Racist!?
It does play off against stereotypes about the developing world--which
functions in the context of the joke as a sort of "backwater" of
civilization--but that isn't a lot different from the sorts of jokes we make
about rural white Southerners. The implication is that only someone from a
relatively unsophisticated culture would send out e-mails like this and
think people would actually bite and send them money.
The joke isn't the con, it's how ridiculous the con appears to the average
American--particularly those from educated backgrounds or urban areas.
I don't happen to recall whether crickets are eaten in Africa. I think not.
Certainly indoor plumbing is a novelty in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa,
though. The point is not the details of the joke--any more than a joke about
"trailer trash" depends on the targets actually residing in trailers.
The joke has nothing to do with skin color, and everything to do with
culture.
Clearly the producer of the web site is not targeting all Africans--just
e-mail scammers. Just as most jokes about "rednecks" don't (or shouldn't)
target all Southerners--just those who are undereducated and/or racist.
I just do not see a tie-in to the color of African skin, here. Just don't.
I think it's a little problematic to assume that everytime a joke is made,
and people of color--or a person of color--are/is part of the target group,
the term "racist" can be thrown around. This attitude can lead to tiptoeing
around anyone who is a member of any minority group (or females), lest one
be accused of insensitivity/racism/sexism/hetrosexism.
And without humor, where the hell are we?
--Q.M.
Lenny-
I don't consider myself overly touchy about these things, but this
link is seriously racist. I know it's just trying to be funny, but
jokes about eating crickets and making sure guests use the restrooms
have nothing to do with email scams and everything to do with
prejudices about Africans.
--- In OliveStarlightOrchestra_at_yahoogroups.com, "7visions"
<7visions_at_p...> wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> http://j-walk.com/blog/docs/conference.htm
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Received on 2003-06-13 23:34:03