# Is this terrorism joke offensive? Is the reply offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473 "2016-08-01T15:30:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/1 "2016-08-01T15:30:37Z")
Okay. After YEARS of dodging email drama related to politics and such with friends and family and running from Facebook like a nun runs from a porn convention I’ve finally got my first flesh wound. Back story. Got a wiener dog. Had always heard they were headstrong little shits (but loveable mostly). I guy I used to work with often told tales about his. And it sounds like his house was being destroyed by them as well. Well, mine is no different. But I can certainly see the attraction if you can take the bad to get the good. Anyways. So I shoot off an email along the following lines: Figured out how I am going to dress my dog for Halloween. Put a few bags labeled anthrax on. A few long red sticks with fuses sticking out. Maybe some radioactive warning labels on there as well. A Wiener of Mass Destruction if you will. Okay, does that get your folks “can’t joke about terrorism” panties in a twist? Whether that is actually a crime against comedy is another thread 🙂 And here is the reply: Eeeew! Your community much have more humor about such things than mine. Okay, they don’t think it is terribly funny. Fair enough. But the Ewww in combination with the “community” part just sets off my “fuck your sanctimonious observations” subroutine. Oh, and that is the WHOLE reply which also doesn’t IMO improve the feel of the response. What say all yall? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/2 "2016-08-01T15:36:40Z")
Your only mistake is that it should have been a beagle. 🙂 (I think it’s funny…) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/3 "2016-08-01T15:44:00Z")
I think it is perfectly fine and pretty funny. With a wiener dog, I would go for a specifically German theme though. Can you dress him up like Hitler? ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/4 "2016-08-01T15:45:14Z")
Rule of thumb: if you have to ask it’s not offensive. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/5 "2016-08-01T15:45:43Z")
The notion of a Weiner of Mass Destruction makes me giggle. The humor may well be lost on those who don’t know the nature of the breed. Far too many people see to go out of their way to be the first to be offended. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/6 "2016-08-01T15:51:52Z")
It’s not offensive, but since Weiner does not even sound like Weapon, people will probably think it’s lame. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/7 "2016-08-01T15:54:18Z")
PS folks. It’s in the title, but I don’t explicity ask in the actual thread. What do you think about the response I got? I think it is a load of ca ca. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/8 "2016-08-01T15:55:01Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > Rule of thumb: if you have to ask it’s not offensive. I thought the rule of thumb was that you’re not allowed to tell anyone else what offends them? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/9 "2016-08-01T16:01:02Z")
Not offensive. C+ joke wise. Sorry, it’s only funny because wiener is a funny word. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/10 "2016-08-01T16:09:31Z")
Put your JRT in a suicide vest. He’s now a Jack Russell Terrorist. (Which, frankly, most JRT’s are, even without the vest.) ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/11 "2016-08-01T16:17:38Z")
You’re going to have to explain this to everybody? ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/12 "2016-08-01T16:20:49Z")
I have a Weapons of Math Instruction t-shirt, showing a bomb with the quadratic equation written on it. No one has ever told me that they’re offended by it. ---
**Author:** ![pidgeon92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@pidgeon92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pidgeon92)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/13 "2016-08-01T16:35:48Z")
I think it’s cute. My Daisy is half wiener/half beagle. If I tried to dress her up, I’d be needing medical assistance. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/14 "2016-08-01T16:40:44Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > I have a Weapons of Math Instruction t-shirt, showing a bomb with the quadratic equation written on it. > > No one has ever told me that they’re offended by it. ‘Math Instruction’ is a good play on words. ‘Wiener’ not so much. Still hard to see someone actually offended by an obvious joke. ‘Not funny’ should be the worst result of the OP’s joke. If it was patently unfunny and about the actual use of a WMD maybe someone could take offence. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/15 "2016-08-01T16:48:24Z")
Not offensive. The joke itself is kind of stretch and thus a bit lame. I’m wondering what community the person who commented on this is from that would find this highly offensive. Iraqi refugees? The Bush family? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/16 "2016-08-01T16:51:27Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Your only mistake is that it should have been a beagle. > > 🙂 > > (I think it’s funny…) A beagle of mass destruction? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/17 "2016-08-01T16:56:15Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Not offensive. The joke itself is kind of stretch and thus a bit lame. > > I’m wondering what community the person who commented on this is from that would find this highly offensive. Iraqi refugees? The Bush family? VW bus driving hippies if I had to guess. Heh, stretch. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/18 "2016-08-01T17:24:00Z")
I’m not offended and I don’t think folks in my neighborhood would be. We wouldn’t get the WMD joke unless it was spelled out for us, and I’m not sure it’s all that funny. I would be a little concerned that some hysterical parent might think it was a real threat and call the police. Not sure how likely that would be to happen, but I know some types who are paranoid about that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/19 "2016-08-01T17:27:12Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I would be a little concerned that some hysterical parent might think it was a real threat and call the police. Not sure how likely that would be to happen, but I know some types who are paranoid about that kind of thing. Well, at least if you hear a news story in a few months you can go “hey, I KNOW that dude!”. Maybe the cops will just wing me, I can sue their ass, and start the WLM movement. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473/20 "2016-08-01T17:33:40Z")
The “Wiener of Mass Destruction” is only marginally funny. Try dressing him up in a little Nazi uniform and a sign saying “Anne Frank Detector Dog” and watch the heads explode. I don’t think your friends would find that funny either. Maybe just a sign around his neck saying “Brown Lives Matter”, or one saying "Philando Castile " his trick for trick-or-treat can be to sit up and raise his paws, and then fall over and play dead. Regards, Shodan [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-terrorism-joke-offensive-is-the-reply-offensive/761473.md?page=2)