My neighbor that I've enjoyed good relations with for 10 years makes French jokes and I make Mormon jokes. He would never do so in French Canada and I would never do so at a gathering of Mormons that I was unfamiliar with. Neither of us has the level of familiarity with these strangers that would permit that.
However, there's also a sense that one should bend over backwards to avoid offending strangers - particularly in high profile international situations.
All of this ignores the reality of instant communication and almost costless replication of information. The stranger is no longer safely geographically far away. They are, as it were, staring in our window and making judgments about now tidy we keep our homes.
thoughtful remarks on your part. uncommon these days. are you french? is your neighbior mormon? anyway, civility is a good thing. pray for it! thanks. i happen to be of german descent and a deserving recipient of kraut jokes. oh well. this life is not all there is. the Christ, whom some folks would do more than pee on, lives.