly.

[dannubis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnL-7x4n4d8

Offensive or funny ?

I chose the second one...

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by MOBIUS


And since I know that God doesn't exist...

I guess you don't know quite as much as He does.
My mistake.

[b etor]

Originally posted by Omni Rex Draconis


No, we short people usually can't kick that high; ankle-biting is more our style.

i can kick anyone under 6'5'' in the head.
flexibility ftw!
ankle-biting would be kind of gross... arm biting is where it's at.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Humor is a higher and more fundamental value than sensitivity.