Humor and Political Correctness

[Luc]

When is humor

[GaryKelly]

As a school kid, I was terrified of other people and kept to myself. The quintessential nerd. At about 12 or 13, I discovered the joy of self-effacement and how it made others laugh. Woohoo! A weapon! "Are you gay?" "I'm working on it-don't rush me." I learned to laugh at myself and to use humor as a means of getting others to laugh 'with' me, as opposed to 'at' me. Instead of losing respect, I gained respect. And that, dear Breth, included self-respect.

[Menzoberranzen]

"The worst evil that you can do, psychologically, is to laugh at yourself. That means spitting in your own face."

 

~Ayn Rand

 

I don't like political correctness, and unless I see drastic repercussions (i.e losing my job) then I say what I want, when I want to. I refuse to stop using expressions such as 'the pot calling the kettle black' just because wing-nut activists think it is somehow a racist comment. I don't go out of my way to offend, but nor to I pander to the intellectual canaille by using silly euphemisms. The beauty of being gay, is that nobody can ever tell me that 'I don't know what it's like to be a minority...'

 

Menzo

[Graeme]

Will there come a time when we can ALL agree on what is funny

[GaryKelly]

If something is not meant to denigrate or harm, and the vast majority of people don't consider it to be denigrate or harm, then I don't think it is wrong. If someone people take offense, then that's life. There are comedies on TV that I don't think are funny, but other people do. We have a difference of opinion and it means nothing more than that.

 

Even if you are from Melbourne, you're Australian, which is why you make so much sense.

[MMandM]

I think courtesy is a reasonable mode for humans and that much derogatory wording has been hurtful not just to the immediate person being derided but to colloquy at large. Most of the words objected to as things turned "pc aware" was used as separators - such as "crazy".

 

I agree that sometimes we go overboard into silliness as it is occasionally hard to keep up with group preferences and some are a little contrived, but I like the underlying idea of simple courtesy behind the newer appellations.

 

Free speech, I have it, I can call anybody anything, but I choose my words, or try to, to deride ideas or constructions, not groups of people en masse.

 

And on a lighter note:

 

"full time outdoorsman" - homeless

 

"non conventional commuter" - carjacker

 

And for prostitutes hehe, - "receiver of swollen goods"

Edited June 13, 2007 by Mark_Marciano

[glomph]

There's an old saying about the difference between tragedy and comedy.

 

When I slip on a banana peel and fall, that's tragedy.

 

When you slip on a banana peel and fall, that's comedy.

[GaryKelly]

There's an old saying about the difference between tragedy and comedy.

 

When I slip on a banana peel and fall, that's tragedy.

 

When you slip on a banana peel and fall, that's comedy.

 

Yes, glomph, it's all a matter of perspective.

[Razor]

We'll never all agree. I have a seriously twisted streak of humor. I love jokes that are offensive as hell. I ENJOY pissing people off and getting that response from them because they never figured out that words are just words, and that kind of immaturity burns. Yes, I know that's incredibly hypocritical, but you know what? Your mama.

 

And you know what's great about it, though? No one can ever tell me I can't say what I want to say. If I want to tell a joke that is sexist, racist, and gay-bashing all in one, then I damn well can.

 

Conflict is inevitable. So fight back and quit bitching about it, wimps.

 

 

 

Okay, I'm editing to preempt (is that spelled right? That doesn't look right.) the freakout that is inevitable... that's a rhetorical device, not a direct insult. Though if it was... what would you do about it?

[GaryKelly]

because they never figured out that words are just words, and that kind of immaturity burns.

 

In my mid 20s I had a 12 yo friend who, one day, said 'shit!' When I commented he said, "hey, it's just a word". He was right, of course. And BTW Razor, I admire your spirit...just don't get TOO carried away.

[jfalkon]

I think it's nice to be polite but sometimes it goes too far. I think it's a matter of common sense in most cases. Jokes are ment to be funny. If you affend someone with a joke there is no satisfaction or amusment to be had, so what's the point.

 

It seems that the best jokes point out or exagerate the truth. For example we all know that hair color does not determine inteligence but most of us have met a "dumb blond" at some point in our lives. When we hear a blond joke that stupid person comes to mind. That is what makes it funny. When I was a little kid I had no idea about the blond stereotype. When someone told a blond joke I just gave that person a weird look. It simply did not make sense. All the blond people I knew were intelegent. My hair is a shade of blond but I am not bothered by those jokes. I am not insecure about my inteligence so I can laugh along. The situation is very different for someone who has some misgivings about their inteligence. To that person the jokes may be hurtfull.

 

In today's society stereotype are not taken as seriosly as they used to be. Some of them are quickly being forgoten and the jokes that went with them no longer make sense. Others are still recognized but not truly believed. I think the gay stereotype is a good example. Most of the people I talk to know at least one gay guy who completely contradicts the image of the feminine man in the hot pink shirt. We understand that the stereotype is a poor represention of reality but its funny and sort of cute so it lives on in our minds. The gay men I know are nothing like their tv counterparts but they still watch the shows.

 

When it comes to making fun of yourself, I think it can be fun. Laughing at your flaws or differences beats crying over them.