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Termyn8or -> RE: Open Letter to the New York Post (2/28/2009 1:01:13 PM)
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Half drunk in a roomful of people of quite diverse ethnicities this came up, you can make jokes about any race.
They started, Irish. I responded "Fuckable ? count legs, less than three and...., but this does not apply to ......". (let's not go there)
Puerto Ricans, I had a few good ones, especially about their cars. (jumper cable payments come to mind, they had no conception of having a working alternator in their car, at least back then)
Then it came about, "What about you ? " I said "Polak ? Hmmm, "Well unlike the rest of you I have enough lumber in the attic to build a new house in case this one burns down".
We actually went around the room. Everybody had a good laugh, know why ? We were all adults with a skin. Even the Black jokes, the Black guys in the room (this was one of those boys night out deals) would laugh at the joke and say something like "Yeah, you right, you are absolutley right". Yes it was a good night. Good people.
This sword of PCness has a third side. Why can I tell an Arab joke but not a Black or Jew joke ? Jokes are generally stereotypical in nature yet some people brush them off like a raindrop, while others scream bloody murder about it. It is people's opinions that determine this, and therefore has very little bearing on the content of the joke. We all have shortcomings and some are traits in a way. No matter what the influence that caused this, what's wrong with a little bit of humor ?
If you laugh with somebody, you laugh more than if you only have the capacity to laugh at others. In other words, if things are fair, which I would hope is the ultimate goal, we can also laugh at ourselves. If you want to crack jokes about my Gramps Stas (Stash), I might appreciate some of them and just say "yep, that's the way he was". A stereotype that no longer applies, so what ? Why would it offend me ? And all that in the light that I had more respect for my Grampa than anyone else in the world, hence or before. A joke just does not constitute an offense to me. It might be in poor taste. Like the one about flushing the punch bowl, that is not appreciated but in the end run the result was that I was not offended because it it so off the wall. Nobody thinks that. But what I think of someone who tells that joke is not complimentary. I think them of lower intelligence if thats the best they can do.
Be like that and we can possibly move on from petty issues like this onto something more useful, like how we are going to survive in the next decade or so.
I actually have to add, people who are secure in their intellect and whatever else don't jump on these things. It is like if you have seven kids and have never touched another Man in you life, if someone calls you a fag you brush it off. It is if you have doubts then it becomes an issue. Being called stupid does not bother me because I know that I am not. The youngers being chided by the olders about having long hair, take a picture because I think most of the the time the older is going bald. That is a derivitive from an old American Native prophesy that I really can't even quote right now, but the idea stuck in my head for many years. I think it true.
So is Sharpton insecure in his "humanhood", afraid that some people might see something he would rather they not see ? There is no way to tell without getting into his head which is impossible. Therefore we can only go by his words and actions.
What's more, if this cartoon was directed at Obama, what does he have to say about it ? Most likely he just refuses to dignify it with a response. That's pretty much what I would do. It's really not a good joke.
T
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