Quoting:
Why do people still find them funny?  
I was in choir the other day, and we have a joke day.  Someone told a joke that bashed Polish people.  It seemed that everyone laughed but me.  I found it offensive.  Am I just being uptight, or am I right in feeling like jokes like that are inappropriate?  
I don't mind people making jokes about their own ethnic group.  It's kind of a way of laughing at yourself.  But there aren't really any Polish people in the choir.  It's mostly Swedish/Norwegian/German people.
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To me, it is the intent of the joke that matters most.

I break such jokes into "Racial" and "Racist".  Racial jokes are meant to amuse the listener, mostly by contrasting differences in ethnic groups.  A good example of this can be found by listening to almost any Jewish comedian.

For years, Jewish comedians have made people laugh by showing the differences between cultures.  Try to imagine any Mel Brooks movie without such references.  To me, these are normally not offensive, and fine.  In fact, a great many are made by the ethnic group being poked fun at.

Racist jokes are another matter.  The intent there is to offend and/or insult somebody else, and that is plain wrong.

Myself, I tend to modify any racist joke to make it more appealing to almost anybody.  I replace "Polock", "Black", "Mexican", or any other group with the word "Myopian".

Since a Myopian is somebody that is nearsighted, it is a dig at people that find such jokes funny.  And since I am nearsighted myself, it would be hard to attack me for making fun of myself.  :)

Did you hear about the Myopian terrorist?

He tried to blow up a bus and burned his lips on the exhaust pipe.   ;D

Quoting:
To me, it is the intent of the joke that matters most.

I break such jokes into "Racial" and "Racist".  Racial jokes are meant to amuse the listener, mostly by contrasting differences in ethnic groups.  End Quote

I agree.

To me it mainly depends on who is saying it, and to whom they are saying it to.

For example, I (a white Irish dude) wouldn't dare going on "Showtime at the Apollo" and stand there making black jokes, I probably wouldn't make it out alive.  But, if you have ever watched that show, its all about "who your audience is and who is saying it" I suppose.

Theres different examples for every race and ethinicity.

Quoting:
I love making fun of Chinese and Asian people.

I hate those darned Asians.

;D

<-- Asian.
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Yeah, and what's up with their cr*ppy driving habits? ;D

Just kidding dude. You don't drive that bad...unless you count that screaming U-turn you did. :o

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Hey, you lived, didn't you?  :P
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Barely.

I swear my heart stopped beating for a second....kinda like when Immigration comes to my neighborhood looking for people. ;D

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Wat long wit my dliving?  ;D

My menudo bettel!  :D
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What's right with your driving? ;D

And yes, your menudo is better....Asian cow guts is far superior to Mexican cow guts. :P

Quoting:
Why do people still find them funny? š
I was in choir the other day, and we have a joke day. šSomeone told a joke that bashed Polish people. šIt seemed that everyone laughed but me. šI found it offensive. šAm I just being uptight, or am I right in feeling like jokes like that are inappropriate? š
I don't mind people making jokes about their own ethnic group. šIt's kind of a way of laughing at yourself. šBut there aren't really any Polish people in the choir. šIt's mostly Swedish/Norwegian/German people.
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;) :o :oI agree with the part about laughing about your own ethni c group,or in my case,groups.But i was just wondering--are you sure there aren't any Polish people in the choir?There tends to be more blonds than other east europeans.Cheers!

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I agree.

To me it mainly depends on who is saying it, and to whom they are saying it to.

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Yes....I told a friend of mine a joke the other day and he loved it!  I will not tell you his race because to me that does not matter   ;)

Quoting:Frankly, I think youre just uptight...
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I guess I kinda thought the same thing after reading the orignal post.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks it..


Jokes are meant to be funny.  These days, especially in America, when there is no real "single" race, you have to lighten up.

Days aren't made to be spent being "offended" (man I hate that word, it soooo over-used these days with no real merit) by stupid jokes. ;)


I guess in short:  Lighten up or spend your life being "offended" by everything.  Your choice.  ;)

Quoting:
Why do people still find them funny?  
Someone told a joke that bashed Polish people.  It seemed that everyone laughed but me.  I found it offensive.  Am I just being uptight, or am I right in feeling like jokes like that are inappropriate?End Quote

You're being uptight.  8 of the 16 people in my class are asian and 3 others are of middle east descent (so much for racial minority, eh) and some of their "whitey" jokes seem pretty bizarre to me, but are obviously hilarious to them and their culture(s).  I'll bet you've made fun of some stereotypical group at times in your life, and it doesn't have to be racial.  ie: Cletus, the slack-jawed yokel from "The Simpsons."

The key object to remember is whether it is being said in a comical sense or a mean way.

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LA MIGRAAAAAA!!!!

;D
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I agree that there is a difference between racial jokes and racist jokes, and i do find stuff about different cultures funny.  I'm friends with people from other cultures, even grew up in a foreign country.  I realize that some very interesting things can happen just because of differences in perceptions and that some of those things can be downright funny.  

I guess the joke in question seemed to imply that all Polish people are intellectually challenged, and I didn't appreciate that.  If it was something that actually related to Polish culture, I may have found it funny.  I like Mr. 80s "Myopian" idea.   That way, you can still make fun of exaggerated stupidity without attaching the stupidity label to any one particular ethnic group.  
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well I believe that those polish jokes come because when Germany invaded Poland with tanks, Poland fought back on horses...and they've never lived it down...

Quoting:


I guess I kinda thought the same thing after reading the orignal post.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks it..


Jokes are meant to be funny.  These days, especially in America, when there is no real "single" race, you have to lighten up.

Days aren't made to be spent being "offended" (man I hate that word, it soooo over-used these days with no real merit) by stupid jokes. ;)


I guess in short:  Lighten up or spend your life being "offended" by everything.  Your choice.  ;)



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You are so correct.  Offended is way over used.
by just reading this post I feel smarter...lol

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well I believe that those polish jokes come because when Germany invaded Poland with tanks, Poland fought back on horses...and they've never lived it down...
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LOL!!! are you serious??!! ;D

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LOL!!! are you serious??!! ;D
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yeah, to my recolation... lol ;D

Quoting:
Why do people still find them funny?  
I was in choir the other day, and we have a joke day.  Someone told a joke that bashed Polish people.  It seemed that everyone laughed but me.  I found it offensive.  Am I just being uptight, or am I right in feeling like jokes like that are inappropriate?  
I don't mind people making jokes about their own ethnic group.  It's kind of a way of laughing at yourself.  But there aren't really any Polish people in the choir.  It's mostly Swedish/Norwegian/German people.
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No your not uptight, it's just that some people think jokes are funny while others think they are lame and stupeid, of course, though they will allways be around and there nothing anyone can do about it, my theory is, just try to ignore the ones you dont like, I myself think some are funny while others are a bit more cruse, but if you really look at it, if people like some, they shouldnt complain about others cause that would make them a hypocrit.....I'm not saying your one cause I dont know you, but I'm trying to get my point across without confusing people,  dont know if I explained my opinion right but I hope so.

Quoting:
well I believe that those polish jokes come because when Germany invaded Poland with tanks, Poland fought back on horses...and they've never lived it down...

LOL!!! are you serious??!! ;D
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Yes, that is quite true.

Even though conventional Cavalry was dead after the Crimean war (Charge Of The Light Brigade), there was still some used during the First World War.  It was little used however, other then for running messages and reconisance.

During the opening days of the Second World War, there were still quite a few Cavalry units that were mounted on horses.  And not just Poland had them either.

When the Japanese attacked the Philippines, the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Dismounted) was stationed there, and was one of the last units to fall.  The 9th Cavalry Regiment (Dismounted) was one of the units to fight in the retaking of the Philippines.

The incident that I think Mike was talking about was during the opening days of the war though, when the USSR and Germany attacked Poland in the opening days of the war.

On 8 September 1939, the Suwalki Cavalry Brigade was composed of 3 Cavalry regiments.  Poland was almost totally defeted during the opening days of the war, but their Officers continued to fight on with whatever they had.

When scouts reported seeing an armoured column of Germans approaching, their officers knew that the war was over.  They also knew what Germany and the USSR would do to them.  The commanding officer chose to attack the armoured column with his Brigade.

This was a classic cavalry charge, right out of the Napoleonic wars.  Cavalry with sabers flashing, charging the most modern tanks in the world.  Needless to say, they were slaughtered.

While some look at this as stupidity on the parts of the Polish, I am one of them that looks at it as stupendous bravery.  Just like Pickett's Charge, The Light Brigade and others, it was against overwhelming odds, and suicidal.  But the men did as they were ordered.

Looking back, they might have gotten off easily compared to how a lot of Polish died.  Between the "Death Camps", the Katyn Forest Massacre (where over 4,000 Polish Soldiers were killed by USSR troops, including over 200 children from a Military School) and the atrocities committed in the POW camps, the Cavalry might have gotten off easily in comparison.

As a side note, when the Germans discovered the massacre in 1943, even they were outraged.  They immediately contacted the International Red Cross, and charged the USSR with war crimes.  But because of the war, it was largely ignored.  The USSR even blamed Germany for the atrocity.  Because of the Alliance, the US and UK choose to ignore the incident.

Finally in 1989, Premier Gorbachev admitted that the NKVD (basically the Military KGB) did it under orders of Stalin, and that in total over 27,000 Poles were killed in this way.

For those that are interested, here are a few sites that refer to both of these incidents.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/1791/http://www.polishnews.com/fulltext/history/2001/history4.shtml

Quoting:
I completely agree that racism is wrong, and racist jokes are distasteful. Racial jokes that simply poke fun at one's differences are fine. Today's society (at least in North America, especially the States) has become so paranoid about offending people that they've invented euphemisms that I think are totally ridiculous. One thing I've been wondering: Did all black people come from Africa to be warranted the title of "African-American/Canadian?" Are there really any "African-Americans" (besides Oprah) who would really be offended if someone referred to them as being black? Black is just a colour!! I do not condone the use of the "N" word or any racial slur whatsoever. But come on. "Black" is harmless. Same with words to describe any other "different" person. I'll use me as an example. I'm not "physically challenged," "disabled," "handicapable," or "differently abled." I'M CRIPPLED!!! Handicapped!!! And I don't care if people call me that! Nothing is further from the truth! People are so afraid of offending people these days that they use these sugary-sweet euphemisms to make them sound nicer, more "politically correct." Don't give me that. I know what I am, and I'm sure anybody who is comfortable with their own culture would be fine just being called some non-racist term. (Actually, I think really it's just black people who have been made to sound more politically correct by being called "African-American/Canadian" than any other race. I don't know why this is, and if even calling them "African-American/Canadian" is accurate.) Jokes about different people made in good taste should be taken lightly, and more attention should be put towards real discrimination that goes on in society.
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Very well put.

I suppose I could demand to be called something like a "Irish-German-American" because my ancestors came from there.  But thats the thing, my ancestors came from there, not me!  So why is a black person born in Cleveland Ohio considered an "African-American"???  

I'm not a "hyphenated American", I'm an American, no more no less. :)


Regarding all the sugar-coated euphamisms some people use, I agree, they are stupid.  In fact, some of them are so stupid they're funny.  I'm a "say-it-like-it-is" kind of person, so the "political correctness" thing never appealed to me.

Quoting:


Very well put.

I suppose I could demand to be called something like a "Irish-German-American" because my ancestors came from there.  But thats the thing, my ancestors came from there, not me!  So why is a black person born in Cleveland Ohio considered an "African-American"???  

I'm not a "hyphenated American", I'm an American, no more no less. :)


Regarding all the sugar-coated euphamisms some people use, I agree, they are stupid.  In fact, some of them are so stupid they're funny.  I'm a "say-it-like-it-is" kind of person, so the "political correctness" thing never appealed to me.
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Right. And I could be considered a British-Ukrainian-physically-challenged-Canadian. Or you could even just call me a crippled Canadian. Whatever. But the fact is...as the Molson Canadian beer commercial goes...I AM CANADIAN! Who really cares about the other stuff? I have no problem with being proud of who you are, but does one really have to use all these hyphenated terms to describe themselves? Let me take it one step further. We might be whatever ethnic background we are, but, we are all HUMAN!! Isn't that the most important thing? Can't people look past differences and realise that we are all flesh and blood? We might speak different languages or have different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles, but at the end of the day we all put our trousers on one leg at a time. And the same goes for fellow cripples like me. People need to look past the disability and realise there's a thinking, feeling individual in there worthy of the same respect and treatment as everyone else.

By the way...for the record, I am not using myself as an example to gain any sort of pity or sympathy. Like people of other races and cultures, people like me are also the butt of jokes and can be lumped into the same category of "different people."

Absolutely Vile

I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does...

Quoting:


Very well put.

I suppose I could demand to be called something like a "Irish-German-American" because my ancestors came from there.  But thats the thing, my ancestors came from there, not me!  So why is a black person born in Cleveland Ohio considered an "African-American"???  

I'm not a "hyphenated American", I'm an American, no more no less. :)


Regarding all the sugar-coated euphamisms some people use, I agree, they are stupid.  In fact, some of them are so stupid they're funny.  I'm a "say-it-like-it-is" kind of person, so the "political correctness" thing never appealed to me.
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I found your response to be quite thought provoking....
As a Black yet toasty brown person, I have to agree with you on that. I think the whole hyphenation thing is sort of silly. I mean when you think about it, most white people who are US citizens to refer to themselves as simply American. So why should all the other ethnic groups hyphenate themselves?? It sorta makes it sound like we're some type of OTHER American not a true one. I don't think I'm going to use the term African-American anymore.
Thanks for the insight, I'll spead the word. ;)

Quoting:
This was a classic cavalry charge, right out of the Napoleonic wars.  Cavalry with sabers flashing, charging the most modern tanks in the world.  Needless to say, they were slaughtered.

While some look at this as stupidity on the parts of the Polish, I am one of them that looks at it as stupendous bravery.  Just like Pickett's Charge, The Light Brigade and others, it was against overwhelming odds, and suicidal.  But the men did as they were ordered.
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The Charge of the Light Brigade was not so much the stupendously brave heroic thing it was portrayed as, rather a complete cock-up on the direction they were supposed to be going - instead of reinforcing their own about-to-be-overrun gun emplacements (which modern historians seem to think was what the order actually was), they went off towards the Russian guns about 90º off from the direction they should have gone.  By the time this was realized, it was too late to turn round (IIRC, the majority of the Light Brigade actually made it through to the guns, too, but were cut off and didn't have enough strength to take the emplacements they were attacking).

The Poles' attacking tanks on horseback was, IMO, a case of suicidal desperation: they'd had time to see what the tanks could do, but still went for it... brave, yes - but they didn't know what else to do.

Quoting:


I found your response to be quite thought provoking....
As a Black yet toasty brown person, I have to agree with you on that. I think the whole hyphenation thing is sort of silly. I mean when you think about it, most white people who are US citizens to refer to themselves as simply American. So why should all the other ethnic groups hyphenate themselves?? It sorta makes it sound like we're some type of OTHER American not a true one. I don't think I'm going to use the term African-American anymore.
Thanks for the insight, I'll spead the word. ;)
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I can see a place for "hyphen" people. If your father and mother were from different places or of different cultures, I can see you wanting to recongize both hertiages. For instance, my mother is of Anglo descent and my father is of Jewish descent (I understand Jewish being a religion as opposed to nationality but I recongize it as my heritage-religion or not) so I can refer to myself as an Anglo-Jew. In terms of African-American, if one of someone's parents were from Africa then the term is approprate but not people who's family have been in this country for generations.



Cat

Quoting:


Very well put.

I suppose I could demand to be called something like a "Irish-German-American" because my ancestors came from there.  But thats the thing, my ancestors came from there, not me!  So why is a black person born in Cleveland Ohio considered an "African-American"???  

I'm not a "hyphenated American", I'm an American, no more no less. :)


Regarding all the sugar-coated euphamisms some people use, I agree, they are stupid.  In fact, some of them are so stupid they're funny.  I'm a "say-it-like-it-is" kind of person, so the "political correctness" thing never appealed to me.
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Heh heh.  Thois whole "hyphenated american" crap-o-la is simply a way for minority politicians to continue segregation on a cultural level.

I remember a few years ago, Teresa Heinz, the multimillionaire (Now wife of Senator John Kerry) described herself as African American, and the NAACP had a hissy fit.  You see, Teresa was born in Mozambique (in Africa) but is otherwise "white".

So several black activists expressed their displeasure with her frivolous claim of being African American even though she is an American citizen and was born in Africa.  As I recall, she told them to jam it.  Teresa takes crap from nobody.

There is a sucker born every minute.  And anyone who buys into the "hyphenated" stuff is either a sucker or a divisive hypocrite.

Sincerely,

Lyric Boy
Scottish-Irish-German-Italian-American

Quoting:
Did you hear the one about the Roman Cannibal?  :D

He was Gladiator.  ;D

Heh heh....   ;D ;D ;D ;D
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That was actually quite clever :)

Your previous post was also very insightful.  I agree wholeheartedly.

Sincerely,

Rice Cube
Chinese-American <-- well, technically I'm Hong-Kongian or British or something ::)

Quoting:
Did you hear the one about the Roman Cannibal?  :D

He was Gladiator.  ;D

Heh heh....   ;D ;D ;D ;D
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aw, that was great!  ;D good pick up line...