[Robert-S29719]

What do black people really think when white comedians make jokes about them, and when black comedians make jokes about white people?

User Detail :  

Name : Robert-S29719, Gender : M, City : Poole, State : IL Country : United Kingdom, 

[Jack-L]

This is a very touchy topic, and it really p****s me off. Black people can go on stage and for hours make fun of whites. Also, they call themselves 'niggers' over and over again. As soon as a white man goes on stage, if he makes fun of black people or calls them 'niggers,' he'll get some dumbass charge laid against him.

User Detail :  

Name : Jack-L, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 16, City : The Bronx, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Marie-M22241]

I am a 23-year-old Haitian woman. I like to think of myself as an educated, well-focused black woman. To me, any black person who takes offense to stupidity needs to rebuild their level of self-vonfidence, as well as their self-image. I cannot speak on behalf of a white person, but as a black woman, hearing white people joke about me just gives me an extra incentive to make him bite his tongue.

User Detail :  

Name : Marie-M22241, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 23, City : Gainesville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Industrial Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Kat26798]

I think Chris Rock is funny as hell, I think the same of George Carlin. Both like to push to envelope. Funny is funny, regardless of color. The best 'racially' flavored 'jokes' are really just perfect observations of human behavior. That makes some people, in certain situations, uncomfortable. I am comfortable laughing at myself as a white person when a black comedian says something genuinely funny about white people. I can't say if the reverse is true, I'm not black. We'll see what other answers you get. I think you'll find it varies- I for one think the continued pseudo-quest and imperative to be PC has squelched some otherwise funny stuff, but we're too uptight to laugh at ourselves, as though laughing would somehow degrade whatever false sense of power some white, or black, people think they possess.

User Detail :  

Name : Kat26798, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 29, City : Montevallo, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : web development, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Anonymous23708]

This reply is actually directed at the adminstrators of Y?Forum. I really do not get it, folks. Some posts get put in this site, while others do not. I know this because I constantly get email notices that someone has replied to my postings, and yet they never appear on your site. Your explanation is that you do not want to post anything that is too volatile -- even if it might be an expression of the truth. But here we have this post from this 16-year old gentleman who uses 'dumbass' on his post...and that gets put on. What is going on? I challenge you to post these comments. Who runs your show?

User Detail :  

Name : Anonymous23708, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, City : Midwest, State : IL Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Joe P.]

First to Jack. How did it feel for you to use the word nigger? It seems as if it's a part of your regular vocabulary. Nevertheless, I will attempt to educate you in the use of offensive racial slurs. When any ethnic group use a slur or derogatory word beteewn themselves,it does not usually convey the hate and spitefulness it represents when you may use it. As far as blacks are concerned, the use of nigger was usually a way of taking the 'sting' out of it. However, there are times when it is used by blacks to put down one of their own. I don't use it as a joke or as a put down. I prefer to use %?@$*&. ENd of lesson. Now back to how stand up comics make fun of anothers race. Maybe a comic who use that type of material should respond. Personally, I don't like to be put down by black or white comics, but I am not so thin skinned as not to chuckle at a cute non racist joke or two.

User Detail :  

Name : Joe P., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 55, City : Tallahassee, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : state gov. consultant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Odeana]

I think Chris Rock put it best. The reason black people can call other black people names but white people can't is the same reason you can call your kid an idiot but someone outside your family can't. I can tease members of my family or community in a way that I wouldn't tolerate from outside the group. In fact, if someone outside the group were to say the same thing, it wouldn't be funny and I might even see it as hostile. As for black people making jokes about white people, I guess if I were white I wouldn't think it was funny. But I see these kinds of jokes (which I increasingly don't find so funny, by the way) as defense mechanisms. It's a way of making black people the "norm" and looking at white people like anthropologists do "lost tribes."

User Detail :  

Name : Odeana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 38, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : Academic, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[howard smith]

I'm a black male and it doesn't bother me. If a black comedian can joke about white people then a white comedian has every right to joke about blacks. If we can dish it out, then we should be able to take it. The reality is the majority of material that comedians use are sterotypes. The percentage of truth is small, so why should people be offened.

User Detail :  

Name : howard smith, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 34, City : Nashville, State : TN Country : United States, Occupation : software consultant, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Ashley-M23494]

Black racism is a way for African-Americans to combat white racism, and luckily it takes the form of humor. Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying. If black people didn't have a means of protecting themselves from the powerful anti-Black overtones in American culture do you not think that they would become dispondent or bitter? I would. I am not saying that I think it is ok for other people to be racist against me simply because I am white, but I do understand why they would be. Did it ever occur to you that all Black people don't use the N word or laugh at jokes when white people are the butt of it. Also I do not see why you feel that black people aren't entitled to use the N word. Other races, even our own, uses racial slurs that would be offensive if used by an outsider (i.e. 'cracker' 'white trash') Why is it that Blacks are the only ones relentlessly ridculed for doing it. Lastly, why do you care if Blacks can use the N word and whites can't. This implies to me that if you would you could. Hopefully that isn't the case.

User Detail :  

Name : Ashley-M23494, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 18, City : Charlotte, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Author]

Posts