Is this casual racism? Along the lines of ching chong jokes?

[Cimcardishan]

I'm BBC (British born Chinese) and feel that it seems more permissible to be casually racist about Chinese than other racial groups. A few years ago there used to be a Chinese tea advert with a kung fu monk and really bad accent which just felt wrong to me. I don't think that kind of advert would have been made about jerk chicken or naan bread for example.

Someone just posted on my FB jokes with Chinese accent, one liners, eg.Tie my shoe Tai Mai Shu

OK, thats pretty rubbish but it was a long list of them. It wasn't to me personally.

I found it old fashioned and un PC. I feel if someone posted this with Jamaican or Indian accents it would be disapproved of.

Am I being oversensitive?

[aurynne]

Ego, thanks for your good wishes, my friends and family whom I share these jokes with perfectly know the difference between jokes and reality. I truly hope you learn to live your life with positivity and not choosing to see discrimination and hatred in any comment from people. I do not doubt some of the situations in your life HAVE been discriminatory. But I also do not doubt, after reading you here, that some others have just been interpreted as such by you, hence making you unnecessarily pessimistic and miserable. We cannot choose what people say, but we do have a choice in how we interpret it and what our reactions are. Choosing not to be offended and to believe in the goodness of others, even if sometimes we may be mistaken, makes us happier.

Sometimes I choose to laugh even when I could choose to get offended. I do not regret doing it.

And I would never, ever change all the laughter and happiness I have had, and keep having, by making fun of tragic situations with people I love and who love me. If you choose to see racism, sexism and homophobia in that, please remember that it is, once again, your choice to see something where it is not (I cannot speak for other people, but I certainly can speak for myself and the jokes I make/laugh at).

I truly wish you happiness.

[mimishimmi]

YANBU OP but I've often been the subject of some tittering whenever I've gone into a particularly East Asian area so it probably goes both ways. It's distressing because 'white' Nordic types don't fully accept me either so other ethnicities see me as 'white' whilst WASP's think I'm a bit ethnically suspect.

[Helmetbymidnight]

You've already made that clear, auryunne.

Carry on- it's a fast track way the rest of us can identify who the unfunny cunts are.

[aurynne]

Do you usually get offended at jokes but call people cunts as a matter of fact? That is indeed very funny

[mudandmayhem01]

Generally the people on here who call people cunts are funnier than the ones who like racist jokes!

[Helmetbymidnight]

Your not telling me that you, who love laughing at racist jokes and dead children, are offended by being called a cunt?! That's like Bernard manning complaining that he's not popular.

[xmasseason]

"Choosing not to be offended" is what people say when they want to go around saying offensive things. Humans aren't robots and feelings are not just something you decide and then do.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

They just don't have the emotional sensitivity and awareness to realise how they come across.

That sums it up really well.

As exemplified by auryunne's attempt to justify laughing at racist jokes and dead children as being on a par with the dark humour the police and similar might do to alleviate traumatic experiences.

[derxa]

auryunne I hope you're young and you're going to grow out of these attitudes. I'm a teacher and yes we use humour to get through dark times but we don't laugh at the children. We laugh with them. The humour is affectionate.

[Gwenhwyfar]

I'm surprised that people find it funny to have their own accents copied. I hate it, not least because it's usually so badly done.

[Bambambini]

"Which is why brand and I have insisted it's important to know that the person you're saying it to will find it funny"

Where do you hang out then? At BNP meetings or paedophile clubs? I'm sure your soh would go down well there.

[aurynne]

"Your not telling me that you, who love laughing at racist jokes and dead children, are offended by being called a cunt?"

I am not, you cannot offend me even if you really tried! That's the beauty of choice ;)

[aurynne]

derxa, I don't laugh "at" anyone. Jokes are generic. Laughing at someone is NOT funny, it is cruel. I am really surprised you cannot see the difference and decide instead to focus on the emotional expression "laughing at dead children" (which I was quoting from someone else beforehand). Many jokes start with "there was a man who died and went to Heaven, where he met St. Peter...". So if you ever tell or laugh at a joke like this you are "laughing at a dead person"?

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Keeping on digging that hole aurynn . Your last few posts are hilarious.

[aurynne]

Glad to make you laugh, I find yours hilarious too. We may even find our common sense of humour eventually.

[ChocPretzels]

aurynne "I also learned that getting offended is a choice, a choice I choose NOT to make."

Thanks for that handy tip, I'll try to remember to choose not to be offended the next time someone makes a joke about my slitty eyes, or a random stranger on the street jokes that I should return to my homeland, or that just because I am Chinese-born I should have the most outrageous / hilarious accent

Who knew it was me making the wrong choices all these years?!? I should have have invited such humorous people into my life instead of trying to ignore them (or running away in some instances). Thanks for showing me the light

You say jokes are generic, as though that softens the impact. But words have power and with many of these issues in the thread, it seems to be more important to laugh about things and people rather than respect that what you say could hurt others. I don't think it's humourless of me to respect others by not hurting them with the things I say / joke about.

Thank you to the many other posters who are showing intelligence and sensitivity about this issue, this thread has been disheartening at times but you guys have brought some hope

[Bambambini]

I think age possibly plays a part here. Tali is still quite young and i'm sure many of us have changed at least a bit as we have gotten older.

Saying that, at 22 i had been to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and knew camp survivors, had friends whose families had been practically wiped out so i doubt i ever foubd holicaust jokes funny.