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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask if this joke is racist?

99 replies

memoo · 30/10/2010 19:42

1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. There are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them. It's either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Chan-Chu. But I think it's Colin

So is it?

OP posts:
Hullygully · 30/10/2010 22:52

This is just very seriously wrong

jameelaq · 30/10/2010 22:56

ApricotWorms Sat 30-Oct-10 22:37:35
Jameelaq are you going out with Gratalse's sister?

No, why? are you my pear trees unfortunate disease this year's brother?

jameelaq · 30/10/2010 23:01

Dansmommy Sat 30-Oct-10 22:38:00
'I tell you what, there's nothing wrong about being negative about the Chinese as they have no ethical standards.'

Jameelaq...on behalf of my part-Chinese children: Fuck off, you ignorant twat person.

Now let me get this straight. It is not possible to make jokes about a political system in another country because you happened to marry someone whose antecedents probably came from that country, or possibly not, possibly Malaysia, or Spain or somewhere else. But because you believe that the current political masters of the country where most people come from who look slightly like your children are imbued with said political ideology, means that I am a twat? Well you are a racist twat.

ZephirineDrouhin · 30/10/2010 23:11

Hmm jameelaq, you are overthinking this somewhat. None of that stuff you mention means that you are a twat. It's your very very dumb comments on here that make you a twat.

(OP - I like the joke v much by the way.)

TethHearseEnd · 30/10/2010 23:17

'I tell you what, there's nothing wrong about being negative about the Chinese as they have no ethical standards.'

Ah. Twas a joke. I see.

It's the way you tell 'em, Jameelaq.

Not a dry seat in the house.

TiggyD · 30/10/2010 23:17

The OP's joke isn't racist but jameelaq is.

bobblemeat · 30/10/2010 23:26

I don't think its racist

I am Chinese

I have been told that I am 'too PC' for objecting to racial slurs against Chinese people as apparently they are not as bad as racial slurs against black people Hmm. So I think if it was offensive my highly tuned racistdar would pick it up.

jameelaq · 30/10/2010 23:29

Had to feed the baby. Usually no probs sleeps from 7-7 with a dream feed at 11 but full of screams and strange looks tonight. Must be you lot getting to her. Nothing further worth commenting on here

cheesesarnie · 30/10/2010 23:32

you wonder why shes looking at you oddlyHmm

Dansmommy · 30/10/2010 23:34

Right Jameelaq, I'm going to type this slowly so you can understand. My children are part chinese. Their grandfather is from china. They look like me actually Confused. It is not OK to be negative about chinese people because of the political system of the country of their origin...in the same way I wouldn't want to be judged as a tory! I am not racist Confused and I'd love you to tell me where I appear to be.

IMO, you are still a twat.

Mumcentreplus · 30/10/2010 23:40

Not particularly ( re joke)...jamee whats your problem? your opinion is flawed deal with it..

jameelaq · 30/10/2010 23:55

My word, mumsnet deleted my post of "ken dodds dads dogs dead" I can see this is an utterly worthless place to be. Ciao

Dansmommy - what absolute drivel. No logic and no meaning

GrimmaTheNome · 31/10/2010 00:02

DansMoms made sense. Jamees of 23:01 really didn't.

A general rule of thumb is that any negative statement of the form '...the as they ...' is liable to be construed as racist because it is a generalisation based on race. If you mean 'the Chinese leadership' then FGS say so not 'the Chinese'.

BleedyGonzalez · 31/10/2010 00:07

I think the joke's very witty. And Jameelaq is definitely not.

Bobble - seriously, you've been told that racial slurs aren't as bad against Chinese people as against black people? How bizarre indeed.

Mumcentreplus · 31/10/2010 00:09
TiggyD · 31/10/2010 00:11

I've been told in the past that sexism cannot apply to men. Hmm

That was on Mumsnet.

AnyFuleKno · 31/10/2010 00:14

Tiggy I think I'm not alone in saying that it can apply to men, I've seen it. I feel quite angry for men sometimes in the way they are talked down to by the mainstream media.

Thruaglassdarkly · 31/10/2010 02:34

Nah, it's fine. Not being nasty about anyone, is it? Jokes are jokes and everyone should be able to laugh at themselves a bit anyway. Never a good idea to take oneself too seriously...whether your name is Ho Chan Chu or Colin!

ItsGhoulAgain · 31/10/2010 02:47

I've always liked that joke (I ascribe it to Tommy Cooper) and it's a joke about statistics. This thread, however, is a masterpiece of postmodern humour [hconfused]

Mooos · 31/10/2010 06:17

Hahahaha - I love silly jokes like that. Made me smile (and no, of course it's not racist)

TethHearseEnd · 31/10/2010 10:00

I promise you, it's a Tim Vine joke!

GeruptaSingh · 31/10/2010 13:15

I asked my chinese friend who works in the local chinese takeaway (nice chap. Won hung lo is his name,he only has one testicle) and he says it is not racist but it is crap

bobblemeat · 31/10/2010 14:20

Bleedy its the whole chinky isn't as bad as paki or nigger arguement. It comes up from time to time. For some reason Chinese people shouldn't be offended because there isn't real racism against Chinese people in the way there is against black people Hmm. There is no allowance for the individual experience.

ShowOfBloodyStumps · 31/10/2010 14:27

Tethers, Tim Vine is the least funny man in the world. Honestly, I can't even smile at his ridiculous puns. YABTFU

Rosettaroo · 31/10/2010 15:06

I think the original joke by op is funny, I am half chinese. I do not think that saying all chinese people look like clones is funny, as mentioned in a previous post. I have experienced real racism and it's S**t.