Go Skins Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/07/06/dont-believe-her-defenders-amy-schumers-jokes-are-racist/ Wouldn’t it be funny if Donald Trump and the wildly popular feminist comedian Amy Schumer joined forces and ran on the same presidential ticket in 2016? You might not think this duo has much in common, but they certainly share similar views about Mexicans. Whether joking or not, both draw on shared cultural stereotypes and use dehumanizing language that gives life to an ecosystem of racial fear and violence. On June 15, Trump announced his run for the presidency. In his speech, he called Mexicans drug dealers and rapists. Mexico “is not our friend, believe me,” the real estate mogul said. “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems.” A week later, the Guardian published a piece calling out Schumer’s “shockingly large blind spot around race.” It cited Schumer’s stint as the MTV movie awards host, where she joked that Latina women are “crazy.” In one of her stand-up routines, Schumer also says, “Nothing works 100 percent of the time, except Mexicans.” In another bit, she blithely told an audience that Latino men are rapists. “I used to date Hispanic guys, but now I prefer consensual.” Schumer responded to this criticism by explaining that she likes pretending to be an “irreverent idiot” who says “the dumbest things possible.” “Playing with race is a thing we are not supposed to do, which is what makes it so fun for comics,” she wrote. “You can call it a ‘blind spot for racism’ or ‘lazy’ but you are wrong. It is a joke and it is funny. I know because people laugh at it.” A blind spot is not finding humor in the systemic exploitation of Mexican workers. A blind spot is not making jokes that depict Latina women as crazy. Nor is it a laughing matter for a white woman to suggest that Mexicans, or other men of color, are natural-born rapists. Several people have rushed to her defense, arguing that Schumer can’t be racist because she doesn’t intend to be. But the motivation of the joke-teller and what compels laughter is not at issue. What matters is the costs and consequences of these “jokes” to those being objectified. Invoking the “it’s just a joke” defense denies the social, historic and cultural implications of racial humor. It ignores the ways that disparaging jokes provide a safe vehicle to share stereotypes, release inhibitions and spread racism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Lucid| Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Good grief.. The most racist comics in the world are black for the most part. About 90% of the black comedian stand-ups I have seen have been almost 100% racial humor (I love going to stand up clubs so I have seen plenty). And not just about black people, they spread the wealth plenty.. Sarah Silverman is perhaps the most racist comic I have ever seen, but no one gives her any shit because she is Jewish, or maybe it's because she campaigned for Obama... In a way I really see both sides of it. But lets be consistent here. If you are going to make white dick jokes then it should be ok to point the comedic finger of prejudice at others too. It's either OK for everyone to do it, or not OK to do it at all. For everyone. Double standards are what got us into this mess in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Here is the difference.... Trump wasn't joking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalRugby Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 This is silliness. No idea why they tried to tie Trump into it, except to emphasize what side of the isle their political opinions fall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddChatter Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Good grief.. The most racist comics in the world are black for the most part. About 90% of the black comedian stand-ups I have seen have been almost 100% racial humor (I love going to stand up clubs so I have seen plenty). And not just about black people, they spread the wealth plenty.. Sarah Silverman is perhaps the most racist comic I have ever seen, but no one gives her any shit because she is Jewish, or maybe it's because she campaigned for Obama... In a way I really see both sides of it. But lets be consistent here. If you are going to make white dick jokes then it should be ok to point the comedic finger of prejudice at others too. It's either OK for everyone to do it, or not OK to do it at all. For everyone. Double standards are what got us into this mess in the first place. You may first want to learn the definition of "racist". There is a difference between a racist and a bigot. Neither are good but there is a difference. The word racist is often misused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Lucid| Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 You may first want to learn the definition of "racist". There is a difference between a racist and a bigot. Neither are good but there is a difference. The word racist is often misused. Respectfully, I think it might be you who need to learn what a racist is. A racist is simply a specific type of bigot. racism [rey-siz-uh m] noun 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. bigotry [big-uh-tree] noun, plural bigotries. 1. stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. 2. the actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddChatter Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 Respectfully, I think it might be you who need to learn what a racist is. A racist is simply a specific type of bigot. Two different words. Two different meaning. In racism there is the component of racial superiority. A person can be bigot but not necessarily be a racist. A bigot has preconcieved notions of race. A racist believes in the racial superiority of a race. The definitions you provided actually state that. As you stated,"a racist is a specific type of bigot". True...... but all bigots are not racist. Thats the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Lucid| Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 Two different words. Two different meaning. In racism there is the component of racial superiority. A person can be bigot but not necessarily be a racist. A bigot has preconcieved notions of race. A racist believes in the racial superiority of a race. The definitions you provided actually state that. As you stated,"a racist is a specific type of bigot". True...... but all bigots are not racist. Thats the difference. You do understand the definition of "usually" correct? I don't want to paste that as well. For example, I would say (and most Chinese would agree) that going up and asking a Chinese guy to do a karate kick for you is racist. That doesn't mean you think you are superior. But it is a prejudgement based on race. Because he is Chinese you assume he can do karate. Indeed all bigots are not racists. Some bigots hate Catholics, or maybe they think all lawyers are scum bags. Maybe a particular kind of bigot thinks that all women are soft and nurturing. These are all examples of bigots who are not racists. However, if you are biggoted about race, then you are indeed a racist. Pretty simple really. This is a big deal for me because people think of a racist as a Hitler type of monster when the reality is much more mundane than that. In fact, we are all wired mentally to be prejudiced. It's a simple survival mechanism, and in fact is essential to being able to even operate in a functional way (we prejudge all couch appearing things to be soft and good places to sit, we know knife like things are probably sharp, These are very helpful forms of prejudgment that are in fact essential, and can actually be missing in some people with brain damage or conditions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I feel like I'm taking the SATs again All racists are bigots, not all bigots are racists. Just don't ask me at what time the two trains coming at each other at two different speeds will collide. :ninja: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Skins Posted July 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I feel like I'm taking the SATs again All racists are bigots, not all bigots are racists. Just don't ask me at what time the two trains coming at each other at two different speeds will collide. :ninja: Here you go: http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.two.trains.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 Here you go: http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.two.trains.html :mellow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddChatter Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 You do understand the definition of "usually" correct? I don't want to paste that as well. For example, I would say (and most Chinese would agree) that going up and asking a Chinese guy to do a karate kick for you is racist. That doesn't mean you think you are superior. But it is a prejudgement based on race. Because he is Chinese you assume he can do karate. . "Usually" means MOST of the time. So USUALLY there is a component of racial superiority in racism that differentiate it from bigottry........USUALLY. . Thank you for providing those definitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Lucid| Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 "Usually" means MOST of the time. So USUALLY there is a component of racial superiority in racism that differentiate it from bigottry........USUALLY. . Thank you for providing those definitions. Yes, usually, meaning.. NOT ALWAYS. There is ablosutely nothing in the definition of bigotry that precludes supremacy.. In fact, I would say "intolerance" empirically implies a feeling of superiority would you not agree? So yes.. Usually when people are prejudiced racially it comes with an air of superiority. It's pretty rare that someone who thinks in those terms doesn't hold at least some contempt or feeling that "theirs" is better. But not always. You don't think that a black guy making fun of your small white dick (assuming you are white, which I honestly don't know, I am BTW) doesn't USUALLY come with an air of superiority? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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