Waiting outside my classroom at school the other day, I overheard a group of my classmates telling Holocaust jokes and other anti-Semitic remarks. Not in jest, they were very serious.
In line a couple of weeks ago to see Josh Groban, the group of people in front of me was mocking the names that "those people" have. They were speaking about the African-American girls that were also there waiting in line. I'm sure the girls heard what was being said about them.
A good friend was telling me last night about her Thanksgiving. She had gone to visit her in-laws. She is Christian, they are Muslim. She was ridiculed for being a Christian, she was called "dirty", among other racial slurs.
Each of these may seem innocuous, but I disagree. It's inexcusable. However, I'll be the first to confess that I didn't say anything in either of the situations I overheard. I was shocked, but I didn't do anything about it. That's as good as condoning it, right?
Makes me call into question my own biases and prejudices and re-examine them.? How much joke-telling can be dismissed as "all in good fun"?
Avenue Q http://www.avenueq.com/ has a song called "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist". So say the lyrics :
Everyone's a little bit racist / Today. / So, everyone's a little bit racist / Okay! / ethnic jokes might be uncouth, / But you laugh because / They're based on truth. / Don't take them as / Personal attacks. / Everyone enjoys them - So relax!
I feel like this is the pervasive feeling out there and so a lot of inexcusable jokes/comments are excused. If we all agree to not listen to these kinds of jokes, then they'll stop. But we (I) have to take a stand. Thoughts?
1 comment:
I agree with you, and am curious to know why it is that racism is the only thing that I have not said anything against. You know how freely I tell people "We don't use those words." But am not so quick to quash it when it is a racist remark. I talked about this on my blog quite a while ago, about how racism is so much a taboo that even the outspoken won't speak of it. It is just such an insidious thing, it seems insurmountable. Glad you're here. =)
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