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From: rene@nlm-mcs.ARPA (Rene Steiner)
Newsgroups: net.jokes.d
Subject: Re: Re: 'Offensive' jokes, minorities, r
Message-ID: <2211@nlm-mcs.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 5-Jun-84 20:30:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: nlm-mcs.2211
Posted: Tue Jun  5 20:30:08 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Jun-84 23:40:50 EDT
References: <186@ism780.UUCP>, <273@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: NLM/LHNCBC, Bethesda, Md.
Lines: 22

I've been reading the comments about whether or not some potentially
offensive jokes are to be enjoyed or banned. I can't seem to make up
my mind; I appreciate the humor and yet I'm worried about the joke
and the stereotypes that it uses.  However, I thought about other
types of jokes that I would NOT want to see posted, and indeed they
rarely (if ever - I don't recall any) are. These are "jokes" about
rape, child molestation, and similar topics. I doubt that reading
a joke about rape is going to encourage rape (just as it was doubted
that using stereotypes in jokes was going to cause racism), yet I
think few people would appreciate such a joke. I have heard "jokes"
about rape, and they were similar to the ethnic jokes discussed -
reinforcing stereotypes about women. So why do I feel ambivilant about
one and not the other? I also don't want to see a rash of holocost
jokes. WASP jokes and Czechoslovakian jokes don't bother me at all,
but jokes with women and black stereotypes do. Does anyone feel the
same way? Any psychology aspirants care to do an analysis of why some
jokes offend and others don't ( I know that's rather broad)?

			- thought I'd jump into the fray,
				- rene
-- 
rene@nlm-mcs