Racist Ubiquity
By Sarah Pinkerton
Racism is everywhere. To most, that’s a startling statement. People prefer to believe racism—really, inequality of all sorts—has been wiped out. In reality, though, evidence of racism (namely racist jokes) is still quite ubiquitous. I find this trend worrying.
When I’ve called out people telling racist jokes, they usually claim to be “just kidding” or part of the group they are offending. This brings up the issue of whether insulting a group of people you yourself belong to is a good idea. Is it a form of self-deprecation? Is it meant to be risqué and subversive, with an attached disclaimer to make it permissible? Or does it simply let others think—those who do not belong to that group—that it’s okay to insult those people, too?
This sense of casual racism is really alarming to me. I’ve heard people defend their racist jokes by claiming they “insult everyone equally,” adding that it’s really a way of bringing everyone together. But I tend to believe it’s more divisive than inclusive, even if those sorts of jokes do occasionally elicit startled laughter. It’s easy to laugh when someone else is laughing. It’s so easy to be influenced by others when their words and phrases stick in your mind. It’s so easy to just go along with things without questioning why.
I’ve heard people say they prefer to be shocking than “too PC.” I agree to a point, in that I believe that being too politically correct can keep people from discussing very important topics. I have never and will never condone censorship. However I think people, as individuals, need to consider how their words will come off to other people and operate from a place of compassion. What does someone hope to accomplish by telling offensive, racist jokes? I wouldn’t consider myself even remotely PC, but I absolutely hate racist and sexist jokes, and I don’t think they accomplish anything worthwhile.
I feel that telling racist jokes actually condones, and even promotes, racism— though I know at least a few people who would disagree with me. I’ve been told I’m too sensitive on the subject, which is just patronising enough to be infuriating, as it ignores the underlying strife inherent in racism. Being sensitive about an issue that has caused death and hardship over the course of many centuries is not, I believe, a bad thing.
Bringing attention to racism is indeed important, but I think that telling racist jokes is definitely the wrong way to go about it, as it makes racism seem acceptable. It is frighteningly easy to move from telling racist jokes to holding racist attitudes to acting upon one’s racist beliefs. And while I don’t believe passive racist jokes are a gateway into active racism, I think people should examine why they feel the need to tell offensive jokes at all.
By Sarah Pinkerton
Racism is everywhere. To most, that’s a startling statement. People prefer to believe racism—really, inequality of all sorts—has been wiped out. In reality, though, evidence of racism (namely racist jokes) is still quite ubiquitous. I find this trend worrying.
When I’ve called out people telling racist jokes, they usually claim to be “just kidding” or part of the group they are offending. This brings up the issue of whether insulting a group of people you yourself belong to is a good idea. Is it a form of self-deprecation? Is it meant to be risqué and subversive, with an attached disclaimer to make it permissible? Or does it simply let others think—those who do not belong to that group—that it’s okay to insult those people, too?
This sense of casual racism is really alarming to me. I’ve heard people defend their racist jokes by claiming they “insult everyone equally,” adding that it’s really a way of bringing everyone together. But I tend to believe it’s more divisive than inclusive, even if those sorts of jokes do occasionally elicit startled laughter. It’s easy to laugh when someone else is laughing. It’s so easy to be influenced by others when their words and phrases stick in your mind. It’s so easy to just go along with things without questioning why.
I’ve heard people say they prefer to be shocking than “too PC.” I agree to a point, in that I believe that being too politically correct can keep people from discussing very important topics. I have never and will never condone censorship. However I think people, as individuals, need to consider how their words will come off to other people and operate from a place of compassion. What does someone hope to accomplish by telling offensive, racist jokes? I wouldn’t consider myself even remotely PC, but I absolutely hate racist and sexist jokes, and I don’t think they accomplish anything worthwhile.
I feel that telling racist jokes actually condones, and even promotes, racism— though I know at least a few people who would disagree with me. I’ve been told I’m too sensitive on the subject, which is just patronising enough to be infuriating, as it ignores the underlying strife inherent in racism. Being sensitive about an issue that has caused death and hardship over the course of many centuries is not, I believe, a bad thing.
Bringing attention to racism is indeed important, but I think that telling racist jokes is definitely the wrong way to go about it, as it makes racism seem acceptable. It is frighteningly easy to move from telling racist jokes to holding racist attitudes to acting upon one’s racist beliefs. And while I don’t believe passive racist jokes are a gateway into active racism, I think people should examine why they feel the need to tell offensive jokes at all.