Is 'racist' humour ever acceptable?

[Over The Hill]

I have been partially deaf all my life. More often than not, mostly men, if you mention the fact in a social setting (I'm deaf, can I sit that side otherwise I won't hear a thing) they will always say "Pardon?" or "What did you say?" and think it hilarious. If only they realised it's the 100th + time you've heard it. I don't mind the joke, but please be a bit more original. And funny.

My wife is the same and gets the same reaction. It is odd that Deafness is treated differently to say Blindness.
I think it may go back to the fact that there is comedy mileage in deafness (somehow it is seen as funny to mishear something or have an old person who cant hear) but it is cheap humour and I think it is now seen as either unacceptable or at least tired and unfunny.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

You don't suppose, do you, that the "middle eastern" guys at your work see Kurds as a second-class race? And that they are, perhaps, a teensy bit racist themselves?

Oh noe don't get me wrong, there not "a teensy bit racist", they're full blown racists!!! In fact most people I come across that people would see as targets of racism are some of the most racist people I know, but it's OK, they're not white racists, they're the worst!

 

[zimzum42]

You don't suppose, do you, that the "middle eastern" guys at your work see Kurds as a second-class race? And that they are, perhaps, a teensy bit racist themselves?

They see Kurds much the same way the English see the Scots and Welsh. Back in the day both sets of peoples fought numerous battles and messed each other about variously.

It's better methinks that we celebrate the facts that largely we are just making a few jokes and not battling one another still. (let's not forget that some Turks?Arabs/Persians are still messing the Kurds about)

Seems to me that there are some who, for admirable reasons perhaps, wish that all this could be ironed out, that we can treat each other equitably. However, the same people often also express a desire to see 'differences' celebrated. I think that this kind of joking is part and parcel of that. Everywhere I've been and lived, the locals have some argument or other for why they are 'the best'. The Lebanese think they're the best Arabs, Ghanaians, Ethiopians, Kenyans etc, each think they're 'the best Africans' for some reason or other. The Brits love to think they're the best in Europe. Singaporeans think themselves amazing. I could go on.
All of these peoples tell essentially the same jokes about their neighbours, and vice versa.

Why fight against something ingrained in the psyche when time spent challenging something more attainable would be far more worthwhile?

 

[swee'pea99]

I used to feel a bit guilty about quite enjoying Irish jokes...till an Irish friend told me they love 'Irish jokes' too - they're just Kerryman jokes over there.

 

[ChrisKH]

My wife is the same and gets the same reaction. It is odd that Deafness is treated differently to say Blindness.
I think it may go back to the fact that there is comedy mileage in deafness (somehow it is seen as funny to mishear something or have an old person who cant hear) but it is cheap humour and I think it is now seen as either unacceptable or at least tired and unfunny.

Indeed. I really don't mind the puns tbh. What I have had to fight for all my life is the right to hear (not be heard!) in classrooms, lectures, meetings, etc. Despite telling people at school and so on about the problem I still got stuck at the back of classes, on the wrong side, etc. Like a lot of 'disabilities' (I use this term sparingly, truthfully I'm very able, lipread, etc. just less able when it comes to talking in a disco or a noisy classroom or restaurant) if you can't see it, it doesn't exist. Even my current workplace were disparaging because I wasn't totally deaf and didn't talk funny. I don't raise it now unless I really have to, as the reaction is either inadequate or TOTALLY OVER THE TOP WHEN PEOPLE START SHOUTING AT ME.

I'm very lucky compared to many other people, but it can be wearing sometimes.

 

[Mr Pig]

Ah, but now you DO know, do you think you might use 'disabled' instead of 'handicapped' in a relevant sentence?

Probably not to be honest. I really don't see it as an issue and I don't want to start having to consciously think about every word I utter.

Who says that causing other people even slight offence, even accidentally, is a crime? Why is it that the person who says the word or phrase is always, always, always the one who must be in the wrong? Does having a disability magically bestow an individual with the right to make everyone else walk on eggshells for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing? Maybe sometimes the individual concerned needs to get the chip off their shoulder and get a grip?

We've got a good friend who suffered ninety-percent burns when she was nine-years old. No, that's not a typo, her face was about the only bit of her that wasn't badly burned. She'll joke about her injuries, I'll joke about her injuries, there isn't an issue and she's never taken offence. She knows we love her and care about her and takes anything said in that context.

You must know that most people would be totally unaware that the term handicapped originally derived from people begging? Therefor, when they use the word they are not trying to offend you in any way. So why make an issue out of it? In my opinion it is you who are in the wrong for creating an issue where none exists. If we were to stop using all of the words that originally means something offensive there wouldn't be a lot left! Have to find another word for rock music for a start! ;0)

 

[Fnaar]

English/Irish
Irish/Kerry
...it's all just picking on the small guy, isn't it....

In Spain, they tell jokes about people from Lepe, a small village in the south

 

[cisamcgu]

Is this joke racist ? I'm not sure really; but I do think it is bl**dy funny !
========================================================
An Italian, a Scotsman and a Chinese man, are hired at a construction
site.


The foreman points out a huge pile of sand.

He says to the Italian guy, "You're in charge of sweeping."
To the Scotsman he says, "You're in charge of shovelling."
And to the Chinese guy, "You're in charge of supplies."

He then says, "Now, I have to leave for a little while. I expect you
men to make a dent in that pile of sand."

So when the foreman returns after being away for a couple of hours, the
pile of sand is untouched.

He asks the Italian, "Why didn't you sweep any of it?"

The Italian replies, "I no hava no broom. You saida to the Chinesea fella that he a wasa ina charge of supplies,
but he hasa disappeared and I no coulda finda him nowhere."

Then the foreman turns to the Scotsman and says "And you, I thought I
told you to shovel this pile."

The Scotsman replies, "Aye, that ye did laddie, boot ah could nae get
meself a shoovel. Ye left th' Chinese gadgie in chairge of supplies,
boot ah couldna fin' him neither."

The foreman is really angry now.

He storms off toward the pile of sand to look for the Chinese gent.







Just then, the Chinese man leaps out from behind the pile of sand and
yells, "SUPPLIES!!!!"
======================================================

 

[Fnaar]

Nelson Mandela is at home watching TV when there is a knock at the door. A Japanese delivery man is clutching a clipboard, pointing to a truck full of car exhausts in the driveway and yelling, "You sign, you sign!"

The bewildered president will do no such thing and slams the door.

The next day, the man is back, waving a clipboard under the great man's nose, gesturing to a truckload of brake pads and insisting, "You sign, you sign!"

Nelson gets rid of the man again, but next day he's back with two truckloads of car parts, once again insisting that the president sign for the goods.

Mandela loses his temper and yells, "Look, I don't want these. Do you understand? You have the wrong person."

Puzzled, the Japanese man consults his clipboard and asks, "Ah. You not Nissan Main dealer?"

-------------------------
A bin man is doing his morning rounds loading up the dustbin van when he gets to a house that hasn't put its wheelie bin out. Since he is running a little early, he decides to do a good deed and has a look around to see if they'd left it in the back garden... but he doesn't find them. Being the kind bin man he is, he decides to save the residents a week of having rubbish stinking out their house so he goes up to the door and knocks.
No reply.
He knocks again.
No reply.
He knocks really long and hard... and finally hears footsteps running down the stairs. A little chinese man opens the door wearing only a towel and looking flustered.
Bin man: "Sorry to bother you mate but I'm collecting the rubbish... where's ya bin?"
Chinese man: "I... err... I bin... I been in the bath!"
Bin Man: "No no no - where's ya BIN?"
Chinese man: "I just say! I been in the bath!"
Bin Man: "No mate... listen... Where's... Ya... Wheelie... Bin?"
Chinese Man: "Awaite, awaite, God... I weally been having a w.a.n.k!"

 

[MarkF]

I work for myself out of a small industrial unit, there are 4 of us, all white. On the left side of us, the unit/business is run by Wayne who is black (but you knew that didn't you), there are three staff there, all black. On the right the unit/business is run by an Pakistani family. All of us get on very well, over the years we've become friends outside work, got to say though, there is racial jokes/piss taking every single day, from gentle to severe, from all sides, no subject, however taboo, is left alone. It can, at times, be very funny.

My good lady worked in the University and now works in the college, her and her colleagues have a very large volume of taboo words that they can never ever say (don't know about thinking). I would imagine that they don't have much fun.

The acceptability of racial humour depends on who you are, and where you work and who you work with.

 

[mr_hippo]

Three men, a Frenchman, an Italian and an Indian apply for a USA green card and are told by Immigration that they must pass a simple English test'. "What I want you to do is give me a sentence containing the words 'green', 'pink' amd 'yellow' in any order.
The Frenchman "I look out of my window and see the yellow sun, the green grass and pink flowers."
The Italian "I am wearing my green trousers, yellow shirt and pink tie."
The Indian "My telephone rang, it went green-green, green-green so I pink it up and say 'Yellow, who is it?'"

 

[Arch]

Probably not to be honest. I really don't see it as an issue and I don't want to start having to consciously think about every word I utter.

In which case, you may not be racist, or whatever, but you are rude. If someone asked me not to use a certain word, I'd try and respect that. If I felt they were being stupid or oversensitive to do so (and I think Helen has a perfectly good right to her choice), than I would probably fell they weren't the sort of person I wanted to know, and not talk to them all that much.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

If someone asked me not to use a certain word, I'd try and respect that.

Please do not use the word elephant.

 

[Mr Pig]

In which case, you may not be racist, or whatever, but you are rude.

Maybe. But as you've never met me, and probably never will, I guess you'll never know. And as I've never met you, and probably never will, I guess I don't care! :0)

 

[Arch]

Please do not use the word elephant.

Ok, if I ever meet you, I'll make sure I don't...