A lot of serious things are said in "jest", Racisim in everyday life.

[Landon_McFly]

Lighten the [censored] up everyone. I'm black, and if anyone was making racial slurs towards me in person I'd either beat their ass or make them look like an [censored] in front of a bunch of people.

WE'RE ON THE INTERNET. If you're racist, that's ok, because it shows your ignorance. I have no problem with that.

EVERYTHING IS ABOUT CONTEXT. Not what you say but how you say it and the circumstances.

BTW, the line in office space isn't racist AT ALL. If my memory serves me correct, he's comparing the waitresses to the Jews who had to wear the stars. The point he was getting at IS that they SHOULDN'T have to wear the flair.

SO SHUT UP.

DONT ARGUE WITH PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET UNLESS YOU'RE COMPLETELY SURE THEY WANT TO HAVE AN INTELLECTUAL COVERSATION OR YOU'LL END UP WITH A THREAD LIKE THIS.

[Ulysses]

Joe,

I long ago tried to stop worrying about words and just focus on people's intentions. If you take a little time to react less impulsively in these situations and try to look beyond the words, perhaps you'll develop a greater understanding and appreciation of who's really bigoted and who isn't. There are a lot of people who will joke around in a lot of ways that would be offensive to you, but don't judge people on anything besides what kind of person they really are. There are many other people who would never think of saying anything not 100% politically correct, yet would never ever even consider really being friends with a Black or Jew or whatever. I'll stick with the first kind.

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
Ultimately, I care a lot more about what people DO than what they say. I grew up in the "progressive" Northeast, where everyone professes belief in equality but nobody I knew had any black friends. Then, I went to school near the Mason-Dixon line, where you would hear "racist" comments all the time, but people of different races worked and hung out together much, much, more than in the Northeast. So who's more racist?

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. I don't give a flying [censored] what most people think.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a great and accurate post.

[tonypaladino]

[ QUOTE ]
There are a lot of people who will joke around in a lot of ways that would be offensive to you, but don't judge people on anything besides what kind of person they really are. There are many other people who would never think of saying anything not 100% politically correct, yet would never ever even consider really being friends with a Black or Jew or whatever. I'll stick with the first kind.

[/ QUOTE ]

A+

[Hamish McBagpipe]

[ QUOTE ]
Why do people say such things?
Are their lives that miserable that they have to look down and mock people of other sects and creeds to make themselves feel better?

Why does the lack of education or intelligence still shine through in this century in statements like this?


[/ QUOTE ]

You are right, I'm sick of it. Everytime I go to the local, people make fun of my "race". They say us Scots are cheap, like Jewish people, yet I'm constantly standing pints for others. The English say I'm a sweatie (Scot=jock=sweatsock=sweatie) yet I don't perspire overly much and wear a healthy amount of deodorant. I am rarely dour and don't do heroin. When I walk to work I don't like it when people constantly ask me what is under my kilt. I am particularly discomfited when people complain about my bagpipe playing. Yet, I soldier on.

Anyway, I am secure in knowing that the Scottish are far superior to any other wog, spic, dago, guinea, kaffir, spearchucking basketball slam-dunking rapping crackhead, dumb fat american, chink, frog, wetback, limey, towelhead, jerry/kraut/nazi, paki or nip who wants to debase themselves with this form of low brow insult.

[InchoateHand]

This sort of crap is totally irrelevant. Comments, at most, "reveal" something. Normally humor, but occasionally deep seated bigotry. Whatever. They are funny BECAUSE they are inappropriate.

"Flair" is not the problem.

Structurally and institutionally racist practices are. At a certain point, we made "racism" an individual issue---as in, you either are, or are not, a "racist." This is ridiculous. The real inequities are embedded deep within our society, and whether we can make glancing comments that allude to them or not (and you would have us not) does nothing to alter their very real, and very pernicious, effect.

Plus it gives ammunition to the right wing wackos who think "PCism" is the problem.

Lighten up you [censored] kike, from one jew to another.

[Paluka]

Joe I think you are way off base on this one. The example you used is a well-known joke from a popular movie. By your logic anyone who enjoys the movie Blazing Saddles is a racist.

[maryfield48]

[ QUOTE ]
Joe,

I long ago tried to stop worrying about words and just focus on people's intentions. If you take a little time to react less impulsively in these situations and try to look beyond the words, perhaps you'll develop a greater understanding and appreciation of who's really bigoted and who isn't. There are a lot of people who will joke around in a lot of ways that would be offensive to you, but don't judge people on anything besides what kind of person they really are. There are many other people who would never think of saying anything not 100% politically correct, yet would never ever even consider really being friends with a Black or Jew or whatever. I'll stick with the first kind.

[/ QUOTE ]

The words are a pretty big part of assessing a person's intentions though. Especially on the interweb.

[partygirluk]

I'm Jewish, I don't see how this is in the slightest bit racist. I don't find it funny, but that is another point entirely. Politically correct people make me furious. Stop treading round eggshells, and just treat all good people like they deserve to be.

[man]

I don't think this is racism. and I can't stand it when people call things like this "racism."

to me, racism is making judgments about a person's or a group of persons' character based on their race, and is manifested in actions based on those judgments. racism is protesting the busing of black children from the inner city to the suburbs because they are black. racism is denying someone the right to vote because they are black. racism is denying someone a job because they are chinese.

racism is NOT saying that the stars of David that the Nazis forced Jews to wear were "flair." no one's rights have been offended. no one's pursuit of happiness is being prevented. at the VERY MOST, a bizarre and unattentive interpretation of the statement would sound something like "salute Hitler! out with the Jews!" which isn't even hate speech.

the only thing you can complain about is the fact that it's insensitive and offensive. in a similar way to it being insensitive and offensive for you to piss on my grandfather's grave. it is NOT racism. millions of people DIED because of racism. people were KILLED because of the color of their SKIN, and because of their RELIGION. the only thing that this joke is doing is hurting FEELINGS.

I agree that these things are insensitive and offensive. but if you're comparing this to the state of american society up until the civil rights movement, well that's just awful, because we have come a long way.

there was a scandal at my school because of "racist" content on a student-run TV show that was trying to be the Daily Show, but failed. so I've had countless drunken debates about this issue, and I'm kind of jaded at this point. but I'm still glad to be able to talk about it.