Comics doing jokes about racism and stereotypes: do you think it's creating steps towards acceptance?
The example I’ll use for this question will be Lisa Lampanelli. If you’re unfamiliar with her comedy, the majority of her routine (as well as many other comics) consists of race and stereotype jokes. I’ve heard her say that the people that ‘get’ her act understand that it’s actually combating racism and that getting people to laugh about it and bring it out in the open is a way to (i’m not sure how to word it) bring acceptance(?). My question is do you agree that comics doing these types of acts are combating bigotry or do you just find them offensive?
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Some of them, I suppose, create a sense of acceptance by laughing at the user. Mostly, the utterance of some labels, makes me cringe.
This sort of thing goes on all the time. Here’s a for instance… A few years ago, I was car pooling to work with a bunch of guys. One of them was a born again Christian. The song “Hell is for Children” by Pat Benatar came on the radio. Now, anyone who listens to the song knows that it’s a song protesting the horrible way children are sometimes treated. The Christian guy went on and on about how that’s an evil song saying children belong in Hell and it’s an example of everything evil with humanity, blah, blah, blah. He refused to listen to the lyrics for fear of being “converted to the dark side” and no amount of reasoning would make him understand.
Honestly, depends on the delivery and the level of understanding the artist has.
@incendiary_dan – I agree. Sometimes it’s just an easy go-to for a comic to do one of those ”[X] people are like this, and [Y] people are like this” routines.
I would say its a step towards acceptance. I think if it can be funny without being too hurtful or tasteless, laughing at ourselves and our stereotypes is never bad. But that’s the problem, see, I don’t particularly care for Lisa Lampanelli, not because of the subject matter, but because I don’t find her to be funny.
I think some definitely are, and I think others are doing quite a bit of harm. I’m not sure I’d find Lisa Lamanelli to be of the “more good than bad” variety (or the “actually funny” variety) but there definitely are those comics out there.
I would like to point out that when folks bring up “jokes about racism and stereotypes”, it is usually in regard to a white person doing the jokes. I’ve found that the “jokes about racism and stereotypes” are often not as big a deal when it is a non-white person telling them.
Funny is subjective. It’s really up to the individual to decide.
i personally think it is hilarious when somebody gets all macaulay culkin, home alone about words
It does not combat racism, it reinforces it, and gives bigots racist jokes to tell others.
he is one of those giving racist jokes to the bigots
In my opinion anyone who tells racist jokes is reinforcing racism, including him.
@DrBill . . . Does that also go for Jackie Mason’s observations on those of the Jewish faith and Richard Pryor’s use of the “N” word?
I do not discriminate, my answer applies to everyone
@DrBill . . . So, just to be clear on this, Jackie Mason is anti-Semitic and Richard Pryor hates blacks?
omg I never heard of Russell Peters before, he is hysterical.
Now with regard to the question, the World English Dictionary defines racism as:
“the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others.”
I personally feel the first part is true, certain characteristics go with certain ethnic groups, it is hard to deny that. I don’t believe it makes anyone superior or inferior.
No one seems to be offended by the black comedians who are constantly making honky jokes, why is that? I think as @Blondesjon says, it only seems to be a problem when it is a white person making the joke. I think that in itself is racist.
Where I live there are health clinics that say they are for a specific group of people. They are government funded but white people are not to go there unless you had an ancestor who was of the group, then you might be allowed.
That is government funded racism and there is a lot of that but that seems to be acceptable.
It is a crazy world we live in, if you are 65–70 and white, you just gotta get out there and work for what you get, swallow the jokes about senior citizens and get on with life.
I did not accuse anyone of hate, but they do promote racism, do we have a slow learning curve?
Read the comment, not read into it what you want.
non-racists promote racism? i guess i am slow. please explain?
Two of my favorite comedians have a lot of humor in this vein: Carols Mencia and Chris Rock. I love their humor because it shows the absurdity of some people’s beliefs and turns the searchlight of humor on people who take themselves wayyyy too seriously!
@CaptainHarley – Chris Rock is the sort of guy I was thinking of, can you imagine if he were white and making those jokes about black people or muslims any group except white, he would PC public enemy #1. But since it is vice versa, enlightened folk find his humor as you describe.
Allow me to editorialize for a moment.
I wish to HELL we would get OVER all this shit about “race!” There IS only ONE race, the human one! We are all related. Kinda scary, ain’t it? I’m a member of your family! Mwahahaha!
If you don’t like some of the cultural aspects of another group of people, then don’t hang around wid’em, but PLEASE don’t start casting aspersions on their entire “race” simply because you don’t like some of their practices or habits.
God knows, we have MORE than enough problems without adding some bogus “racial” bullshit to it. Let’s solve the REAL problems and let “race” fade away!
Thank you. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming! : )
@CaptainHarley . . . If you don’t like some of the cultural aspects of another group of people, then don’t hang around wid’em . . .
blackin’ it up a bit aren’t we?
When you hear Carlos Mancia or Chris Rock or someone of a different race or culture doing comedy, you are also hearing things from their point of view. That is very helpful in tearing down racial boundries.
Generally yes, actually. I think a lot of the reasons we are intolerant of people unlike ourselves are just petty silly reasons and when you see them being made fun of it makes you think “yeah, that is stupid.”
@CaptainHarley . . . The accent.
and your complete lack of driving skills. while i’ve got you here, could you tell me how to get this stain out of my shirt?
I think it is, for the most part. They bring our collective ignorant, phobic fears right out into the light a of day to be laughed at by the WHOLE WORLD!
@CaptainHarley is ASIAN?? I did not know that! Hey, Capn’. Do you know my neighbors across the street? They’re Asian too! Do you make good egg rolls?”
I love it when comedians use their own background/culture in their set and yes, to a certain extent I do think it is a way of creating acceptance. Lenny Henry and Shappi Khorsandi are two people that I think use their culture in humour very very well. It is not offensive at all, more like a recollection of memories. I actually find the way Lenny Henry talks about his parents very heartwarming.
@Blondesjon
Damn! And here I thought I had perfect English enunciation!
Pour undiluted Chlorox on any stain. That should take it out for sure. : )
@Dutchess_III
Yes, my eggrolls are legendary! And yes, I know your neighbors… all us Asians know each other. : )
LOL! Well, tell that one neighbor Asian lady (you know which one, of course) THANK YOU SO MUCH for dropping what she was doing yesterday (mowing her yard) to run over and help me push my dead, HEAVY jeep back up into our driveway!
I do think that sometimes cultural humor does create potential inroads of understanding and acceptance.
An ex of mine came from a heavily Irish-American background, but she loved George Lopez, and his self-depricating jokes about Mexican families, mostly because she could strongly identify with them in her own family. Kinda reminds people that we are more alike than than we are different.
I think humor is a great subversive ‘tool’. I do not like nasty racist comments at all, obviously, or stereotyped ‘jokes’, but I think healthy people can and should be able to laugh at themselves and others in a non-threatening manner.
I make ‘blonde’ jokes about MYSELF all the time.
” Oh, that’s a good blonde park job ” ” Look out, blonde behind the wheel” etc. lol
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