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Laughing at racism
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Touchy subject time.
“A Practical Guide to Racism” is probably the most outrageous collection of horrible stereotypes and ethnic ugliness ever put between covers. It is also a spoof, a parody. A joke.
It’s the handiwork of Sam Means, a writer for “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and former contributor to “The Onion.” Means has created an author, C.H. Dalton, who writes with a pseudo-academic learned tilt, except that Dalton is spectacularly wrong about nearly everything that he writes.
“Guide” takes us through Means’ vast ignorance, not just about the groups one might expect to be grossly misrepresented (Jews, blacks, Hispanics, gays), but others somewhat less expected (whites, gypsies, the French, and Merpeople).
Means is doing to racists — of all types and all races - what Stephen Colbert is doing to certain cable TV blowhards with the character he has created on “The Colbert Report.” By playing it straight and going way over the top, he mocks them with a viciousness that regular spoofs can’t quite attain.
If you get on Dalton’s wavelength, the book is pretty funny. Of course, if you don’t get it, and you mistakenly take it at face value, it’s going to come across as pretty vile.
When explaining why he did the movie “The Producers,” with its big production number “Springtime for Hitler,” Mel Brooks once said something to the effect that he decided that the worst thing he could do to Hitler was to make people laugh at him.
Not all Holocaust survivors bought that notion when the movie first came out, and not all people are going to go along with Means mocking racism in this way.
What’s your take? Can laughing at racism help defeat it, or does re-printing stereotypes damage people no matter what the intent?
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By SharonH
February 12, 2008 7:46 AM | Link to this
Sounds hilarious, I’ll have to put it on my list. As for defeating racism, call me a pessimist but it can’t be done. People just keep creating new prejudices.
By sharon
February 12, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this
I find such a book destructive.I wish we could move past racism and sterotypes. However, I know that’s wishing for the impossible.
By Anne
February 12, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
Laughing at anything can help!!! I don’t know if we will ever completely erase racism from our lives, but a little laughter here, there and at ourselves certainly lightens up things. My biggest issue in this politically-correct society, is the fact that it’s ok to make fun of certain groups of people, but not others. There’s humor in everything. This book sounds hysterical and I will be checking it out.
By Katie
February 12, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
I think finding humor is good. Human beings can be funny. Look at our naked bodies compared to other animals—we’re bald and funny looking. We should be able to laugh at ourselves and find humor in others. Why do people have to be so uptight and rigid all the time. So many people find the simplest comments to be insults or lack of respect when the intention is the opposite. We’re all different and none of us are ‘pure’. We’re all mutts, pretty much, so no race can say they’re better than others because no race is supererior. To say something like that is humorous and ignorant—why shouldn’t we laugh at people who think they are better than others? I know I ceretainly do.
By Katie
February 12, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
I think finding humor is good. Human beings can be funny. Look at our naked bodies compared to other animals—we’re bald and funny looking. We should be able to laugh at ourselves and find humor in others. Why do people have to be so uptight and rigid all the time. So many people find the simplest comments to be insults or lack of respect when the intention is the opposite. We’re all different and none of us are ‘pure’. We’re all mutts, pretty much, so no race can say they’re better than others because no race is supererior. To say something like that is humorous and ignorant—why shouldn’t we laugh at people who think they are better than others? I know I ceretainly do.
By The Oddball
February 12, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
How can you ask people to offer their “take” on a book they haven’t read?
By Phil Kloer
February 12, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
Good point, Oddball, and one I try to keep in mind on this blog. I’m trying to use the book as a springboard to talk about a more general topic. I’m not saying that has to work for you, but that’s the intention here. If we only had people commenting on books they had read, we would either a. have very few comments allowed on topics like this or b. have most of our topics be about “Eat Pray Love” and Nora Roberts novels. This is my compromise.
By The Oddball
February 12, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
OK Phil, we’ll let it go this time. Here’s a thought for refining the thread: does it help or hurt when professional actors and comedians use racism to get a laugh? There’s a wonderful scene in John Sayles’ movie “Lone Star” when a white middle-aged man is describing how happy his black financee’s family was to hear they were getting married. “They were happy because they were getting worried she was gay,” he says. His friend replies, “Yeah, it always warms my heart to see one prejudice defeated by a deeper prejudice.”
By Jay
February 12, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this
I see nothing wrong with laughing at stereotypes (which are more cultural than racial these days). That being said, I’m really not interested in hearing anymore stale jokes from the Carlos Mencia/Chris Rock/Jeff Foxworthy school of comedy, even if they’re delivered in a pseudo-academic voice by a Stephen Colbert wannabe.
By The Oddball
February 12, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
Copy that, Jay. There’s a difference between poking fun at racism and exploiting it, or even perpetuating it. I think the difference is whether you can somehow convey the point that it is wrong.
By The Oddball
February 12, 2008 10:43 AM | Link to this
Katie: I agree with everything you said except the comment that “none of us is pure.” I think each one of us is pure — pure human, made in the image of The Creator. There’s only one race of humans.
By Kat
February 12, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this
Hey Phil, we need a winner for the Feb. 1 contest!
By David
February 12, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
I think laughing at racism can help greatly in bringing it to an end. I think prejudice and racism are two different things and, as humans, it seems we will always prejudge our fellow man for some reason. That reason does not have to be racial, after all an ahole is an ahole no matter what his race is.
By DebbieDoRight
February 12, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
I laugh at books that portray racism all the time. I thought “Gone With The Wind” was a hoot!
By SAR
February 12, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this
There is nothing wrong with laughing at a culture, in jest, if the laughing is equally distributed. Too often one group doesn’t take issue with laughing at another group but in turn, they become offended when the laughs are aimed at them. You have to play fair and be equal. I think all races and cultures have things that can be laughed at.
By the truth
February 12, 2008 11:03 AM | Link to this
I laugh at racism. Like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for instance. I also laugh at people who make a race issue out of any and everything.
By Huh
February 12, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Too often one group doesn’t take issue with laughing at another group but in turn, they become offended when the laughs are aimed at them. Go ahead and say what you really wanted to say…………
I laugh at the photos of Michael Jackson then and now. Now that’s humor!!!
By Phil Kloer
February 12, 2008 12:01 PM | Link to this
That’s not the topic, Huh and others. The topic is whether or not laughing at racism strengthens or weakens it. Not whether you find certain people amusing.
By sane jane
February 12, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this
What a great topic - and I side with the folks who think laughing at racism weakens its power. There’s no better way to take the sting out of something than to mock it.
Whereas folks who speak with hushed tones & don’t think racism should be discussed are almost enshrining it. (even as they are ostensibly opposed to it)
There’s no better disinfectant for social ills than sunlight…
By SAR
February 12, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
Laughing at racism does lessen the punch it could potentially blow another. But, when is it appropriate to laugh? When are you crossing the line? I have friends of another race that with whom I am very comfortable laughing at some very obvious sterotypes of both our cultures with, but I would never do the same with a person I am less familiar with.
By Grace
February 12, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
I laugh at racism every day. I really laughed when Georgians came out in drove to elect the 1st Republican governor in over 100yrs all because their flag was taken from them. I felt like if these red necks are so proud of something the represents the worst era in American history & are too stupid to see it then so be it! You just got to say God bless them & let them have their damn flag.
As a black woman, all I did was sit back and laugh. Even though that was Sunny boy entire platform, when it got in office, to this date he has yet to entertain the Bull$hit!
By the truth
February 12, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
Grace, I agree with people needing get over the flag issue. There are two sides to this flag issue. The flag is a relic that should be in a museum at Stone Mountain. It is a pretty flag and it is unfortunate that it is related to the civil war era and then shoved in the face of black people during the civil rights era. I’m not a liberal democrat either. Honestly Grace, I hope and pray that blacks and whites can come together as one nation and except responsibility to be human beings and Americans.
By Lynn
February 12, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
the truth - I’ll second that.
By Racebaiter
February 12, 2008 1:46 PM | Link to this
We should all be able to laugh at racism. Black jokes, Chinese jokes, Polish jokes, Hispanic jokes—keep them coming. Lighten up people. You never see people hesitate to laugh at white trash or rednecks in a movie. How’s that for a stereotype? Think “My Cousin Vinny”.
By RICK
February 12, 2008 2:14 PM | Link to this
You all know that whites cannot laugh at racial jokes. We get crucified. You have a rapper wearing a noose at some awards show and yesterday some rapper wears a shirt with the “N” word. But let a white person even mention the flag and all hell breaks loose. It will never change!!!
By the truth
February 12, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this
Rick, I totally understand. Look at Don Imus and the Duke Lacrosse issue. People like Al and Jesse have made a life out of benefiting from race issues. Neither apologized for the Duke false rape case. It’s a double standard and reverse discrimination that needs to stop. Unfortunately there are too few Bill Cosbys in America. Democrats have really used race to separate America.
By GetItRight
February 12, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
We need to laugh, but in the “City to Busy to Hate”, racial issues must be viewed as deadly serious. Failure to do so is a crime of thought and a plague on humanity. “They” hate us when we laugh. Thankfully, in the privacy of my car and home, I can laugh my rear off at all the people who prove the stereotypes true - including myself.