Racist jokes

[Bored Of Education]

As I mentioned on the other thread, I grew up in Porthcawl which was the classic place where you would hear people moaning about Blacks and Pakistanis taking all the jobs without ever seeing any. I grew up listening to and telling racist jokes that ranged from the mild to horrible.

I have pretty much disregarded this time but I have started to wonder whether any black or Asian listers grew up in a culture of anti-white jokes (maybe disregarding Irish jokes in this respect) and, if so, was this a reaction against racist jokes from whites or was it something else?

Am I barking up the worng tree and racist jokes are exclusively the tool of the oppressing culture?

[WOM]

Racist jokes

I spent a summer working with Jamaicans, and they spent all their time telling 'Chinaman' and 'Paki' jokes.

[Bored Of Education]

Racist jokes

Yes, I have heard that. I have got a mate who is mixed-race and, in unguarded moments, will have a go about "Africans" and I end up in a bizare debate with him about it.

I didn't really mean that though, I meant specifically, anti-white jokes and whether the origin was in response to racist jokes or not

Wrong day to start a thread touching on racism though. There will be overkill and people with get bored about it and want to debate mobile phones or satellite TV providers instead

[WOM]

Racist jokes

Well, if people get tetchy about it, just say they've misunderstood and it's actually a thread about Porthcawl.

[Bored Of Education]

Racist jokes

All my threads are about Porthcawl underneath it all.

It saves me a fortune in therapy

[Guest]

Racist jokes

Cheers Bored, I now have Bloodsport for All going round in my head. "The big bananas and the racist jokes"

[Guest]

Racist jokes

Bored of Education wrote:

I have started to wonder whether any black or Asian listers ? grew up in a culture of anti-white jokes and, if so, was this a reaction against racist jokes from whites or was it something else?

Am I barking up the wrong tree and racist jokes are exclusively the tool of the oppressing culture?

It tends to be less 'jokes' and more banter, though in a 'white enviroment', many would keep their thoughts more to themselves.

Though of course some 'white' racists have unwittingly, massively provoked extreme reactions from their targets....

And plenty of non-whites would have almost been 'happy' to have jokes thrown at them, compared to more overt racism!

[G-Man]

Racist jokes

Chris Rock is your go-to guy in questions such as these. He points out the obvious: Black man says "nigga", OK. White man says "nigga", not OK.

Of course there is a temptation to call jokes racist when they are not. If you make an observational joke about a cultural trait of a particular ethnic group, you run danger of that being accused of being racist even when, objectively, it isn't necessarily so. Complicating things is that where such a joke may be told with affection for these cultural traits, the same joke told by somebody else can have a racist edge.

Best really not to make such jokes, or to pick an audience carefully to ensure that the joke is understood not to be malicious.

[Bored Of Education]

Racist jokes

Chris Rock is your go-to guy in questions such as these. He points out the obvious: Black man says "nigga", OK. White man says "nigga", not OK.

From what I have seen of Chris Rock's stuff on the use of nigga/nigger, I very much disagree with his thinking.

[G-Man]

Racist jokes

Making allowance for the fact that he is a provocative stand-up comic, how so?

[Bored Of Education]

Racist jokes

Yes, taking that into account. As I understand it, from the clips I have seen, he is saying that his use of "nigga" refers to blacks who live up to stereotypes given to them by white people e.g. living on benefits, fathers leaving mothers with children etc etc.

I just don't think it is a good idea him using a racist generalisation to castigate a disadvantaged group. It is similar to my dislike of the generalisation of a certain group as "chavs" but with the added twist of introducing a racial elememt as well.

I wouldn't ban him from saying it, obviously, but I just don't agree with his thinking, even if it is as part of a provocative stand-up act. He obviously feels the need to defend his use from somewhere.

Unless there is an extra level to his satire that I missed.

I am more than willing to be called on this if I have misunderstood from not having seen all his work.

[G-Man]

Racist jokes

Rock is subverting the term, applying it to a social grouping he finds objectionable: those who confirm the negative stereotypes often applied to all African-Americans. He makes that distinction by applying that term to them, not to all black Americans. The point he is making — and I think it is an acute sociological observation — is that these negative stereotypes aren't pure invention, but are grounded in a reality he knows from experience.

"Niggas" are those African Americans who embrace their ignorance, who steal, don't want to work (as opposed to can't find a job!), are misogynistic etc. Their mindset has a detrimental effect on the community in which they live, and their behaviour creates a stereotype which is applied to all African-Americans. He could call them something else, but here he is subverting the subversion of the term "nigga".

It's not just a simple name-calling technique; it's a brilliant piece of observational comedy laced with acute social commentary.

Trouble is, it went over some people's head entirely. He stopped doing that bit when he realised that white people used it to justify their use of the word "nigga". Hence my reference above.

[pebblethefish]

Racist jokes

Yes, but he's still not funny though.

[Tactical Genius]

Racist jokes

G-man has it about right there and it is also the reason why Dave Chappelle walked out of his how after a couple of episodes into the 3rd series.

They both make some serious political and social observations through humour and it does go over the heads of more shallow thinkers. Much like the Alf Garnett character.

[G-Man]

Racist jokes

I know humour is subjective, but I fail to understand how Chris Rock cannot be funny to anyone.

[Bored Of Education]

Racist jokes

Rock is subverting the term, applying it to a social grouping he finds objectionable: those who confirm the negative stereotypes often applied to all African-Americans. He makes that distinction by applying that term to them, not to all black Americans. The point he is making — and I think it is an acute sociological observation — is that these negative stereotypes aren't pure invention, but are grounded in a reality he knows from experience.

"Niggas" are those African Americans who embrace their ignorance, who steal, don't want to work (as opposed to can't find a job!), are misogynistic etc. Their mindset has a detrimental effect on the community in which they live, and their behaviour creates a stereotype which is applied to all African-Americans. He could call them something else, but here he is subverting the subversion of the term "nigga".

Yes, I get that and everything. I just think him generalising this group is the same as people generalising people as chavs which is also wrong. I also don't particularly think his subversion of the word nigga is effective and would never agree to the use of it as a pejorative against blacks by anyone being particularly OK.

He appears to have a "pull the ladder up" mentality in this part of his show which also appears to emphasise only materialism as success.

Trouble is, it went over some people's head entirely. He stopped doing that bit when he realised that white people used it to justify their use of the word "nigga". Hence my reference above.

Well, this is obviously an issue as well in that his audience isn't always going to be as sophisticated as he is.

Don't get me wrong, I don't find him unfunny. I just think his aim is off on this one. There again, he is pushing the material out there and he is a comedian not a politician. I just wouldn't have him as a "go-to guy" on this issue.

Well, I suppose I would on comedy in general. Does he do any stuff about "whites"? I know Eddie Murphy did ealry on.

[wingco]

Racist jokes

All what my Caucasian G-man said.

[Tactical Genius]

Racist jokes

Bored.

I may be wrong but by the tone of your posts it appears that you have not seen his shows in their entirity and only a few clips here and there.

Race stuff is probably about 20% of his act with the majority of it politics and social commentary.

For example, his last stand-up. He does a bit of race stuff with regards to Obama before moving onto mixed-race relationships. But most of it is to do with politics, the election, the economy and relationships in general.
I laughed non-stop even at the race stuff (he claimed Barrack Obama is the 2nd most black name in the USA behind Dikembe Motumbo) he doesn't come out and make bland N*ggers do this and white people do that.

Actually, in one of his earliest standups he makes a clear distinction between N*ggers and Black people.

And as for "pulling up the ladder", he always in a quite modest way talk about how lucky he is to be rich and despite being wealthy he is not immune from racism and stuff.
Actually he is a very good go to guy for political and social commentary (this also goes for Chappelle too).

If i have the time, i would dig out some clips or quotes to back up my point.

But in the meantime, i would go and watch, "bigger and blacker", "Never scared" and "kill the messenger" in their entirity.
Also, see his rant at the end of the film, "head of State".

[Bored Of Education]

Racist jokes

I may be wrong but by the tone of your posts it appears that you have not seen his shows in their entirity and only a few clips here and there

No, you are entirely right. It just happens that the clips have been on the "nigga" distinctions.

Cheers for expanding, however, and I will check out the recomendations.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Racist jokes

I watched some Richard Pryor live performances last month and was a bit taken aback by his agreesion towards white people. There's a strange bit in one performance where a guy is bothering Pryor by taking pictures of him. Pryor unleashes a tirade of abuse at the guy, "sit your ugly white ass back down" and so on.

I find a lot of Pryor's race based comedy unpleasant, however it was his ability to adopt characters and develop stories that makes it worth sitting though the black people/white people crap.