That other thread on “niggardly” got me to thinking about this old joke.
Q: What is the most racist of all lawn and garden instruments?
A: Those impulse sprinklers that are always going “nigger-nigger-nigger-nigger-nigger, chink-chink-chink-chink-chink”.
I can see why some would find it offensive just like they would if the punch line was scatological, say, something like “crapper-crapper-crapper, shit-shit-shit”, but is it in any way racist? Would it be OK for a white guy to tell it to another white guy, a black guy to tell it to another black guy, a white guy to tell it to a black guy or a black guy to tell it to a white guy?
I would find it a very racist joke… Of course, I have had some good black friends (myself being white) and we have traded racist jokes and just laughed at them… It all depends on the people you are around and how they feel about certain things… I would be very careful before spouting this one off…
The joke doesn’t really discriminate against any race, but it does use racial slurs, therefore I dub it racist. A white guy could tell it to a black guy if he knew the black guy wouldn’t be offended by it - it’s dependant on the individual. But, I wouldn’t recommend telling it… it’s not really funny anyways.
It is offensive, but it is not racist. It makes no statements about anything racial, just uses offensive words. The words are offensive so i might wonder if one white guy telling it to another white guy was trying to make someone else uncomfortable in a way they thought they could get away with. Such use of seemingly harmless jokes that use some hateful word or phrase in an innocent context is nothing new. I can almost hear the disengenuous claims of not meaning anything by it now.
For the record, I found the joke funny, read it to my housemate, and she laughed too. I would not tell it to anyone else, especially where it might be heard by someone it could offend or by someone whose opinion I valued.
The words in and of themselves are not racist, merely offensive. It is the usage of a word that makes it racist – and it just so happens that almost every usage of those words is either racist, or may be construed as racist, and should thus be avoided. Except in certain company, such as you have a black friend and its “okay” by him for you to use the word, it may be acceptable, but only in those situations.
For a personal example, the word “faggot.” This word is normally used as an anti-gay slur. Now, my (current) best friend can jokingly call me a “fag” if he wants, because I understand that he’s joking. We all call each other names, and me being gay is the “new” thing in the Gang, so its the most interesting topic to poke at. However, if I heard that Nate called me a “fag” behind my back, I might well stop talking to him, because that’s not acceptable.
Situational morality? Maybe that’s one thing to call it. I call it life.
Why would you WANT to tell it? It’s not even remotely funny.
Personally, I don’t find racial jokes offensive and have friends with whom I share these jokes. They are taken in jest, not meant to be offensive.
(w/all my friends, black/white/brown).
Actually compete to come up w/ the best joke.
But, I would never use any racial term, joke or otherwise w/ someone I felt would be offended.
(me, I love a good joke about my ancestry)
and Yes, the"joke" you posted is clearly racist AND not funny.
I agree with december* that the joke feels racist. But does that mean it is racist?
I happen to be a white guy. I wouldn’t dare tell this joke to a black person, nor would I tell it to most of my white friends, mainly because the first reaction would be “Oh, my god, that’s so racist!”, but is it?
What I am trying to explore here is whether it really is racist after reflecting on it, and if so why. Does a white person become a racist just by using the N-word in any context?
OK, this is twice in two days that I’ve started a post with “I agree with december”. Something is terribly wrong.
Frankly, I think it’s a stupid joke–one in which the humor doesn’t come from wit, but from the “naughtiness” of using racial slurs. More or less the equivalent of potty humor.
Is the joke racist in and of itself? No. However, I think the person who tells it runs the risk of looking like a bigot.
Put me in the “offensive but not racist” category. It says nothing derogatory about any race, it simply mentions words used as slurs. If anything, it appears to be poking fun at the people who find racism under every rock. But if you’re the type of person who believes that merely mentioning an ethnic slur makes you a racist, then yes, I can see how the joke would appear racist.
And yes, I thought it was kinda funny, and I’ll tell it to my coworkers, who are pretty level-headed, and to my wife when I see her.
Jeff
I think one of the reasons that this feels racist is because it is presented as a joke with the standard set-up and punch-line. We’re probably conditioned to seeing this sort of thing as something you wouldn’t have in polite company, so let me take it out of that context.
Instead let’s say Joe gets a new job with a golf course maintenance company. His first day on the job all he does is work with these impulse sprinklers. He has to make sure they are set properly, in good working order, etc. After work he meets up with some friends for a couple of beers, and naturally they ask him about how his first day on the new job went. So he says, “Well, it went OK I guess but I think I may be loosing my mind. After about four hours I swear those sprinklers were talking to me.”
“Really? What did they say.”
“They just kept repeating over and over ‘nigger-nigger-nigger-nigger-nigger, chink, chink, chink, chink, chink.’”
Here we have a guy that is honestly offering a bizarre and humorous observation after being assaulted with the same sound all day long. Does it still feel as racist outside of the context of set up - punch line? Is it even offensive now?
The joke’s not funny enough to be worthy of discussion (I’ve never heard a lawn sprinkler that made sounds even close to “nigger” and “chink”), though I did chuckle at Sofa King’s post and will use it at first opportunity.
Whether or not you find the the joke funny is irrelevant to the OP. Obviously some will get a laugh out of it and others won’t; such is the nature of humor. That’s why I restated it outside the context of a joke per se.
What I’m trying to explore in this thread is whether the simple use of a racial epithet is racist in and of itself. While it hits most of us in the gut as being racist, no one has yet to give an explanation based on reasoning for it being racist. Why is it that the simple use of a word creates such a strong visceral reaction even when it is completely outside the context of hateful speech? Is it just a knee jerk reaction? This is the Straight Dope Message Board! We don’t normally accept an irrational emotional reaction as the proper way to go around here.
You may as well ask “does standing on a streetcorner muttering ‘nigger’ and ‘chink’ constitue racism?” Like the joke, this activity lacks any sense of context and is simply an excuse to use certain hot-button words. Since I’m personally disinclined to let anyone get a knee-jerk reaction out of me (when the doc hits me with that rubber hammer, I prefer to not give him the satisfaction), I don’t bother to respond to jokes that aren’t funny and people who mutter on streetcorners.
Now, if you want to draw some line that says a person can use “nigger” and “chink” so long as it’s “outside the text of hateful speech”… well, why would you bother? It’s not like these particular words have a positive value that has been co-opted by PC thugs. You seem to be arguing to defend a practice that is completely free of merit, and that includes jokes that just ain’t funny.
