Are Racist and Sexist jokes ok if they are used purely in a joking manner?

[funguy2121]

A few weeks back I was in Social Studies with my friend and I see this vocabulary word. The word was Equal Rights Admenment. (The one for women). I then go "Hey wanna see a good joke." And then I point at the word. Is this okay that I did this. I don't think there is anything wrong with equal rights with women. I just thought it was funny. So opinions?

If you can't explain why you thought a joke was funny, then you don't have enough of a command over the art of humor to make that judgement call. It's like Michael Bay deciding that he's a comedian and putting racist monkeyesque transformers with gold teeth in his movie. The end result: it's not funny, it is racist/sexist, and the only accomplishment is that you look like an asshole. I'm not suggesting that you deconstruct the joke, as that would ruin it (if there really is a joke in there). But if you can't explain at all what makes you laugh about it, and you know you said something bigoted, regardless of whether you meant it, then you must have laughed because you were very naughty and said something derogatory towards a large group of people.

There's 3 types of jokes I've encountered that deal with bigotry. There are those that simply pander (see: Larry the Cable Racist and Jeff Dunham), there are those that pick on people who actually behave sterotypically and make fun of dipshits of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations etc. (Family Guy, Chappelle's Show, Yahztee, who's review of 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand addressed this very issue better than I've ever heard. Seriously, watch that video right now), and there are those jokes by sophisticated comics who are very good at coming behind someone who's swept some subjects they'd rather not acknowledge under the rug and say, "Hey, what's this ya got here under the rug?" (David Cross, Bill Hicks, Sarah Silverman). What you described above definitely belongs in one of the former categories, and if you can't or won't define why you laughed at equality for women, it would seem that it's an instance of pandering, like when I get to hear all of the wonderful "******" jokes when the black people leave the room (for the irony-impaired, that was sarcasm).

 

[Alade]

All jokes should be allowed no matter how horrible, as long as the intention of the joke is to make people laugh and not call out someone. And for people who do take such stuff serious, please get a sense of humor.

 

[UberNoodle]

I'd like to paraphrase the late, great, George Carlin here for a moment.
words CANNOT hurt you. take the word "******" for example. it's JUST a word! what you SHOULD be worried about is the racist asshole USING the word.

I'll make jokes about people of all races, religions, and genders, but that doesn't mean I'm a racist/sexist asshole.

Mr. Carlin (RIP) was one of the greatest comedians and minds ever to grace with world, that's for sure. However, I take his meaning there perhaps a little differently.

He was not saying that JOKES grant a pass against offense. He meant that, being offended by the JOKE ITSELF is pointless. Indeed, what people should be worried about is the statement MAKER and his or her motivations for making that statement.

My take-away is that, you can make STATEMENTS about people of all races, religions and genders, but they aren't automatically 'jokes' because they have an inserted punchline. What makes them jokes is WIT and an intense INTELLECT, things which Mr. Carlin had in spades, which together transform simple words to something far beyond that.

So many 'jokes' I hear lack even the basic requirement of WIT. To see genuine intellect behind them is getting rarer with every passing day. So, yes, to be offended at the words is to miss the forest for the trees. The real threat is mentality that drives such statements. To do this, one must find the motivations of the speaker. However, for most people, it is far easier to focus on the words. They are simple and require no interpretation or discourse.

 

[Snotnarok]

Of course it is okay. I'm more offended by people who want to censor that kind of stuff.

 

[Estocavio]

Yes, its fine.


As a comment though, the legal system is already biased in Favor of Women, so it isnt as funny as it may have been about two decades ago.

 

[cainx10a]

Ah, those jokes are always funny when you don't happen to be part of the 'stereotype' being made fun of.

 

[Caligulove]

It's not so much if they are ok, but CAN they be ok. Everything's about delivery, context and working your audience.

Anything can be funny, well done comedy has the ability to address a subject that might have some fear or too much serious connotations attached to it in a familiar, comfortable way. A good comedian, or just someone who knows humor very well is capable of making you laugh at things that would ordinarily make you blush or never think of.

 

[Oly J]

so your question is, is it ok if it's purely a joke with no hatred behind it...yes...yes it is, I for example am disabled, and find Stephen Lynch hilarious

 

[UberNoodle]

All jokes should be allowed no matter how horrible, as long as the intention of the joke is to make people laugh and not call out someone. And for people who do take such stuff serious, please get a sense of humor.

Sure, I agree in part, but would like to add that, all jokes MUST be allowed because we are free. However, all joke makers must take responsibility for their words and actions.

Whether or not a person takes things seriously or lacks a sense of humour, is entirely subjective. A comic with real wit and intellect would recognise that and take responsibility for how their words affect others.

That doesn't mean they should hide their opinions or censor themselves, but they must accept that it was their words which caused offense and not belittle the other person for feeling as they did.

Communication is a colaborative effort, and statements of all kinds are never 'fire and forget'. They are guided all way, and if you miss, at least part of that is your responsibility.

How that other person reacts is their own matter, and not your responsibility. How you are understood, for the most part, IS.

 

[SovietPanda]

just watch your ass and dont say/make a offenive joke in the presents of the race, gender, or whatever

But really raciest and sexist jokes were funny back in high school find something else to make fun of.....like poltics or something

i disagree, if your unwilling to make a joke about a particular group, be it race sex religion in the presence of those people, then maybe you shouldnt say it at all... i make sexist jokes to the feminst at work, racist comments to my mexican and asian co-workers. Only making n***** jokes when there are no black people around or only making sexist jokes amongst the boys seems like prejudicial behavior to me.

OT: I used to work with a guy in a wheelchair, he loved my joke "paraplegic walks into a bar"

 

[Eggsnham]

It depends, if it's funny and you keep it in a low-key sort of manner, then there shouldn't be any problem.

But if you're in everyone's faces screaming racial slurs and sexist ideas and expecting people to laugh, then you're both a douche, and an idiot.

I personally think that we shouldn't be afraid of words or phrases, after all, they ARE just words.

But we should also keep a level of respect for the history of these words.

For example the 'N' word (which I won't type out because of some rule that I'm sure exists about it on the Escapist). I don't think white people should be punished or shunned for saying it, but I also don't think that we should say it constantly or with racist intent.

Like every parent who ever existed has once said: "There's a time and place for everything."

Then again, what do I know? I'm a white, male, 16 year old kid living in the suburbs.

 

[Berlioz]

It's humour and humour is subjective. You can't tell someone to stop laughing at a joke 'because it's racist' because it's a joke. Obviously, context and intent apply greatly.

Food for thought.

I like this guy. Particularly the bit he did on Health and Safety in that same sketch.

"How on earth did you not fall in that hole when there were no signs there?"
"Easy, my parents taught me not to be a dick."

This guy should be president.

Anyone offended by racist or sexist jokes when they're just that, jokes, has no sense of humor and should be shot.

Why shot? Well, since he takes me seriously, I'll take him seriously too. xD

 

[SillyBear]

A word can't offend you unless you let it. One of my very good friends back home in Baton Rouge is black, and he would always jokingly refer to himself as 'the Black'. Eventually it became a running gag between the two of us (and somewhere along the line we started using heavy Russian accents, making it seem even funnier). He embraced the slightly racist joke, so if anyone would try to use it in an offensive manner it would have already lost all its power.

My friends do the same with me, but it's all about the context. I know they love me so I know when they make black jokes they aren't doing it out of hate. However if a shop keeper said it, i'd be pretty badly offended. I guess it is all subjective.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I find the concept of judging a person based on gender and color strange because it was never brought up when I was a child. I find those jokes funny because of how stupid it sounds to me.

Basically, when I hear a racist/sexist joke I laugh at the concept rather than the person/people it's supposed to make fun of.

A joke is a joke when it's not taken seriously. nuff said.

 

[zeldagirl]

I was going to say something but this:

No. No it is not. Even if you're friends with someone of a different race, even if you've dated people of that race, even if you make a joke that a) is about your friend who is of that race and physically present, b) is not racially insulting at all, c) has everyone of all races in the room laughing (including other, non-friend members of that same race),

but d) uses words that that some members of that race finds offensive from others (even though they freely use it among themselves) for the delivery of the joke...

... it can and will be held against you. Officially, as in on official records. And that's pretty much forever now.

So no. Don't do it. Regardless if no one else will be hurt by it, YOU can, and for a long, long time after the moment has passed. Just drop the thought and wait until another joke comes along.

and this:

A few weeks back I was in Social Studies with my friend and I see this vocabulary word. The word was Equal Rights Admenment. (The one for women). I then go "Hey wanna see a good joke." And then I point at the word. Is this okay that I did this. I don't think there is anything wrong with equal rights with women. I just thought it was funny. So opinions?

If you can't explain why you thought a joke was funny, then you don't have enough of a command over the art of humor to make that judgement call. It's like Michael Bay deciding that he's a comedian and putting racist monkeyesque transformers with gold teeth in his movie. The end result: it's not funny, it is racist/sexist, and the only accomplishment is that you look like an asshole. I'm not suggesting that you deconstruct the joke, as that would ruin it (if there really is a joke in there). But if you can't explain at all what makes you laugh about it, and you know you said something bigoted, regardless of whether you meant it, then you must have laughed because you were very naughty and said something derogatory towards a large group of people.

There's 3 types of jokes I've encountered that deal with bigotry. There are those that simply pander (see: Larry the Cable Racist and Jeff Dunham), there are those that pick on people who actually behave sterotypically and make fun of dipshits of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations etc. (Family Guy, Chappelle's Show, Yahztee, who's review of 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand addressed this very issue better than I've ever heard. Seriously, watch that video right now), and there are those jokes by sophisticated comics who are very good at coming behind someone who's swept some subjects they'd rather not acknowledge under the rug and say, "Hey, what's this ya got here under the rug?" (David Cross, Bill Hicks, Sarah Silverman). What you described above definitely belongs in one of the former categories, and if you can't or won't define why you laughed at equality for women, it would seem that it's an instance of pandering, like when I get to hear all of the wonderful "******" jokes when the black people leave the room (for the irony-impaired, that was sarcasm).

pretty much covered everything. Context is everything, but most of the time, racist/sexist jokes are made out of ignorance, and people don't realize the history behind why the joke was created in the first place.

To those people who say 'take a joke,' try to keep in mind that when you are of an identity that is often insulted or made to feel 'less than' constantly, day in and day out, jokes become less funny. People don't always like their identity being marginalized.

On that note, I don't often hear about specific jokes targeted at rich, straight, white men (though I've often see them tell racist/sexist jokes). Perhaps I've just missed people saying them, but I think it's significant that jokes of that nature are far less prevalent.

 

[artanis_neravar]

No, I'm of the view that there's nothing wrong with it when used in this manner. Ya see, if something can't be joked about, then it's just completely ignored as if people pretend it doesn't exist. You have to be able to joke about these types of things, or it's just political correctness gone mad.

Obviously there are still some limits, but my point stands.

This, the good or bad of it lies in the motive behind the act, not the act itself

 

[SuperNova221]

Yes. If you get offended by a joke with no ill intent behind it you are trying to be offended. Only problem is that they are overused and none of them are really that funny if you have some reason and notice that they are (nearly) all based on stereotypes.

 

[artanis_neravar]

A few weeks back I was in Social Studies with my friend and I see this vocabulary word. The word was Equal Rights Admenment. (The one for women). I then go "Hey wanna see a good joke." And then I point at the word. Is this okay that I did this. I don't think there is anything wrong with equal rights with women. I just thought it was funny. So opinions?

If you can't explain why you thought a joke was funny, then you don't have enough of a command over the art of humor to make that judgement call. It's like Michael Bay deciding that he's a comedian and putting racist monkeyesque transformers with gold teeth in his movie. The end result: it's not funny, it is racist/sexist, and the only accomplishment is that you look like an asshole. I'm not suggesting that you deconstruct the joke, as that would ruin it (if there really is a joke in there). But if you can't explain at all what makes you laugh about it, and you know you said something bigoted, regardless of whether you meant it, then you must have laughed because you were very naughty and said something derogatory towards a large group of people.

There's 3 types of jokes I've encountered that deal with bigotry. There are those that simply pander (see: Larry the Cable Racist and Jeff Dunham), there are those that pick on people who actually behave sterotypically and make fun of dipshits of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations etc. (Family Guy, Chappelle's Show, Yahztee, who's review of 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand addressed this very issue better than I've ever heard. Seriously, watch that video right now), and there are those jokes by sophisticated comics who are very good at coming behind someone who's swept some subjects they'd rather not acknowledge under the rug and say, "Hey, what's this ya got here under the rug?" (David Cross, Bill Hicks, Sarah Silverman). What you described above definitely belongs in one of the former categories, and if you can't or won't define why you laughed at equality for women, it would seem that it's an instance of pandering, like when I get to hear all of the wonderful "******" jokes when the black people leave the room (for the irony-impaired, that was sarcasm).

I find it funny because there are people out there who actually believe it, for me I'm not laughing at the expense of the group that the joke is about, I'm laughing at the people who believe what the joke is about. Where does that fall? (honestly asking not trying to be an ass)

 

[quantumsoul]

It really helps to know your audience when making a joke. If they'd find it funny, go for it. If not, then shut up. Of course you don't always know. So use your best judgement in those cases.