Racist Jokes

[Moral Orel]

Don't post racist jokes here!

I wanted to get that out of the way first in case people were planning on "sharing". I want to talk about racist jokes, not present examples for public consumption.

TLDR Version: Are racist jokes always bad? That's the question in a nutshell.

There are different ways to approach racism in general. Some people always treat anything that is remotely racist as extremely serious and as the type of thing that should never be joked about. Some others approach racism through humor as a way to show how ridiculous stereotypes can be. Of course some others actually tell racist jokes for the purpose of hating other people, but I think we can all agree that use is wrong.

Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock have both joked about racism in their stand-up and on their television shows. So have white comics like Louis C.K. and David Cross. Does joking about racism in general diffuse hard to talk about subjects and make people more aware of problems without coming off as overly confrontational, or do they only serve to make people take serious claims of racist activity less seriously? Do people actually hear a racist joke, in the context of it being just a joke, and become impressed with a belief in the stereotype associated with the joke?

Can a joke just be a joke? Can it simply be appreciated for being well written and clever without having to ascribe to a belief in the stereotype presented?

Now I know there are going to be some folks who are going to want to say "no racist jokes ever". But before you do, I want to make sure everyone considers this: have you ever laughed at a Polak joke? I'd even go so far as to ask if you've ever laughed at a blonde joke as well, because those are still jokes about stereotypes based on outward appearance. I'm not going to compare being Polish (which I am) to being black (which I am not), but the principle of "no racist jokes ever" would apply to both types of jokes, yes?

What if you tell jokes about your own ethnicity? For example, is it okay for Jews to tell Jewish jokes, and Polaks to tell Polish jokes? But a Polak can't tell a Jewish joke, and vice versa?

On a side note, I love white jokes (I'm white, so that's okay, right?). But they're hard to come by. If anyone knows any, please PM them to me. I'll be happy to reciprocate with any type of joke you like from my collection.

 

[Joshua_5]

I'm not sure "racist" jokes are any more immoral than any other type of joke. Political correctness, hate speech, positive discrimination etc. are all inventions by Communists to use as a weapon against ordinary people to usher in their New World Order. If something is evil, its evil, no matter if you're black, white, man, woman, Jew or Muslim. If its not evil, its not.

The same rules apply for all, no matter what the Commies say.

 

[Armoured]

I'm not sure "racist" jokes are any more immoral than any other type of joke. Political correctness, hate speech, positive discrimination etc. are all inventions by Communists to use as a weapon against ordinary people to usher in their New World Order. If something is evil, its evil, no matter if you're black, white, man, woman, Jew or Muslim. If its not evil, its not.

The same rules apply for all, no matter what the Commies say.

 

[Armoured]

Don't post racist jokes here!

I wanted to get that out of the way first in case people were planning on "sharing". I want to talk about racist jokes, not present examples for public consumption.

TLDR Version: Are racist jokes always bad? That's the question in a nutshell.

There are different ways to approach racism in general. Some people always treat anything that is remotely racist as extremely serious and as the type of thing that should never be joked about. Some others approach racism through humor as a way to show how ridiculous stereotypes can be. Of course some others actually tell racist jokes for the purpose of hating other people, but I think we can all agree that use is wrong.

Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock have both joked about racism in their stand-up and on their television shows. So have white comics like Louis C.K. and David Cross. Does joking about racism in general diffuse hard to talk about subjects and make people more aware of problems without coming off as overly confrontational, or do they only serve to make people take serious claims of racist activity less seriously? Do people actually hear a racist joke, in the context of it being just a joke, and become impressed with a belief in the stereotype associated with the joke?

Can a joke just be a joke? Can it simply be appreciated for being well written and clever without having to ascribe to a belief in the stereotype presented?

Now I know there are going to be some folks who are going to want to say "no racist jokes ever". But before you do, I want to make sure everyone considers this: have you ever laughed at a Polak joke? I'd even go so far as to ask if you've ever laughed at a blonde joke as well, because those are still jokes about stereotypes based on outward appearance. I'm not going to compare being Polish (which I am) to being black (which I am not), but the principle of "no racist jokes ever" would apply to both types of jokes, yes?

What if you tell jokes about your own ethnicity? For example, is it okay for Jews to tell Jewish jokes, and Polaks to tell Polish jokes? But a Polak can't tell a Jewish joke, and vice versa?

On a side note, I love white jokes (I'm white, so that's okay, right?). But they're hard to come by. If anyone knows any, please PM them to me. I'll be happy to reciprocate with any type of joke you like from my collection.

As with all things, context is important. I believe it IS possible to tell a racist joke without malice, though there are a lot of people who will consciously tell such a joke in an inappropriate situation, claiming no malice, for the purpose of getting a rise out of people to generate dram, or to be able to play he political correctness martyr card.

 

[7trees]

Q. What did the Irish chiropodist have for breakfast?
Ans. Leprechaun flakes.

That is an example of a non racist joke that uses race as a context. Sometimes people confuse jokes about nationalities with jokes that are prejudiced. It is often not so - such as humor comparing American and British slang. Racist jokes are designed to insult and denigrate and that is obviously wrong.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

The purpose of comedy is enjoyment, but there is a subsidiary use in deflating our own sense of importance and helping us reconsider things. As such, no topic should be consider beyond the pale of a joke.
There is however a difference between a joke designed to poke fun at and a joke designed to ridicule and belittle. As in all things, depends on the joke and the context, as Armoured said.

 

[DaisyDay]

It's one thing to poke fun at our own selves & our own group and another to poke fun at outsiders. I think it's always ok to make fun of ourselves - the rest is a judgement call - context and company.

 

[Zoii]

Yea racist jokes are hilarious...just like the sexist dumb blonde or dumb women jokes.... hahaha hilarious ... oh except of course if your that race being made fun of...or the women being made fun of - hahahaha but of course they just dont have a sense humour and are stirring things because its a communist plot. Have I understood things correctly?

 

[Joshua_5]

Yea racist jokes are hilarious...just like the sexist dumb blonde or dumb women jokes.... hahaha hilarious ... oh except of course if your that race being made fun of...or the women being made fun of - hahahaha but of course they just dont have a sense humour and are stirring things because its a communist plot. Have I understood things correctly?

People with a good sense of humour can still laugh at themselves, if someone makes a good joke about them. Pride is the sin that led to the devil's downfall, and as none of us are perfect, let no one nor group pretend they are.

 

[essentialsaltes]

There's a difference between jokes about race and racist jokes.

If you don't have a good awareness of the boundary, you can certainly get into trouble.

Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles has hilarious jokes using the n-word or about rape. If you're not Mel Brooks, you might not want to try to go that far.

 

[Moral Orel]

I'm not sure "racist" jokes are any more immoral than any other type of joke. Political correctness, hate speech, positive discrimination etc. are all inventions by Communists to use as a weapon against ordinary people to usher in their New World Order. If something is evil, its evil, no matter if you're black, white, man, woman, Jew or Muslim. If its not evil, its not.

The same rules apply for all, no matter what the Commies say.

It doesn't take a conspiracy theory to make people feel offended. Most people are offended by something, and hearing a joke about it causes a natural response in them. I think it's silly to ever be offended by words, since in the context of a joke, I can't see them causing any harm that you don't let it. I think that knowing my audience, I shouldn't tell a joke that I know would offend that audience. But that doesn't mean the joke has inherent harm. I'm near certain I could tell a joke that would offend you too, but that also doesn't mean the joke has inherent harm, just that you allow the joke to harm you.

That isn't a challenge or a bet, either. I'm not going to prove it. You'll just have to trust me that I can offend just about anyone, even people who say, "tell me any kind of joke, nothing offends me!". I've lost friends thanks to those challenging words...

 

[Moral Orel]

As with all things, context is important. I believe it IS possible to tell a racist joke without malice, though there are a lot of people who will consciously tell such a joke in an inappropriate situation, claiming no malice, for the purpose of getting a rise out of people to generate dram, or to be able to play he political correctness martyr card.

I tend to agree with that. What would be an "inappropriate situation" though? I think there's an inappropriate audience, but I can't honestly think of a situation where Bob can tell Dave a racist joke, but in a different situation, Bob can't tell Dave a racist joke. Given the same joke teller, and the same audience, what else could change to make it wrong?

 

[Steve Petersen]

So, if I make an Irish joke, is that racist?

 

[Moral Orel]

Q. What did the Irish chiropodist have for breakfast?
Ans. Leprechaun flakes.

That is an example of a non racist joke that uses race as a context. Sometimes people confuse jokes about nationalities with jokes that are prejudiced. It is often not so - such as humor comparing American and British slang. Racist jokes are designed to insult and denigrate and that is obviously wrong.

That's a good distinction to make. Some folk will call anything racist if it involves race, nationality, or ethnicity, even if it isn't racist at all. But when a joke does insult, that always makes it wrong? Does that mean blonde jokes and Polak jokes are always wrong too?

What about those Comedy Central roasts? Those are designed to insult and denigrate, but they're all in good fun. Does the audience matter more than the joke in determining whether something is immoral or not?

 

[Moral Orel]

The purpose of comedy is enjoyment, but there is a subsidiary use in deflating our own sense of importance and helping us reconsider things. As such, no topic should be consider beyond the pale of a joke.
There is however a difference between a joke designed to poke fun at and a joke designed to ridicule and belittle. As in all things, depends on the joke and the context, as Armoured said.

Is there a difference in how the joke is designed or in how the joke is used though? If I tell a joke to someone who truly isn't offended by anything, can any joke go too far, or is it all relative only to the audience?

 

[keith99]

There's a difference between jokes about race and racist jokes.

If you don't have a good awareness of the boundary, you can certainly get into trouble.

Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles has hilarious jokes using the n-word or about rape. If you're not Mel Brooks, you might not want to try to go that far.

Wouldn't racist jokes be jokes about racists?

I'm sure there is plenty of funny material there. But it might be a bit like shooting ducks on a pond.

 

[Moral Orel]

It's one thing to poke fun at our own selves & our own group and another to poke fun at outsiders. I think it's always ok to make fun of ourselves - the rest is a judgement call - context and company.

That's a pretty common stance, and I can understand that. I know that no matter my audience, I can always crack a joke about myself even if it's insulting, but not everyone is okay with me cracking a joke about them, but some are.

But that brings up another complication. If a black guy tells a black joke to a white guy, can the white guy laugh? Wouldn't he be laughing at black people?

 

[Moral Orel]

Yea racist jokes are hilarious...just like the sexist dumb blonde or dumb women jokes.... hahaha hilarious ... oh except of course if your that race being made fun of...or the women being made fun of - hahahaha but of course they just dont have a sense humour and are stirring things because its a communist plot. Have I understood things correctly?

You're right to bring up the double standard. A lot of people are okay with jokes that insult as long as they aren't about a group they belong to. I'm not sure that I've found a person that doesn't use that double standard though. I've heard women complain about misogynist jokes, but then are happy to hear how many men it takes to screw in a light bulb. I've heard people complain about racist jokes, but then laugh at my Polak jokes.

Do you truly not apply the double standard? I can't say honestly whether you have or not, but I have to ask. Have you never laughed at a Polak joke or a "men are dumb" joke?

You're the only one who made a mention of blondes that I did in the OP, are you blonde? Because I have a brunette joke for you if you are

 

[Moral Orel]

There's a difference between jokes about race and racist jokes.

If you don't have a good awareness of the boundary, you can certainly get into trouble.

Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles has hilarious jokes using the n-word or about rape. If you're not Mel Brooks, you might not want to try to go that far.

The joke-teller is important, as delivery is at least as important as the joke itself. Look at comedians like Stephen Wright. Half of what makes his jokes so funny is him telling them.

But audience is really king, in my opinion. You can't show Blazing Saddles to just anyone, and a lot of people won't find that funny at all.

But what would you say the boundary between jokes about race and racist jokes is?

 

[Moral Orel]

So, if I make an Irish joke, is that racist?

Wouldn't racist jokes be jokes about racists?

I'm sure there is plenty of funny material there. But it might be a bit like shooting ducks on a pond.

"Racist jokes" may not be the most accurate way to put it, but it's what most people have generally accepted as the term to describe jokes that insult people based on their race, ethnicity, or nationality.