Apopuli.107 net.news utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!G:cliff Mon Dec 21 10:45:47 1981 FLAMES This is to clarify a point which should have obvious to anyone who can read and/or think (and exercises either ability...). (1) Derogatory ethnic and religious STEREOTYPES are often HARMFUL, not to mention OFFENSIVE, to members of ethnic and religious groups, and to many others. (I hope that at least this much is obvious). (2) Given (1), it follows that anything which serves to reinforce or otherwise perpetuate these stereotypes can be extremely offensive, and possibly harmful, to the above mentioned people. That is ONE reason many people object to jokes which ``attack'' derogatory stereotypes, even when they are told by people who are clearly not racist. Looked at in this light there is an obvious difference between an ethnic telling ethnic jokes to family and friends, and this same person spreading them all over the country on a computer network--it is not ``alright'' simply because of the ethnicity of the teller! The real world is sure full of all types, are there actually ``moral'' or ``christian'' people who find ethnic jokes LESS offensive than dead-baby jokes?! The best joke in =s.q is the first, (b and w and red all over), which relies on its deft use of the absurd-thanks Matt! (now I've left myself wide open to counter-attack!) ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.