Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!cwjcc!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu!nmg
From: nmg@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu (Nancy M Gould)
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Re: RACIST JOKES
Message-ID: <1076@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 18 Nov 88 21:05:48 GMT
References: <8030@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <1058@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu> <1060@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu> <1057@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu> <1223@fig.bbn.com>
Reply-To: nmg@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu.UUCP (Nancy M Gould)
Organization: Mathematical Sciences Computer Lab, Columbus, OH
Lines: 89

In article <1223@fig.bbn.com> rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz) writes:
>This article is a mish-mash of the four separate ariticles mentioned
>in the References line.
>
>From: nmg@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu (Nancy M Gould)
>>If enough people from ANY ETHNIC GROUP feel offended, the jokes
>>should not be posted.
>And if the person doesn't stop, then the majority should force them?
>Sorry, you're wrong.  Read the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
>Usenet is a world-wide (dis)organization, so it doesn't apply to
>everyone, but I expect that the vast majority of Usenet readers
>agree with its basic intent:
>    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
>    or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
>    speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to





I don't think that free speech is the issue here.  I do not question
Brad Templeton's legal right to post any thing he likes to.   The
real issue here is that of COMMON POLITENESS.

For example, if a friend asks me how she looks, and I think she looks
like a pig, certainly I have the right to say so.  But  out of common
consideration, I'll show respect for her feelings.

In summary, this is not an issue of the legal right of freedom of
speech (nobody is on trial here)al here)--it is just as issue of COMMON
POLITENESS AND CONSIDERATION.







>
>>I don't think any joke that offends a significant amount of people and
>>brings back horrifying memories and associations from their past 
>>is very "funny".


>That is your decision.  Other people do find humor in it.  This is a
>totally different issue from whether or not it should be allowed to be said.


What ever happened to common consideration and respect for other people's
feelings.









>
>I also do not understand why race an ethnicity is a valid criteria, and
>(say) physical deformity or occupation isn't.  Can you elaborate why you
>feel that it is okay to make fun of lepers or programmers, but not
>ethnics?


Excuse me, but has any one here said that it was okay to make fun
of lepers or programmers?

First, I'm accused of only being concerned with Jews.  Now, that
I've made it clear that the principle applies to members of
ANY ETHNIC GROUP, I've being accused for not taking the whole
world into account.

For the last time, it is not okay to engage in any kind of humor that
comes at the expense of another person's feelings--regardless of which
catagory they represent!

This is a commonly accepted principle of basic politeness.







-- 
"When the writer becomes the center of his attention, he becomes a nudnik.
And a nudnik who believes he's profound is even worse than just a plain
nudnik."                         --Isaac Bashevis Singer  (1904-   )
Nancy M. Gould