When is it ok to joke about or use prejudice racist sexist anti gay comments?

[Bago 10]

============ Warning, warning, long post! =============

 

Many people will make fun of a female teacher who has had sex with young boys but it's considered perfectly ok it seems, yes? ok then if yes - can you joke about the same age male teachers who've had sex underage girls

I think maybe it goes back to the "sex" vs "make love" argument. I personally do not accept either cases, but I understand that it is socially acceptable to be dating someone with a large age gap. There was a case in Italy whereby a female teacher dressed too provocatively and that created an uproar, as she got too much attention from the young boys.

 

You can never make fun or joke about your wife's mother but it is acceptable to tell a joke about another lady in frail years just like your mother in law who may be suffering memory loss, which can also lead to death?

If you love your other half, you accept all her family members, good or bad. I'm sure that is the case for most people. It's especially hard to see a loved one make sarcastic remarks to another loved one of theirs. Maybe it's a case of love loyalties? Strangers doing the odd action may be deemed as funny to bystanders, cos you don't know the background to their actions and you take it on face values? Though anything death related isn't so funny.

 

Seems fine to joke about the Catholic faith but draw a line at jokes & comments about Jews being tight or Muslims being terrorists…?

I haven't seen many Catholic jokes around for ages. Though, if it did happen, I can only understand that it's some kind of rejection of the person's own religion or whatever. Especially if they are in the majority of the population and not in the ethnic minorities percentage of the population. It's prejudicial if you make a joke against Jews because of the Holocaust. I think for most people, there is respect to accept things and not joke about it. Why would you joke about a Muslim being a terrorist? That isn't funny. Since it is so raw at the moment too. Nor do I find it funny if someone jokes about Japanese being rapists because of "The Rape of Nanking". It's cultural sensitivities surely. Laughing at yourself is okay, since you're making the joke yourself. Laughing at others' expenses is never okay, as far as I see it. I thought this is widely accepted.

 

People started making jokes about most SE Asian as being tied to that Cho guy who did the killing in the American school. I don't find it funny, but yet people do make such sick jokes.. I don't understand the fun of it. Especially if you're the one that they're pointing the finger at.

 

You can call a lesbian a dyke but never use the word 'puff' or 'fagot' when talking about gay men?

I don't know this one, but I hazard a guess that one word may have more prejudicial ties than others, and hence it's okay to use certain words and not others?

 

A lot of people are OK with calling a Chinese Takeaway a 'Chinky' but yet a local shop owned by an Asian/s it is never acceptable to call it a '**** shop'?

Well, depends on which chinese person you talk to, the feedback will be different. I think for local chinese in the North who are used to such terms, they may not find it that offensive, especially if they know the person who uses the term, or they understand the English language very well. Yet, if you use this term with a chinese from the South, you will cause an uproar, and people will indeed be offended. Cos the association for them may be different. (Even though we live in the same country!) I've not heard anyone use the term "**** Shop" at all. I understand that on some technical level, it is also an abbreviation, but history says that, it has been used in a derogatory way. Hence it's strong association with such terms by the Pakistani community, say. Saying all this, it does not mean that a British Chinese person or a British Pakistani person may not have assimilated into the British culture and laugh at themselves and take on such terms anyway? Many second-generation ethnic minorities are more likely to take on such terms on the chin.

 

You can also make jokes or comments about people with ginger hair or blonde women been thick after all their years of persecution & disadvantages, but can never do the same when it comes to skin colour.. why is that

I don't know. That is a good question. Sometimes I use the term "blonde moment" between my friends. Yet, I did not do it out of an association to someone with blonde hair. To me, it's equivalent to say I've been "Doh" !

 

If I hate everybody equally is that equality?

Good question! If you hate everybody equally, you would have no friends.

 

Why is it ok to joke about Political Correctness but not the equal opportunities act?

Cos everyone is talking about being PC at the moment? Whatever is the next fad which catches the public's interest, then I'm sure we will all talk about it. I thought that Equal Opportunities Act *was* talked of in the past? Hence the continuous labelling of "feminists". Sometimes I wish I was ignorant and didn't know so much of the past. I'd live a happier life. Cos what I say now is prevalent to how the world is through my eyes.

 

The reason for this topic is that I am somewhat confused & interested to know what is acceptable now & why?

Sometimes I do take in what a lot of people are saying, and in a way, people are the way that they are. Whatever is the more acceptable and mainstream way would be seen as the "norm". I always see it this way. Every person deserves respect despite my own values and moral code. If they wish to live their life in a certain way, who am I to judge them? I hope that the same courtesy can be returned too. I've figured that, this is the best way not to pee off anybody or everybody! lol.. Sometimes I'm ageist amongst my older friends and colleagues and they look at me with disgust. "Old" is not okay, "mature" is seemingly alright, "olden days" is not okay.. the list can go on and on! >.< Sometimes it's hit and miss. lol..

 

Please don't use this thread to have bash at certain groups of people, as long as you're not offensive or trolling, I think it's possible for users on SF to debate this subject without it getting closed.

Is it ? You have more faith in others than I do. I'm finding myself more and more cynical!

 

Well, that's my view anyway. Not that people do get ticked off regardless anyway, and I am very sure that someone will dispute the above statements. Call me Mystic Bago.

 

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[pinklady 10]

anyone been to see the comedians in benidorm recently? its like stepping back to the 80's .. black, gay, fat, ugly, asian, mother-in-laws .. all are on the menu for pee pee taking .. and dare i say .. very funny! .. must agree on the above post tho .. chubby brown is vile.

[Rich 12]

i think you mean chubby brown, and he just isn't funny.

 

Yeah that's the bloke! And no, he is not funny, fart jokes are so last century IMO

 

As for his language, well OK swearing is funny in certain context but swearing for the sake of swearing is just plain bad.

[artisan 10]

Yeah that's the bloke! And no, he is not funny, fart jokes are so last century IMO

 

As for his language, well OK swearing is funny in certain context but swearing for the sake of swearing is just plain bad.

 

One of the funniest men on Earth, all be it unknowingly he is.

And Chubby Brown is quite funny as well.

[King Rat 10]

D'oh!

 

As for the question, controversial jokes about gay people etc only upset a minority of people, most people who actually are gay or whatever couldn't give a flying you know what that some people extract the wee wee out of them.

 

From a personal point of view it doesn't bother me, but I wouldn't go and see a live show by that comedian bloke who does really offensive "jokes" (can't remember his name, he's been on at the City Hall a few times, and no it's not Billy Connolly)

 

If you only upset a minority of people does this make it acceptable to make fun of certain groups then? Doesn't the law puts antigay & sexist comments on an equal footing with racist?

[King Rat 10]

Yes, and to me also, but isn't political correctness just that?

 

It definitely seems that way to me but does this mean then it's OK to joke about certain groups of people?

[mc55 10]

surely it is never OK

[Bago 10]

I always thought that, its never okay to joke about something that you can't take yourself. Then again, by throwing back the jokes, some people see that as being offensive first. When they themselves could've been just before.

 

One thing I have also learnt is that, it depends on how well you know that person, and your relationship with them. It is okay to joke about something with someone, who you know won't take it the wrong way, but it's not the same when you don't know that person and haven't really established an understanding.

[King Rat 10]

What about new comedians doing stand up? how are they know supposed to know what does or does not offend people?

[Bago 10]

Then they're not very good comedians if they cannot engage the level on that laughter-o-meter from the general populus? There was a trial on C4 for a experimental comedy series called "Missing Chink". i.e. play on words for "missing link". Anyway, it aired, but there was also a backlash from the chinese community, cos obviously they did not find the jokes particularly funny, and also it drummed up bad memories too. This feedback came from an oriental forums. The fact is that, not many people are that assimilated into the British culture, but even if they did, they are not going to let go of core values of their own culture. (Some people do, but not everyone will. It depends on how you were brought up and what you were exposed to.) What would be good is if they amalgamated part of the chinese culture with British ones.

 

The team that does "Goodness Gracious Me" really have it spot on. They don't touch on subjects which the Asian community will be offended at, but at the same time, they emphasize the part which are core values of Asian families. i.e. family, hence they base their talkshow and characters on this format. They also do embrace irony and sarcasm lightly. The Missing Chink programme was done badly, and the sketches were not that funny....I found the backlash funny though, cos they don't understand their own culture, which is the main thing.

 

Anyway, what may be faux pas now, may be acceptable in years to come, when the time is right. It is always better to have an understanding and current knowledge of why some material works, and some don't. Cos they don't always come across "as it is" ? Some materials need you to have an understanding and background to the jokes itself, in order to find it funny.

[Ms Macbeth 74]

I loved the boundary crossing in 'Goodness gracious me'. This was a clever dig at general ignorance of racial & cultural differences, whilst gently sending up some Indian stereotypes! The Kumars is another comedy that does this. 'Only fools & horses' was a send up of a stereotypical downmarket wheeler dealer and his cronies. 'Are you being served' with the very camp Mr Humphries didn't offend either. 'Til Death Us Do Part' poked fun at the bigotry displayed by Alf Garnett, exposing the way that many people reacted to a changing society that they didn't really understand.

 

I think comedy can be about any aspect of the human condition, depending on how its written, and who says it. People are funny, and sometimes situations are especially funny because someone is young, old, fat, bigotted, gay, black, right wing or whatever. There is a big difference between real humour and racism, sexism, prejudice etc. These are just my views, and I'm sorry if I offended anyone with this post.

[JoeP 11]

Whilst it may appear old fashioned today, I think that 'Allo Allo' was quite groundbreaking for it's time in that :

 

1. It took an existing, 'heavy', drama series (Secret Army) and parodied it to death.
   
2. It also took the opportunity to set up and then send up the stereotypes of every nation in Europe.
   

 

It could have blown up in the BBC's face, but didn't, because we were being invited to laugh at ourselves and at general human traits like stupidity, ignorance, pomposity....

 

Humour becomes unacceptable when it is cruel. You can make a really 'poor taste' joke and provided you have the 'credentials' to carry it off you can get away with it. If you don't, or it's obvious that you have antipathy towards the group you're laughing at, then you're in trouble.

 

Acceptability in humour for many people often means laughing with, not at.

 

With many of the 'classic' comedy characters - Del Boy, Basil Fawlty - we're laughing at their antics but we like them because we're being invited to laugh at the parts of them in ourselves.