Workplace Discrimination Against, and Jokes About...well, just about everybody

prnewswire ^ | 11/13/02

[Brian Mosely]

Workplace Discrimination Against, and Jokes About, African Americans, Gays, Jews, Muslims and Others, According to Harris Interactive Survey

Discrimination Against Several, But Not All, Minority Groups, Including Women, Is Believed To Be Widespread

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Older people, gays and lesbians and people with disabilities are perceived by many to be frequent victims of workplace discrimination. Other groups viewed as frequent victims of workplace discrimination by smaller, but still substantial, numbers of people include women, African Americans and Muslims. On the other hand, relatively few people believe that Jews, Asian Americans or Hispanic Americans are often discriminated against.

This survey also finds that workplace jokes about women, gays and lesbians, and older people are relatively common, while fewer (but still substantial numbers) recall hearing jokes about Asian Americans, people with disabilities, Muslims and Jews.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll(R), which is based on online interviews with a nationwide cross section of 2,203 adults surveyed between August 26 and September 2, 2002. Harris Interactive(R) conducted this survey in collaboration with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm.

Because the sample used in this poll was quite large compared to most published opinion polls, it was possible to analyze the responses of five of these groups and compare their replies with those of all adults. These results show that African Americans are much more likely than the general public to see blacks as victims of discrimination, while gays and lesbians are also significantly more likely to see themselves as discriminated against.

When it comes to jokes, gays and lesbians and Hispanics are more likely than other groups to report hearing jokes against people like them. Women, on the other hand, are less likely to recall hearing jokes about women, presumably because men are more likely to make these jokes to other men when no women are present.

  Some specific findings about the perceptions of discrimination are:
  *  Fully 50% of African Americans feel that blacks are "often" victims of
     workplace discrimination, but only 18% of all adults believe this to be
     true.
  *  Almost half of gays and lesbians and bisexual adults (45%) feel that
     they, as a group, are often discriminated against at work.  Nearly a
     third of all adults (29%) perceive this level of discrimination against
     gays and lesbians.
  *  Relatively few people perceive Jews (5%), Asian Americans (5%),
     Hispanic Americans (12%) or Muslims (14%) as frequent targets of
     discrimination.  Only one of these groups is large enough to be
     analyzed separately; relatively few Hispanics (16%) believe their group
     is often discriminated against.
  *  Over a quarter of women (27%) believe they are frequent victims of
     discrimination.

When it comes to jokes told in the workplace about minorities, more people recall hearing jokes about women (53%), gays and lesbians (44%), older people (38%), African Americans (37%) and Hispanics (32%) than about the other groups.

However, substantial numbers report hearing jokes about all of the nine groups we asked about, including Jews (29%), Muslims (29%), people with disabilities (26%) and Asian Americans (25%).

Most of those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (64%) recall hearing jokes about their group at work, as do 50% of Hispanics.

TABLE 1

PERCEPTIONS OF WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST EIGHT MINORITIES AND WOMEN "How often do you think the following groups experience discrimination in the workplace, and, for example, are fired or dismissed from a job, are harassed,

or denied promotions or job advances - never, rarely, sometimes, or often?"

  Base:  All Adults
                                            "OFTEN"    Gap Between
                                                       All Adults and
                                                       Group Discriminated
                                                       Against
                                              %
  Older adults, aged 65 and older
   All adults                                32                 +7
   People aged 65 and over                   39
  People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual
   or transgender
   All adults                                29                +16
   Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender     45
  People with disabilities
   All adults                                21                 NA
   People with disabilities                  NA
  Women
   All adults                                19                 +8
   Women                                     27
  African Americans
   All adults                                18                +32
   African Americans                         50
  People who are Muslim
   All adults                                14                 NA
   Muslims                                   NA
  Hispanic Americans
   All adults                                12                 +4
   Hispanic Americans                        16
  Asian Americans
   All adults                                 5                 NA
   Asian Americans                           NA
  People who are Jewish
   All adults                                 5                 NA
   Jews                                      NA
                                 TABLE 2
           HEAR JOKES AT WORK ABOUT EIGHT MINORITIES AND WOMEN
"Have you ever heard someone at your current or most recent job tell jokes
                   about any of the following groups?"
  Base:  All Adults
                                               "OFTEN"     Gap Between
                                                           All Adults
                                                           and Group
                                                           Discriminated
                                                           Against
                                                  %
  Women
   All adults                                    53             -8
   Women                                         45
  People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual
   or transgender
   All adults                                    44            +20
   Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender         64
  Older adults, aged 65 and older
   All adults                                    38             +3
   People aged 65 and over                       41
  African Americans
   All adults                                    37             -2
   African Americans                             35
  Hispanic Americans
   All adults                                    32            +18
   Hispanic Americans                            50
  People who are Jewish
   All adults                                    29             NA
   Jews                                          NA
  People who are Muslim
   All adults                                    29             NA
   Muslims                                       NA
  People with disabilities
   All adults                                    26             NA
   People with disabilities                      NA
  Asian Americans
   All adults                                    25             NA
   Asian Americans                               NA
  Methodology

The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between August 26 and September 2, 2002, among a nationwide cross section of 2,203 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 2 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online survey is not a probability sample.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

About Harris Interactive(R)

Harris Interactive (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll(R), and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international research through wholly owned subsidiaries-London-based HI Europe (http://www.hieurope.com/) and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan-as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of local market-and opinion- research firms, and various U.S. offices. EOE M/F/D/V

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit http://www.harrispollonline.com/ .

[Feiny]

JoAnn was a busy housewife with a demanding husband, six children
and a large house. The only relief JoAnn got from her chores was
the twice-a-week bridge game she shared with a dozen other women.
The only flaw in the bridge club relationship was that JoAnn
loved to tell off-color stories and the girls didn't want to hear
them.

To teach JoAnn a lesson, the other women decided that the next
time she told an off-color story, they'd just get up, walk out,
and meet at another home but without her.

Sure enough, at the next bridge club meeting, JoAnn started,
"You know, girls, there's a rumor going around that a busload
of prostitutes will be leaving in the morning for that big gold
find up in Alaska, and they say . . . " Just then, the women all
stood up and started for the door.

JoAnn was disconcerted, but only for a moment. Then she
understood what was going on and said, "Hey! Girls! Hold on,
hold on! There's plenty of time because the bus doesn't leave
until morning!"

[Feiny]

An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of
religious service when she was startled by an intruder. As she caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables, she yelled, "Stop....Acts 2:38!" (turn from your sin).

The burglar stopped dead in his tracks. The woman calmly called the
police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, "Why did you just stand there? All she did was yell a scripture to you."

"Scripture?", replied the burglar. "She said she had an AXE and two
38's!"

[shaggy eel]

On a chain of beautiful deserted islands in the middle of nowhere, the following people are stranded:

2 Italian men and one Italian woman.
2 French men and one French woman.
2 German men and one German woman.
2 Greek men and one Greek woman.
2 English men and one English woman.
2 Bulgarian men and one Bulgarian woman.
2 Japanese men and one Japanese woman.
2 Chinese men and one Chinese woman.
2 Irish men and one Irish woman.
2 American men and one American woman.

One month later, on these absolutely stunning deserted islands in the middle of nowhere, the following things have occurred:

One Italian man killed the other Italian man for the Italian woman.
The two French men and the French woman are living happily in a menage a trois.
The two German men have a strict weekly schedule of alternating visits with the German woman.
The two Greek men are sleeping with each other and the Greek woman is cooking and cleaning for them.
The two English men are waiting for someone to introduce them to the English woman.
The two Bulgarian men took one look at the Bulgarian woman and began swimming to another island.
The two Japanese men have faxed Tokyo and are awaiting instructions.
The two Chinese men have set up a pharmacy/liquor store/restaurant/laundry and have gotten the Chinese woman pregnant in order to supply employees for their stores.
The two Irishmen divided the island into North and South and set up a distillery. They do not remember if sex is in the picture because it gets somewhat foggy after a few litres of coconut whiskey. However, they are satisfied because the English aren't having any fun.
The two American men are contemplating suicide because the American woman won't shut up and complains relentlessly about her body, the true nature of feminism, what the sun is doing to her skin, how she can do anything they can do, the necessity of fulfillment, the equal division of household chores, how sand and palm trees make her look fat, how her last boyfriend respected her opinion and treated her nicer than they do, and how her relationship with her mother is the root cause of all her problems, and why didn't they bring a goddam cell phone so they could call 911 and get them all rescued off this God forsaken desert island in the middle of nowhere so she could get her nails done and go shopping.

[Feiny]

A male whale and a female whale were swimming off the coast of Japan when they noticed a whaling ship. The male whale recognized it as the same ship that had harpooned his father many years earlier.

He said to the female whale, "Lets both swim under the ship and blow
out our air holes at the same time and it should cause the ship to turn over and sink."

They tried it and sure enough, the ship turned over and quickly sank.

Soon, however, the whales realized the sailors were swimming to the safety of the shore. The male whale was enraged that they were
going to get away and told the female, "Lets swim after them and
gobble them up before they reach the shore." At this point, he realized the female was becoming reluctant to follow him.

"Look," she said, "I went along with the blow job, but I absolutely refuse to swallow the seamen."

[Feiny]

Three guys are drinking in a bar when a drunk comes in, staggers up to them, and points at the guy in the middle, shouting, "Your mom's the best piece of tail in town!"

Everyone expects a fight, but the guy ignores him, so the drunk wanders off and bellies up to the bar at the far end. Ten minutes later, the drunk comes back, points at the same guy, and says, "I just did your mother, and it was sw-e-et!"

Again the guy refuses to take the bait, and the drunk goes back to the far end of the bar. Ten minutes later, he comes back and announces, "Your mother was squealing the whole time!"

Finally the guy interrupts. "Go home, Dad, you're drunk!"

[shaggy eel]

The U.N. conducted a worldwide survey last month. The only question asked was: "Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to The food shortage in the rest of the world?"

The survey was a HUGE failure.

In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.

In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.

In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.

In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.

In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.

In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.

And in the United States they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

[cardinal4]

Two nuns were driving through a bad part of town when a mugger jumped out of the shadows and onto the hood of the car. "Show him your cross!," cried the Mother Superior to the young novice nun in the passenger seat.The young novice rolled down the window and yelled,"Hey get off the F***ing car!!"

[Nam Vet]

This promises to be a fun thread.

Nam Vet

[agarrett]

bump

[shaggy eel]

One day a guy dies and finds himself in hell. As he's wallowing in despair, he has his first meeting with a demon...

Demon: Why so glum?

Guy: What do you think? I'm in hell!

Demon: Hell's not so bad. We actually have a lot of fun down here... are you a drinking man?

Guy: Sure, I love to drink.

Demon: Well you're gonna love Mondays then. On Mondays all we do is drink. Whiskey, tequila, Guinness, wine coolers, diet tab and fresca... we drink till we throw up and then we drink some more!

Guy: Gee that sounds great.

Demon: You a smoker?

Guy: You know it!

Demon: All right! You're gonna love Tuesdays. We get the finest cigars from all over the world and smoke our lungs out. If you get cancer - no biggie- you're already dead, remember?

Guy: Wow...that's...awesome!

Demon: I bet you like to gamble.

Guy: Why, yes I do.

Demon: Wednesdays you can gamble all you want. Craps, blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Slots, whatever... If you go Bankrupt...well, you're dead anyhow.

Demon: You into drugs?

Guy: Are you kidding? Love drugs! You don't mean?...

Demon: That's right!

Thursday is drug day. Help yourself to a great big bowl of crack, or smack. Smoke a doobie the size of a submarine. You can do all the drugs you want; you're dead who cares! O.D.!!

Guy: WOW !! I never realized Hell was such a cool place!!

Demon: You gay?

Guy: No....

Demon: "Ooooh, you're gonna hate Fridays."

[RobRoy]

A blonde is going door to door through an upscale neighborhood. She knocks on the door of a large house with a meticulous yard and large carriage house. When the man answers she say’s, “hello. I’m trying to earn some extra cash and was wondering if there are any odd jobs you would like done.”

He thought for a moment and said, “y’know, I’ve been needing to paint this porch for a while. How much would you charge?” She looked around and said, “$50 bucks.” He said, “ok, the paint and brushes are in the garage.” and went in the house. Inside, his wife asked him if she was aware of just how big their porch was before she agreed. He explained she looked it over first.

Two hours later, the blonde knocked on the door. When the man answered she said, “All finished. And since there was plenty of paint, I gave it two coats. Oh, and it’s not a porch, it’s a Lexus.”

[spodefly]

What does a girl from Alabama say when she is having sex?







"Git off me Diddy, yur chrushin' my cigarettes ... "

[shaggy eel]

Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush meet up in Baghdad for the first round of talks in a new peace process. When George sits down, he notices three buttons on the side of Saddam's chair. They begin talking. After about five minutes Saddam presses the First button. A boxing glove springs out of a box on the desk and punches Bush in the face.

Confused, Bush carries on talking as Saddam laughs. A few minutes later the second button is pressed. This time a big boot comes out and kicks Bush in the shin. Again Saddam laughs, and again Bush carries on talking, not wanting to put off the bigger issue of peace between the two countries.

But when the third button is pressed and another boot comes out and kicks Bush in the privates, he's finally had enough, knowing that he can't do much without them functioning well. "I'm going back home!" he tells the Iraqi. "We'll finish these talks in two weeks!"

A fortnight passes and Saddam flies to the United States for talks. As the two men sit down, Hussein notices three buttons on Bush's chair and prepares himself for the Yank's revenge. They begin talking and Bush presses the first button. Saddam ducks, but nothing happens. George snickers. A few seconds later he presses the second button. Saddam jumps up, but again nothing happens. Bush roars with laughter.

When the third button is pressed, Saddam jumps up again, and again nothing happens. Bush falls on the floor in a fit of hysterics. "Forget this," says Saddam. "I'm going back to Baghdad!" Bush says through tears of laughter, "What Baghdad?"

[Feiny]

The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all of the background checks, interviews, and testing were done there were three finalists, two men and a woman.

For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will follow your instructions, no matter what the circumstances.

Inside of this room, you will find your wife sitting in a chair,Kill Her!!! The man said, "You can't be serious. I could never shoot my wife." The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job.

The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then the man came out with tears in his eyes. "I tried, but I can't kill my wife." The agent said, "You don't have what it takes, Take your wife and go home."

Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow and said, "You guys didn't tell me the gun was loaded with blanks. I had to beat him to death with the chair".

[Feiny]

Love it!

[mil-vet]

I have read EVERY post in this thread and I am devastated! Not one Dutch joke amongst the lot! As an American whose name originates in Holland, I don't want a generic "how many dutchmen does it take to screw in a light bulb" thing, either! I want tulips, windmills, cheese, stubborness, wooden shoes, or SOMETHING specifically DUTCH!

Of course, there was the little dutch boy who ran into the lesbian bar and stuck his finger in a dyke.

Seriously, though, I need something I can tell in mixed company.....

[Britton J Wingfield]

Hah! Thanks for the jokes :)

[F-117A]

Bump for later!

[gc4nra]

Three Labs a black, a chocolate and a yellow are in the Vet's waiting room with their owners.

The chocolate asks the yellow: "What are you here for?" The yellow answers: "Because I chew, I chewed on the carpet, on the furniture, on the plants, but the last straw was when I chewed on her $300.00 purse; so I'm here for medication to stop chewing."

The black asks chocolate: "What are you here for? The chocolate lab relies: "Because I pee, I pee everywhere but the finally straw was when I peed on my owneres' bed. Boy was she mad, so she brought me here to get a shot to control my bladder."

The yellow lab asks the black: "So what's your story?"
So the black says: "I'm here because I hump, I hump the chairs, the couch, pillows, legs, but the final straw was when my owner bent over to pick up towel after getting out of the shower...."

"Oh no", scream the yellow and the chocolate, "their going to cut off your nuts!!!!"

"No", replies the black lab "I'm just here to have my nails clipped!"

[cardinal4]

How can you tell the richest family in a Missouri county?

They have two couches on the porch....