Does making a racist joke make the teller a racist?

Obviously it does not, in the same way telling a sexist joke does not make you sexist.

People are over-sensitive in modern society, especially those idiots that get offended on the behalf of others.
 
I find ridiculous stereotype jokes funny.

ie. black people are thieves/like watermelon/fried chicken, asians are terrorists, east asians only eat rice and noodles, Korean's want to eat your pet dog

However, when it get's offensive if people only start telling one type of "racist" joke. This is why Russell Peters is so successful - he laughs at every race, including his own and people can see that it's not about the race, it's about the funny stereotypes that go with them.
 
Two of my house mates had a scuffle yesterday over describing a black person.

She said 'He was black, like black as the night'. With no malice or offense intended at all. My other housemate who is mixed race took offense as she has suffered from racism before.

However my housemate who made the comment made an interesting point that it's no different from somebody saying 'He was white, like really pale, white as sheet'.

It got me thinking. Whilst racism is unacceptable some people really can pounce on the smallest of things. Whilst I understand where both of my friends are coming from it's all a bit erghh.
 
Its all silly isnt it. The only thing that makes you racist is if you genuinely place any negative ideas on someone who is of a particular race. I have told racist jokes before but I am not racist. Saying that we should never tell a joke which makes fun of someones race seems like a really rubbish way to deal with this sort of thing.

Most humour in society relies on the misfortune or abuse of someone. As soon as that someone is black it becomes racist. That is impossible. It cant be ok to rip the **** out of someone who is short or ginger, both traits which are genetic like skin colour, and then say that the black man is off limits.
 
Personally I think that those who tell and find racist jokes funny are racist deep down. Maybe they hide it well but it's there under the surface.

If a guy hits his wife, he's a wifebeater
tell a racist joke, then yeah, you're racist, no matter how much you butter it up and drizzle honey over it.

If the joke was about someone from Japan, would you tell that joke to a Japanese guy or woman? If you would, would they really find it funny?
 
Personally I think that those who tell and find racist jokes funny are racist deep down. Maybe they hide it well but it's there under the surface.

If a guy hits his wife, he's a wifebeater
tell a racist joke, then yeah, you're racist, no matter how much you butter it up and drizzle honey over it.

If the joke was about someone from Japan, would you tell that joke to a Japanese guy or woman? If you would, would they really find it funny?

Your opinion, which in my opinion is ********.

If I punch someone, and they happen to be black, that doesn't make me racist or it a racist attack.

If a person does not believe another race to be inferior or hold any prejudices against another race, then they are not racist.
 
Personally I think that those who tell and find racist jokes funny are racist deep down. Maybe they hide it well but it's there under the surface.

If a guy hits his wife, he's a wifebeater
tell a racist joke, then yeah, you're racist, no matter how much you butter it up and drizzle honey over it.

If the joke was about someone from Japan, would you tell that joke to a Japanese guy or woman? If you would, would they really find it funny?

I disagree, except for the bit about wife beating.

And yeah, assuming I knew them and know that they know i'm joking I probably would.
 
I make racist jokes and comments but there's no malice there, it's tongue in cheek and I'm quite comfortable with the shoe being on the other foot too.
 
Your opinion, which in my opinion is ********.

If I punch someone, and they happen to be black, that doesn't make me racist or it a racist attack.

If a person does not believe another race to be inferior or hold any prejudices against another race, then they are not racist.

No need to swear, mate.
I never even tried to say that punching someone of a different race made you racist, because of course there are lots of different (possibly justifiable) reasons to punch someone, no matter where they're from.
In my opinion though, telling snide little racist 'jokes' is racist.

to quote Shakespeare
'never a truer word said than in jest'
I'm sure the phrase speaks for itself in that (some) jokes are humorous ways of passing opinion as jest, I honestly think that racist jokes fall into this category.

I enjoy a good joke and happily laugh at myself but I find racist jokes offensive. maybe there's something wrong with me.
 
I tell plenty of "racial" jokes, and laugh about them too. There is also a black guy sat in the same room as me, who happens to be my best mate.

A small portion of my family also happen to be arabic. So yes, I must be racist for telling those disgusting "jokes". :p
 
Can we hear this "racist" joke? If it were really racist I doubt it would be funny, if it was merely a joke playing on stereotypes of a certain race I'm sure the only people who care are idiots and probably weren't even the race you were telling the joke about.
 
Care to explain why you think that? Or were you just joking?

His isn't the only reply in here that says that. I've even heard it in real life, always from the same people. My usual reply is roughly along the lines of "oh look, a moany white person who doesn't realise just how good it's been for them."

;)
 
I enjoy a good joke and happily laugh at myself but I find racist jokes offensive. maybe there's something wrong with me.
I don't think there is, if I think a joke is racist then I think it's offensive, a joke can be about race, even about stereotypes without being racist, but it's not exactly a clear cut line.
 
how does every racist joke start?

with a look over both shoulders!
So true!

Thing is, racist jokes are no longer just a mickey-taking of people who look different.

They're now also taboo, a 'bit naughty' and the fun no longer just comes from the punchlines or the laugh at the expense of someone else. It's now a case of "God Johnny! You can't just say that! You're /so/ bad..." followed by a bit of tittering by the other person who's enjoyed the joke and also gets to feel deliciously naughty for doing so.

So you could say they're funnier, as now they have that taboo edge to them - this is why we also seem to like jokes about dead babies, sexism and rape, for example... they're a 'bit naughty'.

I think jokes will always cross the line - that's the point...

Look up a docu-film about "The Aristocrats" joke (not that I've ever managed to get more than an hour into it, my mind starts to wander), dozens of comedians talking about and telling /the/ most sordid joke - with a RUBBISH punchline! But it's all in the telling and getting people to feel naughty for laughing at sex, violence, incest, bestiality, sordid acts with faeces....
 
So you could say they're funnier, as now they have that taboo edge to them - this is why we also seem to like jokes about dead babies, sexism and rape, for example... they're a 'bit naughty'.

I think jokes will always cross the line - that's the point...
Thing is there's a big difference between talking about taboo things, which essentially jokes about anything else you've mentioned are, and doing that taboo thing, telling a racist joke (one that's legitimately racially offensive) is being racist, it's not a joke about racism.

At the same time a joke is just a joke, people should be allowed to be offensive and people should be allowed to be offended, if anyone is offended by some words then that's their problem. see:
I'm not saying racist jokes should be outlawed, or any other kind of joke for that matter, but the question was whether the act of telling them was racist or not.
 
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