Quote:
Humor has ties in culture, which is why some Americans don't find British humor funny. So if someone was making humorous remarks that they thought was funny, and you didn't, you probably would take offense.
I'm not saying that you have to be politically correct. I'm saying that you just have to remember that you could hurt someone's feelings. That's it. You could. That's all.
And in doing so, you may lose a friend, a job, an opportunity. As Jaelin can attest, he's lost some friends because they were just "joking" with his wife.
I'm a ball buster, a certain group of people I get together with, we can reduce someone to a gurgling twitching piece of flesh. It's all in fun, but sometimes can go to far, and can be just downright mean.
|
One thing I failed to mention is that there needs to be a balance. I don't condone picking on someone- making them the butt of the jokes. I don't care what the content is, if you single someone out and break them down that's not funny, that's cruel.
And yes, I agree that sometime these race/sex sensitive discussions or joke can sometimes hurt someone's feelings. I think if it's malicious in context then that's not what we're really talking about. But "harmless" or "no offense, buddy" jokes that are racial or sexual in nature I'm not going to apologize for. Perhaps someone's feelings get a workout over it; I'm not sweating it.
I guess what I'm saying, and this is probably a terrible example, is that I treat this the same way I treat handicapped people. (bear with me here this is a hard thought for me to get out of my brain) Maybe they're in a wheelchair but that doesn't mean I should walk on eggshells around them and pity them. That's just a person who doesn't walk, that's all. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to make jokes at the expense of their legs- I'm saying I'm not going to treat them like a different person. That works the same way for everyone else.
Maybe it is cultural. I don't know if it's just my family or southern families in general. We've always gone through life with jokes and humour. Funerals are always filled with laughter. We are cutting, and mean sometimes but I think it's healthy. When my mom had a stroke we all used this same kind of behavior to get us through. We didn't curb any of our biting remarks because she was in the room, and sometimes we even give it to her. She's never pulled any punches and still doesn't. I guess we're just not very sensitive people.
If someone is offended by what I say most of the time I just don't care. If I'm actually being an asshole then I guess I feel guilty about it. Most of the time I think people are just way too uptight.