From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!mhuxh!mhuxm!mhuxv!burl!rcj
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Title: Re: ethnic, racial, religious jokes
Article-I.D.: burl.29
Posted: Wed Jan 12 12:23:40 1983
Received: Fri Jan 14 02:52:47 1983

Why is it considered both natural and polite to encrypt obscene jokes,
and yet no one seems to encrypt jokes that have a racial, ethnic,
religious, or similar connotation?  Is this not offensive to some
people?  Why not encrypt them as well, with a note in the TITLE
describing the reason for encryption:

What do you get...? (Racial)

or

Two Fleas  (Obscene)    [or Unclean or whatever]

I myself am not a member of a minority, have no real religious
persuasions, and have a very thick skin and open-minded sense of
humor anyway.  Not everyone is as areligious/non-ethnic/stupid?
as I am, though.  Why not give it some thought before you leave
something that might easily offend someone uncrypted?

A final note, which will no doubt draw many flames in my direction:
I do not (my personal opinion) believe that sexist jokes (in either
direction) should need to be encrypted.  I do not consider jokes about
gays to fall into this realm of sexist jokes, they should be encrypted
to avoid offending someone.  My reason for this is:  Most everyone I
know is either one sex or the other; whereas not everyone is either
Protestant or Catholic, either black or Chinese.  Most minority groups
have their own problems coping with life from the position of being
"different" from the majority anyway; why complicate their position.
Men and women (generically), however, are not minorities.  I take this
stand because it is a fact that almost any joke that makes people
laugh will offend SOMEONE.  I believe that we have to draw the line
somewhere or we will either encrypt nothing (which I would opt for
from my position), or encrypt everything (which is going a bit
overboard).

I welcome replies, retorts, suggestions, and even (yes) flames on this
matter.  Plez try to send them to me and I will summarize if volume
warrants.  Otherwise net.jokes will be inundated by tens of people all
saying the same thing.

Thanks 4 ur time,

The MAD Programmer
alias:  Curtis Jackson	(...!floyd!burl!rcj)