my mother was once argueing and said....'I'm not racist, we've had ten niggers in here, haven't we Fred'

Me and hubby stifled our laughs till we got outside then laughed till we collapsed. It's the innocense and the 'norm' of her generation

Quote: sootyj @ February 25, 2008, 6:34 PM

Did you used to go to the Sowetto riots on holiday ?

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How did you know?!

I threw a rock at you.

Quote: sootyj @ February 25, 2008, 6:41 PM

not involving people in the rough, and tumble of jokes, and mickey taking, is to shut them out of a major part of human life.

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Precisely.

Quote: KJSmyling @ February 25, 2008, 6:55 PM

I had to slip it in before writeone....

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Not one for sloppy seconds then?

Quote: Perry Nium @ February 25, 2008, 7:00 PM

My son's great grandma came over a few weeks ago, and my 6-year-old had been out on the field and was covered in mud. He came in, and Great-Grandma pipes up; "Oh heavens, he looks like a little coon!" The look on my missus's face had me crying laughing.

Thing is, it stopped being funny when my son was later running round the house shouting "I'm a coon! I'm a coon!" Please God he doesn't repeat it at school - his teacher Mrs Hamlett is black.

Geriatric casual racism, eh?

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A lot of it is down to the language used.

I don't find the original joke offensive, but had the word "Phlide" or "Spagg" been used then that's a different matter...

Two jews walk into a shop, is okay...

Two yids schlepp into a shop, is a different kettle of Gefilte fish...

kjs

Quote: bushbaby @ February 25, 2008, 7:04 PM

my mother was once argueing and said....'I'm not racist, we've had ten niggers in here, haven't we Fred'

Me and hubby stifled our laughs till we got outside then laughed till we collapsed. It's the innocense and the 'norm' of her generation

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>_<

Aaron that was in the 80s, she's long time dead.

Quote: bushbaby @ February 25, 2008, 7:12 PM

Aaron that was in the 80s, she's long time dead.

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we're all a long time dead....

kjs

Quote: bushbaby @ February 25, 2008, 7:12 PM

Aaron that was in the 80s, she's long time dead.

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That wasn't what I was >_<ing about, but ok.

We're all big feckin hypocrites let's face it, let's be honest.
It's not about whether a joke's PC or not, it's about how close to home it is.

I made a joke about Islam once to a Muslim friend and he went proper mad. A few weeks later I made a scathing, evil joke about Christians and he shook his head but nonetheless laughed his arse off.

I don't mind being mocked, as long as it's done well.

I have heckled stand ups, with better lines, if I felt the piss take was subpar.

But who's to decide whether it's done well or not?
How does the person making the joke know whether it will fit your personal idea of acceptability?

Quote: sootyj @ February 25, 2008, 7:30 PM

I have heckled stand ups, with better lines, if I felt the piss take was subpar.

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That's the best thing about a bad joke, you can always think of a retort. If they can't take it then we get back to the hypocrisy thing.

Quote: Aaron @ February 25, 2008, 7:18 PM

That wasn't what I was >_<ing about, but ok.

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Well, when you just reply with a 'not amused' face Me and hubby rolled over laughing at my mother's ignorance not the racism, but one couldn't tell that generation, they were too set in their ways.

Quote: ian_w @ February 25, 2008, 7:38 PM

But who's to decide whether it's done well or not?
How does the person making the joke know whether it will fit your personal idea of acceptability?

You don't one, of the most important things in a free society, is to be angry, offended, and unamused. Hate speech, and equal ops only come in when there is a real world issue (e.g. violence, or verifiable unfair treatment at work)

That's the best thing about a bad joke, you can always think of a retort. If they can't take it then we get back to the hypocrisy thing.

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Quote: bushbaby @ February 25, 2008, 7:40 PM

Well, when you just reply with a 'not amused' face Me and hubby rolled over laughing at my mother's ignorance not the racism, but one couldn't tell that generation, they were too set in their ways.

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I would have thought that that's more of an "ARGH! Why do I bother?!" ish kind of face than "not amused", but ANYWAY. Heh.

Yeah... Well I don't see it as racist, particularly not so as she obviously didn't mean it maliciously. But laughing at the apparent ignorance is fair enough. I've done that many a time myself.