# "10 Reasons Why a Beer if Better than a Black Man"...WTF!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 27, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990 "2003-02-27T22:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/101 "2003-02-28T05:52:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > \*\*This reminds me of what you posted earlier. That I’m “wasting time” being upset about this. Like I have to spend every grain of my being worrying about “important” things, like youth crime or crack babies or something. I’m starting to think that only white people are allowed to fume over small slights. Every time a black person does it, they are told–very patronizingly–to focus on more important matters. \*\* Ok, it’s pretty obvious who has the hang ups here. Where on god’s green Earth did “crack babies” and “youth crime” come into play? If that is the attitude you walk around with it is little wonder that you find such offense and feel that you’ve been forced to “live your whole life with everyone reminding you in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that you don’t belong” Perhaps the reason you don’t feel you belong has more to do with your paranoia than anything else. Increasingly that is my perception. Get the chip off the shoulder, it isn’t attractive. [BTW, here’s another list of generic “Why beer is better than men” jokes](http://www.brewstraveler.com/hahamen.htm) > [@](#): > > 1. Having a beer can’t make you pregnant. > 2. A beer doesn’t want children. > etc… ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/102 "2003-02-28T05:55:30Z")
Look, my position has been and still is: racism is racism and all of it is bad. I even started a [pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=120566&highlight=dont+assume) about it last year. I am not arguing that black folks have to deal with more racism than white folks, they do. What I am saying is that we should condem it all equally, if we give one brand of racism more credence than another, we are just perpetuating what we are railing against. Equal means equal for everyone, no exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/103 "2003-02-28T06:04:49Z")
**monstro** , be careful your rage doesn’t turn you into what you hate. > [@](#): > > Rednecks are white people who behave a certain way. > I’m starting to think that only white people are allowed to fume over small slights. > How many black guys does an average white person in Louisville know personally? How many Kentuckians have been raised to view blacks guys with suspect? How many Kentuckians subconsciously fear black men, particularly in a sexual way? By the way, it’s not the ‘white’ remarks but the red neck Southerner stereotypes _I’m_ pinging on. **Rhum Runner** , no whoosh, whatever that is. Actual incidents and how I felt. And IMHO you’re made your points but you’re running out of points to make. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/104 "2003-02-28T06:14:55Z")
**Rhum Runner** : > [@](#): > > Monstro, I think GB, is just going way too far with the analysis. The fact is the list was probably not drafted with blacks in mind, and that was only added later. Where are you getting this idea from? First of all, the shirt was a promotional prize at a predominantly non-black university;so this wasn’t some item targetted to black people for the purpose of inducing some good-natured chuckles at themselves. And secondly, if your hypothesis is true, why was it even necessary for the shirt to specify _black_ men, given the promotional audience? Can’t you see how the message changes simply by having the subject be black men instead of men in general? **Rhum Runner** , I’m sorry man, but it really seems as if you are trying _very_ hard to defend a piece of shit. If you think the shirt is funny, fine. Say so. I’d rather you admit that there’s just cause to find it bothersome even while finding it funny, than to watch you repeatedly portray this thing as some equal opportunity lampoon against all men. People who find it offensive (myself included) are not imagining things, we are not overinterpreting things, and we are not blowing things out of proportion. In order to make your case, you deliberately have to be dense. Question: Wouldn’t you be just a little bit suspicious of an Arab wearing a shirt emblazoned with “10 reasons why a beer is better than a Jew”? Gotta say I would. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/105 "2003-02-28T06:18:51Z")
**Weirddave** : > [@](#): > > Look, my position has been and still is: racism is racism and all of it is bad. I even started a pit thread about it last year. I am not arguing that black folks have to deal with more racism than white folks, they do. What I am saying is that we should condem it all equally, if we give one brand of racism more credence than another, we are just perpetuating what we are railing against. Equal means equal for everyone, no exceptions. So what does this have to do with the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/106 "2003-02-28T06:22:21Z")
Umm…have you reaqd the rest of the thread? My posts and monstro’s replies? ---
**Author:** ![SLASH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SLASH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SLASH)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/107 "2003-02-28T06:26:47Z")
> [@](#): > > My vision is blurred right now because of tears of rage. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/108 "2003-02-28T07:04:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by you with the face \* > \*\*Question: Wouldn’t you be just a little bit suspicious of an Arab wearing a shirt emblazoned with “10 reasons why a beer is better than a Jew”? Gotta say I would. \*\* Do you think a shirt saying, “Why beer is better than a White Woman” prominently displaying a _ **large picture of a muscular white man** _ would be worn by a racist black man at a predominantly black college? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/109 "2003-02-28T13:21:46Z")
To me, “10 Reasons Why a Beer is Better than a Man” wouldn’t be offensive. The one mentioned by the OP, however, I consider to be in bad taste. To those who think there’s nothing wrong with it, maybe you can clear some of my confusion: why black? What differences are there, either physical or behavioral, between a black and a non-black man that would cause the jokes on the T-shirt to not make any sense had it been as I’ve written it above? If the T-shirt doesn’t have any overt racist statements on it, why include the word black? Especially at a predominantly white college? Hell, who knows? Maybe they were leftovers from an event predominantly attended by blacks, and someone thought (none too clearly) that this was a good opportunity to dump out their excess inventory. ---
**Author:** ![trochai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@trochai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trochai)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/110 "2003-02-28T13:35:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*Once we establish that clean underwear is superior to White boys we’ll be getting somewhere. That might be all we need to figure out what’s better than College Girls gone Wild. \*\* Are we sure that _ **Anything** _ is better than College Girls gone Wild? 🙂 I do have to put my 2 cents in, Racist jokes are nearly intolerable. Though, as Blalron pointed out, they do assist people in realizing how utterly rediculous racism is. It’s like dead baby jokes. People find them funny, but mostly because we find the idea of being a babykiller as preposterous as being a racist eh… just my 2 cents ---
**Author:** ![trochai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@trochai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trochai)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/111 "2003-02-28T13:41:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > **Fuck all you piece of shits who defend offensive material because it doesn’t negatively affect you. Fuck all of you creeps who think racism is just a figment of people’s imaginations. Fuck you to the infinity power.** I guess I’d be more prone to defending it on the whole freedom of speech route. But yeah, you better believe I’d think twice about treating a person who would wear it kindly ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/112 "2003-02-28T13:54:30Z")
**AcidKid** : > [@](#): > > “Why beer is better than a White Woman” prominently displaying **a large picture of a muscular white man** would be worn by a racist black man at a predominantly black college? I have a feeling that if you saw a racist black man wearing a shirt like this (or one directed towards white males), you wouldn’t think it was so funny. You would use it as evidence that the black man was in fact racist. **Rhum Runner** : > [@](#): > > Where on god’s green Earth did “crack babies” and “youth crime” come into play? If that is the attitude you walk around with it is little wonder that you find such offense and feel that you’ve been forced to “live your whole life with everyone reminding you in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that you don’t belong” What attitude are you referring to? The attitude in which I resent being told to “get over it” by someone who doesn’t understand how much “over it” I already am? The attitude in which I hate not being able to rant over asanine things in our society just like everyone else? The attitude in which I lose my impatience with patronizing fools who think it’s alright to laugh at everything, but not alright to feel bothered by non-funny things? You don’t know my attitude. > [@](#): > > Perhaps the reason you don’t feel you belong has more to do with your paranoia than anything else. Maybe if we were talking about something a little less obvious, I would agree with you. But noticing the racism behind a shirt that says “10 Reasons Why a Beer is Better than a Black Man” does not require paranoia. In fact, you’d have to be delusional to keep saying that it’s not racist or can’t be justifiably interpreted as such. Maybe if the company who makes this shirt had a shirt like this for every ethnic group, I would feel like I do about Chris Rock: they’re an equal opportunity offenderer. But I don’t think there’s a “10 Reasons Why a Beer is Better than an Chinese/Hispanic/Jew/Eastern-European,Christian/Handicapped Man” t-shirt. I’m betting the only ethnic group they lampoon like this are black males. That’s why it’s racist. If you can’t see this, you’re a lost cause and I’m through with you. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/113 "2003-02-28T14:30:43Z")
And here I thought the t-shirt was so blatantly offensive that this thread wouldn’t have more than 10 or 12 responses. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/114 "2003-02-28T14:42:09Z")
There is absolutelt no excuse for anyone to disagree with **Monstro** ’s outrage. Any decent person should be outraged as well. If the shirt had been marketed in a predominantly black college, then it would just be a harmless teasing of the brothers by the sisters. If the maker had omitted the “black” from the shirt, then the caption, “10 Reasons why a Beer is Better than a Man,” would be a more universal variation of the same theme. But as it stands, this shirt was meant to be sold to white people in order to demean black people, and that should be repulsive to any civilized person. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/115 "2003-02-28T15:07:20Z")
**monstro** - \*"I call George W. the President an idiot to his face, he’d probably smirk and say a snappy comeback. If I call George W. the retarded child in the special education class an idiot to his face, he’d probably cry and tell the teacher. "\* Peculiar analogy to use I must say, since it seems you would map on to the retarded child. Do you feel irrational on this subject? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/116 "2003-02-28T15:34:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Peculiar analogy to use I must say, since it seems you would map on to the retarded child. It’s peculiar that you would think I was talking about myself. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/117 "2003-02-28T15:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhum Runner \* > **Ok, it’s pretty obvious who has the hang ups here…** Yeah, it’s you. That’s why you’re in this thread you’d rather be in denial about race issues. > [@](#): > > **I acknowledge that race does come up in people’s lives more often than it should. But, at the same time, let’s not go out looking for additional times to bring it up.** Yes, let us just sweep it under the carpet, close our eyes to it and it will go away. Whatever works for you. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > \*\* > [BTW, here’s another list of generic “Why beer is better than men” jokes](http://www.brewstraveler.com/hahamen.htm) \*\* Okay **Rhum Runner** , if we accept your argument that the list in question wasn’t particulary tailored to Black people, why is the list **NOT** the same? ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/118 "2003-02-28T16:01:48Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Weirddave \* > [@](#): > > …Well, since reading comprehension dosen’t seem to be your strong suit ( I said-“anything that classifies people on the basis of any inherent genetic condition for the purposes of stereotyping, be it male, female, black, white etc… is offensive.”) I’ll put it in one sylable words: > > Y-e-s. Yes. > > …Got it, or do you need to attend reading comprehension school with Bianarydrone? First of all, I do not deserve this kind of bullshit from you. My reading comprehension is just fine. All that I wanted was for you to specifically clarify your stance. As you seem to be saying that you believe offence to be an on/off thing, rather than something that is actually very nuanced, I now know where you stand and can respectfully suggest that you are wrong. Mind you, I am not sure how you can fail to see that jabs that target traditionally marginalized groups are inherently more harmful (and thus more offensive) than those that target groups closer to the center of power, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/119 "2003-02-28T16:26:50Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by Binarydrone_ > Mind you, I am not sure how you can fail to see that jabs that target traditionally marginalized groups are inherently more harmful (and thus more offensive) than those that target groups closer to the center of power, but there you go. Hey, don’t underestimate **Weirddave’s** white boy pain. He’s experienced such prejudice against him for his skin colour, and all those jokes about how he can’t dance, it’s just rubbing salt into the wounds. The day white people can finally be free of prejudice in America will be a great day. ---
**Author:** ![trochai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@trochai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trochai)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990/120 "2003-02-28T16:31:41Z")
_sniffs_ I’m so tired of all the jokes about how I cannot jump too _breaks into tears_ Really, White America knows nothing about prejudice, aside from how to perpetrate it. And that’s coming from a white suburban boy myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-reasons-why-a-beer-if-better-than-a-black-man-wtf/157990.md?page=7)