I can go as far as to say that some of these jokes could be
construed as "culturally insensitive" (as could just about all
ethnic/geographical humor). But to claim that they are "racist"
leads me to believe that you see the world through race-tinted
lenses. "Those dark-skinned uncivilized folks of the third world"
indeed. What a racist way to look at it!
I don't think the "dark-skinned . . . folks" of the world need
your protection--or want it. It's a rather patronizing position
you've taken.
Yours,
J
> Joy-
>
> Not all of it is racist and there are certainly some funny bits
> (heck, the conference fee itself is worth a good chuckle); but a
> number of the jokes are very clearly based on broad stereotypes of
> either Africa or those dark-skinned uncivilized folks of the third
> world. If the focus was strictly on things like the use of capital
> letters and some of the other aspects of the emails itself, it would
> have been fine. It's the extraneous "cultural" elements which use
> mocking disdain and broad stereotyping (crickets, some of
> the 'inflected' speech, and the comment requesting that the
> participants use the restrooms) as humor.
>
> It's not that you can't make fun of how laughably inept some of these
> scams are and about the thought processes behind them, it's when you
> go beyond that and make fun of how "backwards" these people might be
> in their day-to-day lives. (Let's laugh about what they eat, let's
> laugh about how they don't even know how [or are unwilling] to use a
> toilet).
>
> - David
>
>
>
> --- In OliveStarlightOrchestra_at_yahoogroups.com, mayhem <meurtre_at_e...>
> wrote:
>> 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]
Received on 2003-06-14 13:24:50