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A difficult but very interesting topic, dear Art!
Freedom of thought is a fundamental human right and an essential element of our personal development. It allows us to think freely, to question and to express our ideas.
Humor plays a special role in this context. It is not only an expression of our freedom of thought, but also a powerful tool: humor can help us to defuse stressful situations and take the edge off some life situations.
But sometimes our freedom of thought and humor are opposed by self-appointed moral guardians. These moral guardians often try to regulate the expression and thoughts of others through moral or ideological control. They can create an environment of fear and self-censorship in which free expression and creative thinking are stifled.
Voltaire comes to my mind. The famous French philosopher lived in the 18th century and was known for his sharp humor and uncompromising defense of freedom of thought. Despite numerous attempts by state and religious authorities to silence him, Voltaire continued his critical writings and used his humor to shed light on the injustices of his time. His strong plea for the defense of freedom of thought: "I may condemn what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
Balancing these thoughts with the desire not to hurt others is not always easy. But with a little empathy on your side and a little calmness on the other, this can be easily resolved.
Best
Thomas
Thoughts about ethnic humor on TimeOut . . .
. . . and our online community. I, and presumably many, if not most, of our community is north of forty years of age. We grew up in an era where ethnic humor was not only acceptable, it was . . . . . . celebrated. The mantra of The Purists, PuristSPro, an...
But people get drunk at cocktail parties and say interesting things : )
...but point taken...
My sense is that ethnic and religious humor was both more common and acceptable to Americans . . .
. . . in times past because we're a nation composed of every group. That's no longer the case; comedians bemoan the effect cancel culture has had on their profession. It could well be that ethnic/religious humor was and is less tolerated everywhere else. ...
š, but obviously a thin line.
I wholeheartedly agree with you but humor often is de facto often based on stereotypes. So there is always a risk of hurting someone, somewhereā¦ So yes youāre right but ā¦ Dirk
All I'm asking for, Dirk, is a touch of discretion . . .
. . . when posting. "Could a person be personally offended by this comment (or photo)?" If yes, then proceed with caution. I've posted ethnic humor many times before, but (hopefully!) never cutting enough that the comment crossed over the line from comedy...
Same here, Tony. When I'm hanging out with my pals at the pool hall . . .
. . . it's like a scene from Gran Torino.
I am not easily offended, and no joke would likely ever offend meā¦
I make fun of myself more than anyone ever could, and like Tony, I am getting older, probably shorter, hair is basically all grayā¦and I never outgrew the pediatric bladder, still go every 10 minutesā¦always did, always willā¦but, damn it I will still think ...
As Americans we probably have more tolerance for ethnic or religious humor . . .
. . . than others, Greg. Many years ago, one of the regulars here (and a lawyer, too!) made a comment about a GlashĆ¼tte Original named after Julius Assmann. I'm sure GO was not amused. ;-)
The publisher of Vogue magazine, whom Mr. big from sex and the city was based on
Came up to the dais and said something to the effect of being half Jewish and half Italian Iām always torn between trying to steal it or get it cheaper. Everyone laughed, including myself, but that could never happen today.
Humor aimed at oneself has an immunity of sorts. Imagine if someone else . . .
. . . made the identical comment about a person with the same half 'n half parentage. š
The less, the better. It's a watch forum after all.
Frankly, most of us here are strangers to each other in the real world. I wouldn't want one of my only interactions with a stranger to involve a loaded joke about race or identity, because the majority here don't have any meaningful real world contact. No...
Part of the problem for our site and the moderators is precisely the tendency to consider all here . . .
. . . as friends. I'll crack a joke when I'm around pals I've known for a long time, but our online community here is global and partly anonymous.
In principle I have no issue with humorous postings.
But the caution is merited. Having spent a number of years in the worlds of diplomacy and international relations, my experience is that one of the most difficult commodities to transport across borders is humour.
You know how you fight an Asian person?
With a shoe string over their eyes!!! Donāt ban me!!!!!
Don Rickles was an equal opportunity offender
honestly, the best comedy is when we're comfortable making fun of ourselves
Growing up and coming from a multi-cultural country Singapore, we accepted each other, agree we co-exist in a society.
We have 4 languages in signs of most public places...and we make fun of each other at times, as friends...but even I cringed seeing that video above by the comedian. People may laugh at that moment but feeling awkward and you can tell from some expression...
A difficult but very interesting topic, dear Art!
Freedom of thought is a fundamental human right and an essential element of our personal development. It allows us to think freely, to question and to express our ideas. Humor plays a special role in this context. It is not only an expression of our freed...
Appreciate your thoughts, Thomas. The occurrence that initiated this thread was criticized by a very long-term community member . . .
. . . who didn't come across as a prude. My sense is that he was mildly offended personally, but more concerned about others of his ethnicity who might be newcomers here and not fully aware of our forum culture and the give and take regulars engage in. Be...
Thank you Art, for the thoughtful reminder.
This site and it predecessors have always been remarkable for their civility.
Iāll never be in Human Resources š¤£.
Maybe itās my age, maybe itās the work environment Iāve spent most of my career in, maybe itās how I was raised. You know what offends me? So many people being offended by so many things. Please donāt get me wrong. ā I appreciate your tact and sentiment. ...
Raise your hand if you were ever sent to the principal (or Human Resources) for an inappropriate remark at school or work
I suspect there was a gentle breeze floating around the watch world as our WPS readers laughed and raised one or both hands. Once I had entered my Lotus in a car show and was one of 3-4 representing the marque. We were all business consultants (coincident...
Art, thanks for your thoughtful post about the "cocktail party" rule.
Two comments: 1. Decades ago, when I first read the "cocktail party" rule on The Purists, I knew immediately that I could never rely upon this website to meet my need for humor. That's because the words and images that I find truly funny (versus mildly am...
Tough topic, Don Turo. My personal take, here:
I see the thread you are referring to very well. I am sure that the original poster didn't want to offense anyone, I know him very well, so I can say that. I don't mind jokes about lawyers, better, they make me laugh. Same about the French. We deserve the...
I'm all for tolerance, too, Nicolas . . .
. . . and truthfully if the grievance hadn't been brought up by an esteemed long-term member of our community there wouldn't have been a significant enough cause for review. That we're not inflexible as moderators leaves us open to conflicts like these. D...
Put 'Lufthansa' in the search engine of our Wrist Scan forum . . .
. . . and you'll find it easily.
Just for you, Nicolas - the Lufthansa joke word for word . . .
. . . as originally posted eleven years ago on Wrist Scan: A Lufthansa flight is crossing the Atlantic with a full load of passengers. All of a sudden one of the engines flames out. Everyone on board starts panicking, but the captain quickly takes the tel...
Thank you, Art, for a great post.
You know, I often lament not living in older times. No phones, tv, social media, computers - that would have suited me just fine. Of course, I never would have known you and everyone else here in our great Community. So that makes me happy to be here now....
Great reminder, the cocktail party check..
Itās really amazing how the site has maintained a general tone of civility for as long it has existed and all throughout its various iterations. Personally, Iām with most of you. Iām from the other side of the world so quite susceptible to Asian jokes but...