This may seem backwards, but I think that there is visual evidence of nearly successful acceptance of races when we can make fun of a culture in the media without the fear of being politically incorrect. To me, this is the ultimate sign that that culture, for the most part, feels more or less secure about their standing in the United States. They can laugh along with us as we make fun of “white boys,” but they also do not feel threatened when something like this comes along:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkdcYlOn5M
or this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D0555EtAZ4
I, quite possibly naively, would assume that most people, of most races, watching those would be able to laugh at those skits which emphasize stereotypes to the extreme without feeling like they are slamming or offending another race… do you think that this is a sign of coming a long way or not? I may just be pulling this theory out of nowhere, but I know that I can only sincerely laugh at myself with people who I know have accepted me, otherwise I feel uncomfortable. Don’t you get a different feeling when your roommates make fun of you than when your coworker who you think doesn’t like you very much makes fun of you?
Here’s the other aspect of it: is this the same for all races? Can all cultures be made fun of without being offended in the United States? I don’t think so at all. We see a lot of African American culture being mimicked, and a little less but Mexican culture as well. I would say that many other cultures are still avoided in comedy out of fear that we will offend someone, but this is just what I’ve seen, I’m not sure that there is any legitimacy to that statement. So what do you think? Do you think that the way race is portrayed in comedy is indicative of any success or failure?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
34 comments:
I think that the way race is depicted in comedy shows that we have made some ground. In comedy, racial comments and slurs are often laughed off and it seems like everyone is just shrugging it off and not offended.
I'm not sure if all people view this as a positive thing though. When I watch movies that make fun of race (i.e. Undercover Brother) with my friends (all white people), we can laugh and have a good time with it. However, I'm not sure exactly how such a movie would be viewed by group of another ethnicity.
From our closed perspective, yes is looks like we are making progress, but can we really say that other people feel the same way?
I don't know if this is necessarily true. Considering the world situation I would feel pretty uncomfortable watching a comic directly make fun of Islams from the Middle East.
Being edgy is exactly what makes comedy funny. Soft and gentle humor might solicit a tender smile or a barely-audible hiccup of a laugh, but the funniest jokes are usually those that go beyond what we expect and that go right up to the edge of what we will accept.
Making fun of races, religions, and cultures will always be funny. Americans are smart enough to know the difference between malicious mocking and satirically poking fun for humor’s sake.
I’m happy to see sensitivities diminished. Bring on the race jokes.
I love comedies about other cultures, even stand-up comedies. Being Hispanic, I don't get offended when our culture is made fun of. Take Nacho Libre, which is totally making fun of Mexicans, but it's still so funny.
I love some black movies, like the ones where blacks talk the way they do- that sort of ghetto "guuuurlfrrrieeend" kinda talk. Hilarious. So in general, no, I don't think other cultures get offended when their ethnic background is portrayed. It's a movie, so not to be taken seriously.
I don't think any jokes that use stereotypes to get a laugh are funny--first of all because they are not original (and they're too easy), and secondly they lead to less, rather than more tolerance. Jokes that make fun of idiots who believe stereotypes, on the other hand, can be funny because they point out peoples' hypocrisy (independent of race) and mock their lack of tolerance.
Voltaire wrote about Quakers in the 18th century (in his Lettres philosophiques). Instead of laughing at the stupid Quakers, he instead makes fun of the stupid Frenchman who believes all of the preconceived stereotypes about Quakers. He also dismantles the stereotypes one by one. Ultimately this is funny and productive in that the humor implicitly argues for increased tolerance.
Imagine a comedian telling jokes about Mormon temples, polygamy, etc. that are based on the standard (erroneous) clichés. Would you laugh? I have an adopted son from Micronesia. If people told jokes about Micronesians and how backward they are...
Comedy can be moral and beneficial, it can also be degrading and perpetuate ignorance. It is inaccurate to say that "jokes that emphasize stereotypes" are inoffensive and a sign of progress. Jokes that attack hypocrisy and undermine stereotypes, on the other hand, are always welcome.
Molière wrote that we don't mind being told we're evil, but we don't like being laughed at. If racism is laughed at and exposed as intolerant, that's funny. Laughing at someone because they exhibit a certain stereotype associated with their race or religion is a sign we should evolve.
Check this out
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/television/14watc.html
I’m not sure that just because we poke fun at race that it makes it ok. I think we get away with things like this because yes it’s funny, and yes some of it is true, but also because in programs like SLN and Mad TV they make fun of everyone and every race. As long as it’s not excluding any race or being exclusive to only one race, it’s ok. We’re all in the same boat if we’re all getting spoofed.
I think it is somewhat of a success, because when we can laugh at things that usually mean we are over them or they arer acceptable to talk about .
i agree with san miguel. he makes a very good point in saying that edgy is funny. the funniest things are things that are true that no one has thought to point out yet.
but there are still few that would blatantly make fun of something they know absolutely nothing about. so comedians have to be somewhat familiar with the subject of their material. thus- the more familiar we are with a race the more likely it will be used.
so i think that this can be a fair indicator of who is becoming accepted as a minority group in america and who is still thought of as strange and different which is where the true discrimination happens
I think it is great that we are all learning to laugh at ourselves. I've found that it is much easier to laugh things off than to get offended.
I obviously have a skewed view of things though because I am white but there are many stereotypes of white women in comedy shows and I have chosen not to get offended by those views because I know that I'm not like that and that it is a combination of all of the negative and over the top characteristics of women all over the world.
As far as comedy goes, I think that as long as we're making fun of everybody, it's hard to get mad, or everybody has to be mad.
I've seen this a lot with shows like Family Guy and South Park where it seems that they don't make exceptions for anyone.
Having said that, it's hard to say how minority ethnic groups feel. I can only speak for myself.
I think comedians who are ethnic themselves get a lot of freedom to make fun of themselves and their culture as they'd wish. It's always ok if one makes fun of himself. However, one of my favorite skits is Dane Cook's "Ummm-Hello?!" and hands down the best line in there is making fun of chinese drivers, but it definitely is only one line. In media we tend to try to always push the limits set before us...Race is one of those limits being tested currently.
It seems to me that the cultural blending of America has resulted in the ability to poke fun at other races (in a non hate filled manner) without fear of getting in trouble. Just like accountant or lawyer jokes are laughed at by people of all professions (including accountants and lawyers), jokes about Africa-Americans or Whites can be laughed at by all races.
I'm not sure that once we as society are able to make fun of different cultures is a good way to determine whether we accept these cultures.
What kind of message are we sending when we assume that we accept people once we can make fun of them? I think people have learned to laugh at themselves as more of a defense mechanism, it is easier to laugh at yourself than take something seriously. Making fun of other people can be funny but it's crude humor.
I'm from Hawaii, and I know that this is on a smaller scale, but majority of our humor back home is racial. It's interesting because the culture of Hawaii as people know it now, is due to the acceptance and assimilation of many cultures together. Because of that, a cultural joke, crude or not, offensive or not, is more often laughed about than considered "racist". I sometimes wish that that type of acceptance could be a universal thing...because let's be honest, if we can't laugh at ourselves we're probably conscious about something personally, not about external influences...that's how I feel anyways.
I think we have certainly made some progress. I think your idea of being able to laugh along with jokes about your race, culture, etc. shows this progress is an interesting idea...something I haven't thought of. It sheds some positive light on things, so thanks. I was thinking that it seems like the groups who are more likely to laugh at jokes about themselves seem to be the groups that have been in America longer and I guess have gotten used to the idea a little more...I guess what I am trying to say is that this didn't happen overnight and that it has taken time.
for some reason i think that other races can make fun of caucasians more than caucasians can make fun of other races. take dave chappell for example. he's an african american comedian that often uses the white race as part of his skits. they are funny, even to most caucasians, but if a white comedian were to do the same jokes about black people, i think he'd be kicked off the air. there's also a website called, "things that white people like" which lists a number of random items and activities that the white race like. to some, this could be offensive, but the website has yet to have any complaints. if this same thing were geared toward mexicans, how would they feel? i just think that caucasians are forced to behave more cautiously than any other race when it comes to comedy and other cultures. i kind of understand, but kind of don't
Edgy is funny. I think we've made a lot of progress. If these two videos were from the 60's, they would be beyond offensive. It's a tribute to the improvement in racial relations that we can poke fun at each other. There are some things that are off limits though...I think native american jokes are rare and very hard to use without being offensive. Also, it's like in our culture you gain an understanding of what racial jokes are okay and which are not - for example, be careful if you say negative things about Katrina and African-Americans - it's a sore spot. We've come a long way, and we can both make light of stereotypical views of "white boys" and "black guys." I think it's ok as long as as a whole we can take it easy and poke a little fun at ourselves.
I agree with the fact that race seems to be a one-way street. It really bugs me that white people can (and are) made fun of 24/7, but if a white kid like me said something similar about another race he would be crucified. In the words of the great Ben Folds, "Y'all don't know what it's like bein' male middle class and white."
i think it's ok to laugh along if the person who is making the joke is of that race themself. like on comedy central stand up shows, a lot of the comedians are of different ethnicities and use their race/culture as the platform for their jokes. i don't feel bad laughing along because in a sense they've made it ok to laugh, too. but when it's say, a white guy making a joke about mexicans...i get a little uncomfortable.
I'm glad that we are able to take life a little less seriously and laugh at ourselves. It's a good thing to not be easily offended. However, comedy is a slippery slope. When it goes beyond race, and starts offending people's culture and religion is when we need to step back and reevaluate. I think if stand up comedians and television shows started stabbing (negatively) at Mormonism we wouldn't be laughing too hard anymore.
I'm not so sure it's a sign that we've come a long ways as a society. I think for the most part it's white people laughing and saying it's acceptable.
It all depends on who's delivering the message. It's ok for Dave Chapelle and Chris Rock to make fun of black people and Carlos Mencia to do so with Hispanics. I've also seen these people make fun of white people, but that's acceptable because white people are the majority I think.
I think racial comedy is (as long as its not too harsh) it is constructive. The first step to integrating cultures is to feel comfortable enough to make fun of your self. As I mentioned in class, I went to high school with a wide mixture of cultures. My best friend is Mexican, as well my other friends were black, Cuban and a white kid who was adopted from Ireland. We would make fun of each other non-stop, but we did it out of love.
I think that when race is made fun of in comedy it is a sign of progress. When we can laugh at ourselves it is a sign that we are maturing. People need to stop taking themselves so seriously. I didn't think that those madTV skits were that funny, but it did show some of the stereotypes that most people have with black people. Obviously this isn't true with all black people, as is true with all stereotypes, but when one can laugh at something that makes fun of them I think that it is a step in the right direction.
I'm not sure if the fact that it is not politically incorrect to mock a certain race is a sign of progress.
We could make fun of black people and perpetuate stereotypes back before the civil rights movement. The Black Face actors (of both races) were mocking black culture. Was that progressive?
Moreover it was politically correct for its era. Just because we keep telling ourselves we are different doesn't make it true.
I don't know what to say about this. I think I'm in the middle because this all depends on a number of situations. As you said, if it is between your room mates and your self, it is fine but the minute a co-worker you think doesn't like you does it, it becomes offensive.
It does show that we have moved on a little bit but that is about it. White people may make fun of black people on TV (and vice versa, or with other races) and people can do this among friends and family, but as soon as someone is put in a real life situation and does this first hand, then it's viewed as offensive.
I am from East Africa and I have friends from West Africa and we make fun of our cultures all the time but I know my boundaries. I can't just land in Nigeria and start making fun of people I hardly know.
Then with some other cultures, this type of humor is not appreciated. Period. Look what happened in Europe when a cartoonist made fun of Islam/Mohammed. It got nasty.
So I'd like to say that there's been "silent progress" with regards to this issue.
there is a fine line between a tasteful joke and an offensive joke. i'm totally cool with offensive jokes, but some people have no idea how to be funny, which makes a intended joke turn into an ugly comment. Trust me, this happens a lot with unfunny people. They'll make a joke about somebody's race, and it turns into silence and uncomfortable laughter.
so basically, if you're not funny, and you know who you are, don't even try to use a stereotype-based joke. i've heard it before, and it makes you sound ignorant.
Racial comedy is something that is so taboo... but so funny! I think a lot of times it's a good way to celebrate differences in a very entertaining way. Whenever I think of racial comedy, Dave Chappelle is one of the first stars that come to mind. With the exception of his little role in "You've Got Mail" (which shocked me completely) his humor is always aimed at making people laugh at the African American Culture; both celebrating it and poking fun at it. Take his comedy sketch called "Black Bush". In his four minute sketch he goes through the differences of what it would be like if a black man were to be president (possibly even more funny considering the democratic party nomination for president). He and all of his white house homeboys address things like the war in iraq, homosexual marriage, and, of course, racism. Its hilarious because we can all laugh even though its a super sensitive subject.
I think it is a step backward when comedy categorizes most people of a race a certain way. I think that some people may think, "well I don't talk, dress, or act that way." I think it can definately offend some people. I find your question interesting. I agree there are some races which aren't made fun of in the media which makes one wonder, why not those races but others are made fun of like hispanics or african americans?
To an extent, it seems that we have made some ground. In many shows the racial ignorance is laughable and we enjoy it. The whole point is to be edgy and controversial and it seems that not many take offense. In that regard, I think that we have made positive steps to reconciliation. However, I don't think we can speak for everyone when make those assumptions.
The fact that we can make fun of other cultures and laugh about it with them is a sign that we are making progress. As mentioned in the original post, it is okay to laugh when your friends are making fun of you. It is not hurtful, and you can just laugh right along. The way race is depicted in comedy is not meant to be hurtful or rude. We are able to see the difference between humor and cruelty. As long as we do not go past our limit, it is fine.
I admittedly enjoy a lot of comedy that makes fun of stereotypes. However, there are a lot of lines that shouldn't be crossed, and since I don't know where those lines are for different races, I prefer to stay away from them completely. One show that manages to make fun of racial steretypes a lot, and get away with it magnificantly, is 30 Rock.
I think there is a fundamental difference in humor among cultures generally associated with black and white races. So i don't see it possible to make comedy that appeals to both. Diversity is tough to promote in niche comedy.
I agree with you in so far as the fact that racism is not as strong as it once was- from the face that we can make fun of most cultures now without feeling bad. I completely disagree with you when you said , "I would say that many other cultures are still avoided in comedy out of fear that we will offend someone." I would like to know which cultures these are. I think no culture is above comedy, everyone is a target- and he richer your culture is - the more of a target you are! From Indians, to blacks, to eskimo's- they are all made fun of!
Post a Comment