Recent controversies highlight debate about race's role in comedy (Or, "Quit whining and laugh!")

sacramento bee ^ | 9-18-03 | debby kong

[Pearls Before Swine]

In a post-racist society, all of these ethnic jokes would be good-natured fun. Its a measure of how divisively focused all of these groups are that no one can have a laugh. Remember the "fighting whites?" No one was insulted--it was a good laugh and sold a lot of T-shirts. This need to tiptoe around everyone's sensitive spots is bogus--get over it.

[livianne]

But of course! As long as you are only sexist or racist toward the evil white man, it's not an affront to anyone. Female bashing - mysogany. Male bashing - just what they deserve. Making fun of people of any color - racism. Making fun of whites - just what they deserve.

For people so quick to point out what they deem hypocritical, they sure do miss a lot of it in themselves.

And Bill Maher - what an ass. I can tell how wracked with guilt he is by what 'we' did to 'them' (no individuals here! just racially separated groups!). Or maybe he's just upset his show got cancelled.....

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

..."Obviously black people can get away with saying things about white people that white people couldn't be saying about black people," Maher said. "Black people should be able to do things we don't get to do, because of all the things we did to them that they didn't do to us."...

What the freakin hell did I ever do to blacks but give them the place ahead of me in every line, and a twenty per cent head start in every contest and free ride to college when I couldn't afford to go myself.

I'd so like to choke that idiot Maher.

[GSWarrior]

www.engrish.com

[HurkinMcGurkin]

"Black people should be able to do things we don't get to do, because of all the things we did to them that they didn't do to us."

Who the hell is this "we", "them", "they" and "us" you speak of, Bill?

And what are these "things" that "black people" should be able to do, that white's shouldn't? Oh, I can only imagine.

Screw you, Bill.

[ctlpdad]

May be a two-fer her for ya

[HurkinMcGurkin]

Looks like Maher struck the same nerve in both of us.

[ctlpdad]

May be a two-fer here for ya

[mhking]

Place bets now!!!!!!

Do you pick list A - the ah...Black Conservative list? [hai!]

Or do you pick list B - the ah.....Just-ah Damn list? [hai!]

C'mon! Bet! Bet! Bet!

Betting Ends!!!!

Ah!!! This is double ping list!!!

Both lists win!!!!

[dwd1]

I could have sworn "banzai" is a Japanese Expression...Wonder why someone Chinese (probably too much sushi...oops! same mistake) is upset...

It may have something to do with the fact that the humor is a little too mean spirited...

I don't take myself that seriously but I do understand a need for limits on having fun at someone else's expense when the humor is racially based....

[Garrisson Lee]

Sometimes I get called a chink, but it cracks me up because I always get a mental picture of the little bucktoothed guy wearing sandals and a lampshade on his head and round glasses.

But I've got great teeth.

[ChewedGum]

"It's almost OK to say something about your own race and whites, but you can't cross over to a different race," said Pam Geroianni, a "Banzai" fan who is Hispanic. "White seems to be a free for all."

This is a big deal to me. Either enjoy the quirks of everyone or don't point out anyone. I just posted a long article on Reverse Racism here (per the Caucasian Club contraversy) .

Gum

[hoosierskypilot]

Plus, if you live in CA, you now get to see people receive free college if they are in the country illegally. I know kids, some of whom (my son included) work two jobs and go to school full-time. But if he were to show up at registration (at the targeted schools) and simply say, "no habla", he'd get a free ride.

[Garrisson Lee]

You mean that whites are a free target or that you shouldn't even make fun of your own?

I think if you can't make fun of yourself without people getting upset it's time to give up. But I don't see how anyone can think that it's an insult if it's about them and a joke if it's about whites. Things don't get better without first becomming fair. Back in college the jocks I hung out with were a variety pack and we lovingly called each other every racial slur we could make up. I ended up being called the eskimo king for god only knows why. But nobody got pissed off because it was all give as good as you get.

[Garrisson Lee]

How can you stay so angry over what happened when you were a kid? You're rich as hell now, get over it. You are always so gloomy. Go foreclose on a widow.

[weegee]

That looks like a DVD cover. Maybe I'll need to buy those import UK DVDs (I can play them) since the US show got cancelled.

If people in America are outraged over the "insensitivity" of that show, they should never visit Japan and see what they are putting on the air.

[weegee]

Lots of times, Latinos are invisible in the pages of magazines,"

There are a whole lot of "latinos" in the movies and on albums and they get a lot of magazine exposure. Maybe they aren't the "right" latinos just like the "wrong kind" of black politicians get nominated to the Supreme Court.

How visible are Poles in the pages of magazines?

[weegee]

There are some who excuse it by saying that only white people can be racist because you have to have the power structure to be racist.

[mhking]

That looks like a DVD cover.

[hai!]

Maybe I'll need to buy those import UK DVDs (I can play them) since the US show got cancelled.

http://www.amazon.co.uk. 'Nuff said...