Offensive jokes - Curiousity...

[SenseOfTumour]

Just wondering, how often do jokes get slammed as racist or sexist or offensive as a knee jerk reaction, instead of actually considering the content?

Seems if you include an indian or a french guy or a black guy in the joke, it almost immediately makes that joke invalid and unable to be repeated, which I think is a shame.

Here's an example, and no, it's not the wittiest line ever, but I think it displays the point I'm aiming at.

'I saw an Indian asleep on the train, noticed the little red dot on his forehead, and thought, "Is he on standby?" '

Now, Jokes about indians and the red mark on the forehead, old news, I know. However, does it count as offensive?

To me, if you're doing jokes about black people, avoid slavery, crime, or the basic rules of making them look inferior thru the joke, and you can probably clear it past me at least. also if you're playing with the concept of racism/sexism/etc, then just go for a pun instead, like this one.

'The owners of DeviantArt yesterday launched a Muslim only premium service, I thought at first it might make money, but I've had a browse and I can't see any prophet in it'

The indian joke, it's not saying the sleeping guy on the train is stupid, or strange, or a lesser person, in fact it's more a gag about the viewer's ignorance in only being able to relate something he doesn't understand to a home appliance.

I think it's a tricky tightrope to walk, and you have to be careful in not going so far that you've ended up parroting the views of the 70s comedians and just end up being abusive, but I think the whole area could use being loosened up a little.

I sense in the terms of my example, I think most indian people would see it as harmless, tho some white people would be finding it offensive 'on behalf' of the minority.

I also understand I'm doing exactly what a true legend of British Comedy once said you should never do... as Barry Cryer said, 'Analysing comedy is like dissecting a frog, nobody laughs and the frog dies.'

do feel free to post any new jokes that actually fit the remit of not being offensive. I think if it's joking about a difference without knocking that difference, it's fine.

 

[cheese_wizington]

Your making fun of someone.

That's why.

 

[ultrachicken]

I like stereotypical jokes of all kind, directed at me or not. Not sure why, though.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I seem to have bee posting this a lot lately, but here are the thoughts of Mr Trevor Griffiths in his play Comedians, which directly examines the nature of what makes a joke -ist, as opposed to a joke.

'A joke that feeds on ignorance starves its audience. We have the choice. We can say something funny or we can say nothing. not everything true is funny, and not everything funny is true. Most comics feed prejudice and fear and blinkered vision, but the best ones, the best ones...illuminate them, make them clearer to see, easier to deal with. We've got to make people laugh until they cry. Cry. Till they find their pain and their beauty. Comedy is medicine, not coloured seeties to rot their teeth with.'

 

[Luftwaffles]

That red dot is the self destruct button.

Most good jokes poke fun at something/someone/religion/stereotypes etc. Granted there are times to recite these jokes and times they should just stay in your head. Learn to toe the line, not cross it. savvy?

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Why do men like PS3s?

We can spell it.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Your making fun of someone.

That's why.

that's kind of my point tho, there's no malice intended in the 'indian' joke, it's simply noting that a red circle is similar to the red circle that means 'standby',it's not the usual all indians run kwik e marts and eat curry and all the other tired old steretypes, but it'll get lumped in as a racist joke, just because the word indian is in there.

This is not so much a 'are racist jokes funny or ok?', more a 'can a joke involve race without being racist?' Swap racist for sexist or other form of discrimination at will