Posted on 04/11/2024 12:10:58 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
I was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, in the late 50s and early 60s. My experience with racism was much more prominent than some people's experience today.
Imagine being in line at a store and you're next, but a white person pushes their way past you and the clerk takes them instead of you. Imagine going to the doctor's office and only being allowed to enter from the rear of the building. Imagine not being allowed to be in certain areas of your city after dark. Imagine living segregated in just about all neighborhoods......
I experienced a culture shock, leaving Mississippi one night and arriving in Los Angeles. I awoke the next morning surrounded by white people. I was thrown into what felt like an impossible situation, having never known this type of integration.
I still had to finish my senior year of high school. I was enrolled in a very mixed school with Black people, white people, Asian people, and other ethnicities I didn't recognize at the time.
My mom had me ride to school with her Asian friend's son, his father took him each morning. I had a lot of changing to do in a short period, or risk being an outsider in California.
The old thoughts I had been used to before had to be dropped. No more referring to my new friends using the N-word, no more hanging out with only Black people, no more segregated neighborhoods, no more viewing white people as an enemy, no more feeling less than when I was around white people. Now, they were my peers and not superior to me in any way.
My views on white people were developed under different circumstances. I was the one that had to change the way I approached my new life,
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Yes. I used to love stand-up comedy, but it has become so verboten to make fun of the “sacred cows” that nothing going through that funnel will come out even remotely funny.
Take the subject of making fun of people’s accents. It has been going on all over the world for centuries. The Romans made fun of the Egyptian accents. Spartans no doubt made fun of Persian accents.
It is universal and common. But somehow, it has become forbidden, to the point where if some comedian makes fun of a Hindu accent, everyone may find it funny, but nobody laughs as they furtively look around them.
I had a friend from Germany some time back, and we were discussing the subject of how people invariably make fun of the accent of people from countries.
When I brought up Swedes, and did a kind of sing-song “YEE dur YAH dur YAW our” he laughed and said they did the same in Germany!
I demonstrated how we made fun of German accents: “Ow der schlaussen klitzen der voggel straussen!” in a deep guttural tone!
He laughed, and when he asked if I wanted to hear how Germans make fun of American accents, he said in a loud barking tone: “ARF ARF ARF ARF ARF!”
I nearly fell on the floor!
We need to find a way to let humor be humor, and let the chips fall where they may.
When I tell that one its, 1 to screw in the bulb and 4 to kiss my ass.
I always liked the one about the Pole who got a set of water skis, but he never used them because he couldn’t find a lake that was steep enough.
Two Irishmen walk out of a bar...No really!
I’m also Polish where Polish jokes were forbidden in the home. But when I turned 40 I was visiting my parents and had just won a half dollar at cards. So I said: “Dad, do you know what the Polack did with his 1st 50 cent piece?”
He said “What?” to which I replied “Married her”.
He looked aghast at me saying “You’re Polish, how can you tell Polish jokes?”
I replied: “Well dad, most Polish jokes are about Polacks being stupid, and I’ve met your relatives.” He had to acknowledge the truth in what I said.
Ancient Greeks had jokes about people from Abdera being stupid. In Ireland they have Kerryman jokes (about people from County Kerry) which are similar. I was told that in Germany they have "East Frisian" jokes of the same kind. Of course we have Texas Aggie jokes and blonde jokes in the USA. In North Carolina they have Wolfpack jokes about NC State students.
The genre has been around for a long time.
Ha ha ha! Took me a minute...
Unless you’re a pilot, lieutenants are supposed to be barely seen, and certainly not heard.
Apologies for going off script, though for two years, I was one of the Army’s most dangerous weapons: a 2nd Lieutenant with a map! lol
Hurrah! Hardly win anything except solitaire games, lol!
Everyone has the right to be offended.
Everyone has the right to say "that is offensive to me".
You do not have the right to try to hurt the other person because you find something they say offensive.
You have the right to walk away, you have the right to decide you will not give someone your money, you have the right to ask the other person not to say something. But if they tell you to F- Off you have to walk away.
And for the love of mike do not try to force them to apologize. A forced apology is a lie and goodness knows we have enough lies floating around all ready.
I’ve worked in factories for 45 years, in manufacturing and quality engineering. Back when I started, the factory floor was no holds barred, nothing out of bounds. Race, religion, ethnic origin, sex, family, physical features, handicaps, etc. were all fair game. Nobody took offense - we just tried to come up with a better insult the next time. We all went to the same bars after work and got along. It was a much healthier environment than we have today.
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