Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dartvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!mcnc!decvax!dartvax!rccall From: rccall@dartvax.UUCP (R. Christian Call) Newsgroups: net.jokes.d Subject: Re: "Offensive" jokes, minorities, real men, &c. Message-ID: <1439@dartvax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 4-May-84 12:43:21 EDT Article-I.D.: dartvax.1439 Posted: Fri May 4 12:43:21 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 6-May-84 00:39:22 EDT References: <1358@inmet.UUCP>, <162@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP> Organization: Dartmouth College Lines: 48 > I thought we were going to stop posting jokes which put > down minorities I don't know why you thought that. Nobody, as I recall, ever made any promises to that effect. LIGHTEN UP, PEOPLE! is what I feel like screaming now. The author of the same [above-quoted] article says: >REAL men don't take themselves too seriously. Well, how about another one: "REAL men don't take anyone else too seriously". I have always been annoyed (to say the least) to see flames about jokes being offensive to one ethnic group, minority, &c. or another; and fire-and-brimstone sermons about how such-and-such a joke perpetuates some ethnic stereotype, usually accompanied by a vehement denunciation of the joke- teller accusing him of bigotry and other nasty vices. Well, come on, people -- let's be real about this. A person can tell an ethnic joke without being a bigot. The humor is derived from the characteristics that such stereotypical members of a particular minority are said to possess, and a joke can be enjoyed on that level. Un-prejudiced people understand that stereotypes are just that -- mere stereotypes; but they can enjoy ethnic jokes anyway. Furthermore, if a person believes that a stereotype applies to all REAL members of a particular ethnic group, he's a bigot already. So what's the big deal? You're not going to stop bigots from being bigots by flaming them. The only real prejudice I've seen on usenet is one against people who tell "offensive" ethnic jokes (it is constantly being implied that such people must be nasty horrible evil creatures who advocate genocide). Humor is often made at the expense of some person or persons, and it is a given that almost all humor is potentially offensive to one group of people or another. But we need not take offense just because a joke is made at the expense of a group to which we belong; rather, we can assume that the joke was made in good fun. Frankly, it offends me to see people tell jokes like "Two were walking down the street one day, and..." for fear of filling in the blanks and having people flame them for being so terribly insensitive to the plight of the s. So come on, let's stop taking everything that comes across this newsgroup so seriously. This is net.jokes, remember? -- we're not supposed to be so serious about everything.