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From: martillo@mit-athena.ARPA (Joaquim Martillo)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.jokes.d
Subject: Re: What making jokes signifies
Message-ID: <57@mit-athena.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 18:44:40 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-athe.57
Posted: Mon Dec  3 18:44:40 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 03:17:57 EST
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Organization: MIT, Project Athena, Cambridge, Ma.
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Xref: watmath net.flame:7095 net.jokes.d:885

The question Rosen addresses (and I hate to be agreeing with him) is:

	What sort of person finds amusing the posting of Jew-baiting or
	pro-rape articles to interested news groups or considers
	Jew-baiting or rape humorous topics?  

Self-mocking is something different.  There is a joke which is based on
talmudic agada:

	Why are there Two Tablets of the Law?

God had the Law and offered it to various nations.  He went to
the Greeks.  And the Greeks said, "Okay what is in it?"  God told them.
And the Greeks said, "You mean we cannot steal -- no way are we going to
acccept the Law".  Then God went to the French, who said, "You mean
we can't commit adultery -- no way."  Then God went to the Germans, who
said, "You mean we cannot kill -- no way."  Finally God came to the Jews,
who asked, "How much?"  God said, "They're free," and the Jews said, "Oh
then we'll take two."

Finding humor in Jew-baiting or in rape or trivializing these topics is
hardly similar to self-mocking.