Re: inappropriate racist and other offensive material
On Fri, 15 Mar 2002, Evan Prodromou wrote:
> Does anyone really, really think that there's something gratuitous in
> being offended by jokes about being "too black" or calling someone a
> "faggot"? Is that *really* over-the-top political correctness?
>
Yes. And I say that based on the observation that blacks and Homosexuals
are as likely to engage in that type of joking as anyone else. It's
interesting I've mostly worked in lower Manhattan, arguably one of the
most liberal parts of the country. Being a Hindu (one of the "good"
religions in that milieus' worldview) people have felt safe telling me
jokes about Christian, particularly Southern, Fundamentalist, Christians
which are far more obscene and hurtful then the one that started this
thread. Humor belittling the outsider (whether it is the Baptist in Soho,
Microsoft in the Linux world, the Irishman in England, or the Sardarji in
India) is as old as the hills. It's a method whereby a social group
establishes its' boundaries and reinforces its' mores. It's really more
about "us" than "them" and I don't see any evidence teling jokes correlate
to actual lynchings etc.
--
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar@braincells.com>
It's a girl! See the pictures - http://www.braincells.com/shailaja/
Reply to: