Do you find this offensive?

[Besswess88]

Someone posted this in a group I am in, and I find it really offensive AIBU?!

I grew up in the backlash against this sort of thing. It was seen as very tacky end of the pier stuff, lumped in with homophobic and racist jokes by the likes of Bernard Manning. There seemed to be a lot of discussion about it and the general, lefty, right on, liberal opinion was that it was degrading. But it’s interesting now to see people are less bothered by it. Perhaps I was too close to it having grown up with it all. It seems there is now a backlash against the backlash!

Do you boycott diet coke for their hideously sexist and objectifying adverts, OP?

I did too MrsKoala

But there was a time when any humour that was possibly seen as offensive by someone was seen as dated

We have been through the Politically correct era and now at the tail end of the woke period and now many people are questioning is all tacky and what some deem as offensive humour so bad

There is a lot of humour in finding everything offensive

Comedy at time’s will offend someone, Russell Peters to many will be offensive imitating accents laughing at all cultural etiquette and and making a joke of the stereotypes of particular cultures but many from that culture will recognise this and find him hilarious

Black face was always deeply offensive because black people were not allowed to be on a stage so you had white people blacking up and often cruelly imitating them

I think that in the context of a tawdry 1960s seaside postcard it's ok. Because it's quite obviously dated, as is the humour.

Not offensive at all, I used to send these kind of postcards to people when on holiday in the 1950/60'era. A lot of modern women are very uptight and stuffy about such things though.

Those people who think it's just a bit of harmless fun may well also defend stereotypical and/or degrading images of gay people and black people in that era.

Not necessarily.

There is a difference between "defending" something (which would imply you feel strongly about it - enough to "defend" its right to exist), and simply feeling completely indifferent to it (implying no strong feelings either way). So just because you aren't offended by something, that doesn't mean you would actively jump to defend it either.

Personally, my response was one of complete indifference because it holds absolutely no personal significance to me whatsoever. I couldn't care less if it disappeared forever, nor do I want to banish it from the face of the earth due to being deeply offended.

Don't confuse indifference with defence.

A lot of modern women are very uptight and stuffy about such things though

Oh - silly us, wanting equality

don't confuse indifference with defence
People on here aren't indifferent. They're saying that the image is inoffensive and harmless. Therefore defending it.

@Maireas

don't confuse indifference with defence People on here aren't indifferent. They're saying that the image is inoffensive and harmless. Therefore defending it.

I disagree that saying "it's harmless fun" equates to actively defending it. To me, I'd say something was "harmless" if I felt indifferent and a bit "meh, whatever" towards it. If I felt strongly about its right to exist, I'd use different language in my defence of it.

Maybe that's just semantics to most people, but to me there's a clear difference.

@1forAll74

Not offensive at all, I used to send these kind of postcards to people when on holiday in the 1950/60'era. A lot of modern women are very uptight and stuffy about such things though.

A lot older women haven’t noticed that times have changed, and are ignorant to the wider social issues this sort of humour contributes. They see the past with rose tinted glasses and get frustrated that what they saw as “harmless fun” is actually hugely problematic and as a knee jerk reaction to this, refuse to educate themselves on why it’s seen as a problem.

I’m indifferent. Not offended by it but don’t want to defend it.

I don’t think pictures like this cause sexism in otherwise respectful boys and men. This is a postcard intended for humour not a tutorial on how to behave. So no, I don’t find it offensive. But equally I wouldn’t care if it was banned or whatnot; I certainly wouldn’t defend its right to exist.

OP I'm sorry it got to you and can see why. I thought that the postcard is too silly to offend. It just looks really out of date.

Is the person posting it trying to get a response from women on the site? (Any attention would do for some men.)

It is from the days before the amazing notion that women are people. (And that the shapes of their bodies are unlike those of men... but that this is a natural thing and not a surprise to any woman at all.)

I have never told the OP to 'get a sense of humour' and having lived through the 70s I got her Jimmy Saville & rape comments perfectly well thank you. They were still offensive. Or can we only find what the OP finds offensive, offensive?

Explain to me what offended you about my Jimmy Saville comment? Bearing in mind my very clear explanation.

I am an older woman, late 50s. I know blooming well that times have changed because my generation helped change them.

Please stop with the casual ageism.

@Besswess88

It IS sexist and he acceptance of it then least to the acceptance of other stuff.

I find it sad how many people find this acceptable.

It’s the same attitude that perpetrates the institutional racism in the UK.

Agreed

I explained it earlier.

@Motnight

I am an older woman, late 50s. I know blooming well that times have changed because my generation helped change them.

Please stop with the casual ageism.

Well said @Motnight

Not offended accepting

Not offensive at all!

However I still laugh at Benny Hill and The Two Ronnies so maybe I don't have the same sense of humour as some peoplecon here 😁

@Motnight

I am an older woman, late 50s. I know blooming well that times have changed because my generation helped change them.

Please stop with the casual ageism.

And may I say thank you.

As I posted upthread, the card is sexist and not in the least bit funny. It is of its time - the past, and should stay in the past.

But, I don't find it offensive.

It's seaside postcard humour, nothing to get seriously miffed about.

@Motnight

But you said that young modern women are stuffy and uptight about these things?

Also, it depends on the context in which it was posted.