Liberty's Dilemma

Itzkoff, Seymour W.

doi:10.3726/978-1-4539-1309-3

Cited by 2 publications

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“…No, it's a joke." 16 Supposing Maher has indeed demonstrated a commitment to cultivating and maintaining anti-racist beliefs, the overwhelming negative response to his joke indicates that having such beliefs is not sufficient, that it is still possible to tell a racist joke. Now, one could stick to one's guns and just deny that the joke was racist.…”

Section: The Doxastic Viewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why so serious? An inquiry on racist jokes

Anderson

2020

Journal of Social Philosophy

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There is a prevailing notion that people have become too sensitive, unable to relax and enjoy a good joke. A constant rebuke of "PC" culture can be heard in both casual and institutional settings. For instance, some comedians have taken to issuing a proviso of sorts before beginning their sets, something along the lines of: "Now, we're here to have fun tonight. So, please unclench your ass, relax, don't be offended, and have some fun!" Others, like Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock, have sworn off college campuses. Seinfeld, for instance, has said that students call things racist and sexist but "don't know what the hell they're talking about." 1 There seem to be plenty of people who believe charges of racism in humor have been too promiscuous, and as a result, vacuous.If we leave it to jokesters-both professional and not-to draw the line between racist and non-racist humor, one might surmise that hardly anything would fall on the "racism" side of the ledger. A common refrain to charges of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. is "I was just joking." For instance, Amy Schumer released a statement in 2015 after receiving some heat for previous standup routines: "I will joke about things you like and I will joke about things you aren't comfortable with. And that's ok. Stick with me and trust that I am joking. I go in and out of playing an irreverent idiot. That includes making dumb jokes involving race. I enjoy playing the girl who time to time says the dumbest thing possible and playing with race is a thing we are not supposed to do, which is what makes it so fun for comics." 2 Schumer evokes the notions of a "character," "play," and "joking" to establish distance between the content of her humor and herself. Is this an acceptable response? If this sort of plea is sufficient, the implication appears to be that jokes, at least in stand-up routines, are rarely ever-if ever-racist.In contrast, there are those who believe that joking does not come with an automatic immunity clause, that there are moral limits to joking. Some people who hold this opinion often find a lot of humor "problematic." Jokes that target vulnerable groups, draw heavily on various stereotypes about race, gender, sexual orientation, and the like, have potentially negative impacts that outweigh the fun some people may find in them. Many who hold this kind of position are typically lumped together as the "PC" ("Politically Correct") crowd. They are thought of as overly sensitive, not knowing how to take a joke.

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Section: The Doxastic Viewmentioning

confidence: 99%