Oroboros said:
However,
Either Parody =/= get out of jail free card; or Parody = universal get out of jail free card. We don't want to argue that parodying some people is acceptable, while showing others in a bad light is offensive even in parody.
Equality is about equality. That entails raising the amount of rights and respect that the subaltern receive to the same level as white heterosexual males of the dominant religion receive. That much is common sense and it saddens me that anyone can conceivably not desire that as a goal.
Well, no argument there, I am in agreement.
Most disturbing of all is the strange persistence in which the WMDF in equating all white males with the WMDF. This comic is parodying the WMDF, a subset of white males. It is not 'making fun of' white males, but this particular radical group. That much should be clear to anyone here, as much as the WMDF tries to conflate the two.
This brings me back to the first point there. For example. Sexist, racist, and to a lesser extent, age, profession, nationalisty jokes aren't aimed at all people of a particular race, gender, age profession or nationality, only those that act in accordance with the stereotypes. Jokes are parodies. Why are they sometimes considered offensive simply on the basis of who the butt of the joke is?
Make fun of French pretentiousness, lawyer's sliminess, old people's incontinence, good (after all, we know that not all Frenchmen are pretentious, not all lawyers are slimy, and not old people are incontinent and helpless), make fun of Jewish greed, gay guys' femininity or black people's love for chicken, and things get ugly (despite us knowing that not all Jews are greedy, not all gay guys are feminine, and not all black people love to eat chicken whenever they have a chance).
So, uh, my point?
Basically: "Should parody allow us to say whatever we want and remain above criticism, as long as we claim we weren't seriously insinuating that 'they're all like that', that we were just talking about the specific subset that actually does act that way?"
A simple yes or no will do; and I am perfectly willing to accept either answer, as long as they come with internal consistency - i.e. parodying anything is considered exactly as (un)acceptable as parodying anything else.