The joke would have been funnier if the person referenced did speak Ebonics,
but the fact is many black people do speak Ebonics or black English . This
is acknowledge by all educated people, especially those in education who are
interested in improving the educational level and opportunities of blacks.

Bill Cosby, who has a PHD in education) has made a concerted effort to try
to educate blacks to the dangers of Ebonics, and he has also used "black
English" in his humor for years.

Next thing you will be telling us is an Italian can not tell a Irish joke
without being racists (or would that be nationalists).

Lighten up Gould, it doesn't make you a better person to be so PC.




wrote in message
oups.com...
Those who can not laugh at themselves, live a very boring life.


********************

You're right, assuming that JimH is black.

JimH, if you're black then you were merely disrespecting your own
ethnicity and not that of someone else. My criticism would still be
warranted, but my comment less than accurate if you are black. We have
no information upon which to base an assumption that you are white, and
it isn't important either way.

I often laugh at myself. I'm frequently pretty ridiculous, as are we
all.

The problem with this "joke" is that it perpetuates a myth that black
people are unable to enunciate well. Look at Tim's comment in this
thread. Jesse Jackson is very well spoken, but Tim was quick to hang
this demeaning racial stereotype on Jackson. One of the classic
idiocies in life is assigning stereotypes to a member of one group or
another merely because you might disagree with that individual's
politics or philosophy. Mike Tyson may not speak as well, (at least to
the "white" ear), as Jesse Jackson but that has nothing to do with
race. There are enormous differences in speaking ability among members
of any race.

The fact that the joke relies on a racial stereotype as a substitute
for humor can be demonstrated by the response accusing Jesse Jackson of
speaking as Mike Tyson is alleged to speak. There is little these two
individuals have in common beyond their ethnicity.

Stereotypes are always stupid. Doesn't matter whether one says
*All*.......conservatives are mean, hard-heartred
*******s.......liberals are socialist traitors.......black people like
to eat fried chicken and watermelon.....white people have small body
parts and can't jump......etc, etc, etc, etc......when one defaults to
a single statement intended to include all the members of any group it
simply shows that the person knows little, or could care less, about
any individual members of the group.