At my work, there's always an abundance of jokes. Jokes relating to homosexuality, race, and the working habits of others are predominant. I feel like I'm crossing boundaries, though. Honestly, I don't care if a coworker is black or white, what gender they are, what religion they are, what country they're from, or what gender they're attracted too. It doesn't define who they are. I do make jokes about these things, though. I laugh at them just as much. Before working here, I didn't make nearly as many racial/gender jokes. I saw that that's what was accepted here and started participating in them too.
One of the things I noticed on Comedy Central is how the minority comedian typically jokes about "crackas" and "white people." If the white person did it back, they're ill-received. They're considered racist. My manager is black and he jokes about me in a way that reinforces white stereotypes. I think they're hilarious. However, when he was carrying hot pans and said something about being burnt, I said, "You won't get burnt! You're black." Naturally, there was an African American customer nearby, and although my manager knew it was good fun, the customer might had taken offense to it. That's when it gets uncomfortable - when it hurts people.
Often, I'm looking to joke about something that makes up their identity and often racial/heritage stereotypes are the easiest, cookie cutter things to joke about. It's not just that, though. I know if I play on a racial stereotype that's well known - others will understand what I'm joking about. If I joke about something that's unheard of, others may not get it as easily. I make fun of myself just as much as I make fun of others. I don't mind if others make fun of me because I know what they're making fun of doesn't completely define who I am. They also get creative with some of things they say.
With those things in mind, I guess I'm wondering what the standard limit is to what's acceptable with jokes?
One of the things I noticed on Comedy Central is how the minority comedian typically jokes about "crackas" and "white people." If the white person did it back, they're ill-received. They're considered racist. My manager is black and he jokes about me in a way that reinforces white stereotypes. I think they're hilarious. However, when he was carrying hot pans and said something about being burnt, I said, "You won't get burnt! You're black." Naturally, there was an African American customer nearby, and although my manager knew it was good fun, the customer might had taken offense to it. That's when it gets uncomfortable - when it hurts people.
Often, I'm looking to joke about something that makes up their identity and often racial/heritage stereotypes are the easiest, cookie cutter things to joke about. It's not just that, though. I know if I play on a racial stereotype that's well known - others will understand what I'm joking about. If I joke about something that's unheard of, others may not get it as easily. I make fun of myself just as much as I make fun of others. I don't mind if others make fun of me because I know what they're making fun of doesn't completely define who I am. They also get creative with some of things they say.
With those things in mind, I guess I'm wondering what the standard limit is to what's acceptable with jokes?