Is 'racist' humour ever acceptable?

[swee'pea99]

I mentioned to a colleague a comment reportedly made to a black soldier by his superior officer (this in the aftermath of the Prince Twit story) after he came out as gay: 'You haven't got a wooden leg have you? We could get three for the price of one.' My colleague didn't find this as funny as I did.

Then at the weekend one of the grown-ups mentioned over lunch that she was doing something at 2.30, so I told the kids that was the time Chinese people went to the dentist. The kids thought it was funny; some of the grown ups seemed a bit put out.

Which set me thinking. I've always liked jokes like that. (Man to Chinese waiter: 'This chicken is rubbery' Waiter: 'Ah, thank you sir.') Not nasty racist jokes, it goes without saying...but 'gentle' ones. But are they past their sell-by date?

I don't know. Should I stop telling 2.30-type jokes to my kids?

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I suppose it depends on what company you are keeping at the time. Most of the guys at my work are middle eastern and they love any jokes (no matter how un PC/racist) that include anything to do with the middle east/muslims/jews/black people/Saddam Hussein etc. They particularly like jokes about Kurdish people for some reason. The more un PC the better. If you were to repeat some of these jokes in front of some middle class English person they's probably faint from the un PC'ness of it all.

 

[zimzum42]

I've never seen any harm in that kind of joke. What puzzles me is being sat with a bunch of white people who decide to take it upon themselves to be offended on behalf of blacks/asians/whomsoever, cos when I drop the same gags in front of blacks/asians/whomsoever, they have a right laugh...

 

[Fnaar]

I made that one myself only yesterday...

Here's one:

An Englishman, Irishman and a Pakistani walk into a pub. Barman says
"Is this some kind of a joke?"

think I got that from here

 

[Speicher]

I made that one myself only yesterday...

Here's one:

An Englishman, Irishman and a Pakistani walk into a pub. Barman says
"Is this some kind of a joke?"

think I got that from here

Yes, I think you got that from me.

 

[Fnaar]

Yes, I think you got that from me.

...said the actress to the bishop, as he looked at the letter from the clinic

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I think that for the most part we are all simply just human beings...we share similar hopes wants aspirations etc...skin colour is irrelevant. I dont care if balck man call me a honky or whatever othe rracist comment he may choose so long as the tone is friendly. I had a workmate once who was black...he addressed me as 'Oi you white MFR' and I affectionatly referred to him as 'you black bs**'...all in jest, no offence takenand many laugh had.

I think you can take this racist stuff to far...
..where it is wrong is when it is used as a weapon to demine and upset somebody...malicious use of racist language is wrong. Grown adults should be able to see where the line is and not cross it without government intervention.

 

[Maz]

[quote name='swee'pea99']I mentioned to a colleague a comment reportedly made to a black soldier by his superior officer (this in the aftermath of the Prince Twit story) after he came out as gay: 'You haven't got a wooden leg have you? We could get three for the price of one.' My colleague didn't find this as funny as I did. [/QUOTE]
I don't get it.

 

[Renard]

Depends what you mean by racist. As Zimzum says 'who decides?' Usually people with some other axe to grind.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

When I was a kid there was only black guy I can remember in town. His nickname was "chalky". He never complained. If he'd wanted to, you'd have known about it as he was a hard ba*tard.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I don't get it.

He was black and gay. The officer wanted to know if he had a disability as well. It's not funny.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I've never seen any harm in that kind of joke. What puzzles me is being sat with a bunch of white people who decide to take it upon themselves to be offended on behalf of blacks/asians/whomsoever, cos when I drop the same gags in front of blacks/asians/whomsoever, they have a right laugh...

Yes, quite. That always strikes me as very patronising indeed.

 

[swee'pea99]

He was black and gay. The officer wanted to know if he had a disability as well. It's not funny.

That's what my colleague thought.
(But my friend did, later on, over a pint.)

 

[4F]

When I was a kid there was only black guy I can remember in town. His nickname was "chalky". He never complained. If he'd wanted to, you'd have known about it as he was a hard ba*tard.

When I used to play football there was a lad nicknamed "chalky" as well. I always felt uncomfortable with this nickname and refused to use it.

 

[Fnaar]

A Jamaican guy I used to work with used to call me BWA (= black woman's arse), as he thought I had big buttocks (s'pose I do, really...)...
form an orderly queue there please