On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 14:33:28 -0400, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

Stereotypes are always stupid.

Stereotypes Doug? The joke was about Mike Tyson and the way *Mike Tyson*
talks. If you think all black people talk that way that is your problem.
(Now I could use the Chuck Gould trump card and call you a racist. ;-) )

Sorry to post through you Tom but I have Doug killfiled.

Pretty funny joke BTW, even though you stereotyped all grasshoppers and
folks named Steve. LOL

Thanks for bringing some more common sense into this discussion Tom.

Jim



Yes, but then in lay the humor. Witness innumerable Polish, Italian,
Irish, Arab, Jewish, yada, yada, yada, jokes.

The thing about humor is that it is but one small, very tiny nanoline
away from hurting somebody who is "sensitive". Some of the best
lesbian jokes I've ever heard came from a former nun and some of the
best gay jokes I've ever heard came from a gay guy who I work with
from time to time. Most of the time, when I retell the joke, it's the
straight people who take offense FOR the "offended" parties.

Most of the time the "offended" parties enjoy the jokes.

Believe this or not, I have actually told the "Horse walks into a bar"
joke and had somebody take offense at it - I'm not kidding.

Doesn't matter whether one says *All*.......

conservatives are mean, hard-heartred *******s.......

Well, that's true actually.

liberals are socialist traitors.......

That's also true.

black people like to eat fried chicken and watermelon.....

God, I would hope so - I love fried chicken and watermelon.

white people have small body parts and can't jump......

Speak for yourself White Boy....

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.

Hmmmm - so what you are saying is that I can't, in good conscience,
say anything about "blacks" because I don't know anything about
"blacks"? I can't judge the suitability of a joke because it involves
blacks?

That was poorly stated - allow me to try a different tack.

Let's say that there is an audience of one hundred people and Chris
Rock is the comedian. Chris tells a joke about black men - you know
black men, they'd put rims on a refrigerator if you let them.

Let's say that 75% of the audience thinks this joke is hilarious
because it's based in some truth and 25% don't think it's funny and
stereotypical.

Which side is the correct side? Should he have told the joke because
25% of the people could possibly be offended?

How about if Jerry Seinfield told that same joke to fifty whites and
fifty blacks and the white people were offended - is that reason to
call for Seinfield's head? Was he insensitive?

The PC rule is that ANYTHING that can be deemed offensive by anybody
at anytime is offensive and thus verboten.

And that, my friend, is just plain bull****.

I'll leave you with this joke.

This grasshopper walks into a bar and asks for a beer.

The bartender looks at the grasshopper and says "Hey, you know we have
a drink named after you?"

The grasshopper looks at the bartender and says "You have a drink
named Steve?"

Now, make something of that. :)

Later,

Tom