Nice fun thing to kick the week off…
Anyway, friend of mine who I presumed to be not racist, said a racist thing yesterday in relation to the woeful Scotland performance against Japan with reference to their “slanty eyes”. Now, he was being inflammatory and attempting to be amusing, and I am actually not part of this group chat - it was shared into another one with me as a “wtf?!” moment.
It is pretty despicable thing to say, as it’s racist, but it is a joke… is that still a defence?
no
/thread
There’s no such thing as “just as a joke”.
Wow, that’s brilliant.
Also, pre-240 character threads were laborious.
I think what I wanting to actually ask was how do I counter “it was just a joke lols” as a defense, not asking if it still was one, but I got muddle. @Epimer’s given me a great way to think about it.
Nope. Still a massive assertion of privilege isn’t it.
“aw fur fuk sake man is just a joke calm down calm down” - thing I’ve heard far too many times when people get called on their bullshit.
At the end of the day, some people who come out with racist remarks probably don’t think they’re doing any wrong by it and it’s what they’ve known and grown up with, but, they need to be checked on it. Only a couple of months ago had to call my dad on his use of the racist term for Chinese takeaway, he was pretty embarassed to find out he was being racist in front of my Girlfriend who he’s probably still trying to make a good impression in front of. Hopefully he never uses it again and thinks twice about it.
I actually love hearing people tell me about ‘how it was back in the day’ because I take great delight in telling them that they’re not back in the day anymore. They’re living in my time and that shit isn’t tolerable.
TL;DR - it’s only a joke when someone calls them on it.
Political correctness is a myth invented by people who are fucked off that they can’t just bully people with impunity any more.
Nailed it
P.O.T.W.
This is great!
He says in the third tweet that “we do not joke alone”, so does no one else cracks jokes at stuff on the telly/radio when they’re on their own? 
Obviously bad
Also I sometimes stray close to an edge or two but if someone’s genuinely appalled at something I don’t know why you wouldn’t analyse that or take it on board in any way, and instead choose to just have a defensive nothing-statement like that
If it’s delivered as “just a joke”, then there’s no real defence for it beyond just being edgy for the sake of it.
I wonder how people feel about something like Blazin’ Saddles now though. Plenty of racism in there, played for laughs, but with a real point and message behind it, to show up the ridiculous nature of racism and take the sting out of it. I still love it, as both a comedy and a political work, and happily watch it but I know I’m doing that in my own little bubble at home, not interacting with anyone that might have cause to be upset by the language it uses, no matter how honourable the cause is.
Do people feel less comfortable with BS or similar works than they used to? Or are they in such an obviously distinct category from “just joking” that it’s easy to defend them, whether or not you personally enjoy them.
(Also one of those few examples of “they don’t make 'em like that any more” where I actually think the sentiment holds true)
I do think there is a valid argument for “jokes about and at the expense of racism” but the regularity at which they’re conflated with just straight up “racist jokes” makes them completely expendable.
Cracking racist jokes in my empty house, constantly out-grouping myself
As in you’re happy to try to get rid of them if it means it discourages just racist jokes?
Yeah, basically. Call it “collateral damage” or whatever which I am very much of the opinion that there needs to be more of an acceptance of.
Not sure I quite agree but I definitely get it and think it’s a commendable stance x
I think there’s also something to thinking about how often the art that is attacking the racist/sexist/etc. ends up being something that appeals to that person. I can’t imagine many actual racists enjoying Blazin’ Saddles given how stupid they come across, whereas I can imagine them liking American History X, or all those jocks that loved In Bloom even though it was written about them. In films I guess it’s the whole glamourising argument, and in music it’s very easy for messages to get lost behind catchy riffs.
Then again don’t want to get into the “video games cause violence” issue either so idk.