One of my favorite shows on ESPN is PTI where Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon debate the lastest happening in sports. One of the sponsors of late is Red Stripe Beer (Motto: Its Beer...Hooray Beer!) and their commercials are quite humerous and entertaining. One of the talks about how white people can't dance and then the spokesperson turns on a radio and gives the white guy a Red Stripe and then they both dance. The commercial then says "Red Stripe and reggae, helping our white friends dance for over 70 years!"
I was just thinking, what if it was a PSA for Affirmative Action that ended by saying "Affirmative Action, helping our non-white friends get jobs they don't deserve for over 40 years!" We'd have people up in arms about racism.
I guess it must just be because white people are so much better (or is it just because we're better off) that we have to put up with people taking shots at us, while anything going the other way is totally offensive?
1 comment:
It's not annoying to me as long as it's coming from someone white. Mormon jokes (with the exception of the tired and overdone green jello and speed dating jokes) are pretty funny to me...unless they're coming from a non-member. In which case I'm fully enraged. I often refer to my butt as banjo butt (very flat) but on occasion, it's my "caucasian" butt. Hardy har har. Now, if a black woman said I have a caucasian butt, I'd probably be offended. I make fun of my little sister but if someone else does, it is ON!
Personally, I think any reference to race--whether it's about a minority or not, or about your own race or not--should just be off-limits. Even if they're harmless and self-effacing. It's just too touchy and you never know what experiences someone else has had with the race issue. If the beer people wouldn't rather err on the side of respect/tact and it's just TOO hard for them to come up with another joke--then it's time for them to hire a new marketing agency. Besides, the white people not being able to dance joke is as tired as the green jello thing. Some jokes DO stop being funny if you tell them enough.
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