- “White people be like ‘Taco Bell is too spicy!’” riffs a Twitter account run by one of those white people. “Most of the Patagonia pullovers are sold out until next fall #whitepeopleproblems,” goes another. Meme historians will here note the debt to Stuff White People Like, the blog turned book that is an ur-text for today’s white-on-white racial humor. It featured such witticisms as, “White people like living by the water,” and, “White people like Asian fusion food.”
This is how the party ends—with white people wanting in on the joke so badly that they create a separate category of “cool” white people who mock their own whiteness in an effort at solidarity. “White people be like ‘white people be like,’ but they be the white people that white people be like!!!!” as one Tumblr post neatly summarized.
I’m not trying to bar white people from being self-deprecating—far from it. But when a source of solace for people of color is co-opted this way, does it lose all its power? Is it funny anymore? And if it is, is it still OK to laugh?
Hold on, am I getting the impression that these jokes are supposed to innately trying to harm or degrade white people, and it's bad that white people are joining in on the fun?
No, hell no. The jokes are fun and awesome because it shows that no race is better than others, and that everyone has their quirks. Being able to laugh at yourself is a core part of being a decent human being.
Perhaps it is saying that it's not cool that people are trying to dodge insults by putting it down to a group rather than keeping jokes about race? I'm not too sure what to say about that, because people do tend to make jokes about themselves, and secondly, the white people in every single group will make fun of every other group until everyone is effected.
That is, unless we want to start talking about how starbucks and uggs is misogyny, and we shouldn't be making those harmful jokes about an empowering female culture, which I wouldn't put beyond the writers of this article.
And, if this is a case of other races trying to "get back" at white people, to insult, to degrade, etc, than it is wrong as hell and shouldn't be tolerated.
- i.e., if you’re going to make fun of people, don’t make fun of people who have less privilege than you do. It’s why LGBTQ comedians can make fun of straight people, why single people can make fun of married people, why women can make fun of men
All of the reverse can happen, and it can be absolutely fine.
The line is drawn when the jokes have a subtext of "haha, everyone who isn't me is inferior" not when group A has more power.
"Hah, black people can't show up to work on time" is a very different joke then "Black people like grape juice" (Depends on context)
It's always ok to joke, it's never ok to attack.
- One more thing white people like: beating a joke to death.
Welcome to that very attitude that turns from something that is positive, and builds people up, to one that is negative and knocks them down.
"Oh it's fine because it's not a person in power saying it!" "Oh, it's fine because a black person telling a joke can't insult or harm a white person". They are all lame excuses for something that is basically being looked at as a form of vengeance. These people saying this are more determined to punch back than end the fighting.
How about we draw a fine line between where jokes are harmful to a group, and where they are not, rather than using this shitty, and incredibly arbitrary (even situational) power definition.
Because, you can't just claim that because a black person is black, they have no power in a situation. People have power over others at all times, and you can hurt anyone even as the most poor, most oppressed, most pushed down member of society. Any decent person looks to others for support and consideration, not just those above them, and not showing them that support at any moment is not a good thing, regardless of circumstances.
Edit: The comments on the article are refreshing.
- Hold on, am I getting the impression that these jokes are supposed to innately trying to harm or degrade white people, and it's bad that white people are joining in on the fun?
No, hell no. The jokes are fun and awesome because it shows that no race is better than others, and that everyone has their quirks. Being able to laugh at yourself is a core part of being a decent human being.
Perhaps it is saying that it's not cool that people are trying to dodge insults by putting it down to a group rather than keeping jokes about race? I'm not too sure what to say about that, because people do tend to make jokes about themselves, and secondly, the white people in every single group will make fun of every other group until everyone is effected.
That is, unless we want to start talking about how starbucks and uggs is misogyny, and we shouldn't be making those harmful jokes about an empowering female culture, which I wouldn't put beyond the writers of this article.
And, if this is a case of other races trying to "get back" at white people, to insult, to degrade, etc, than it is wrong as hell and shouldn't be tolerated.
I preface this by saying I know nothing of your personal ethnic, cultural, etc. background. I've mentioned mine on Hubski before; it is similar to that of the author. The point she is trying to express in general is that white people lack the relevant cultural context to join in on the joke in the 1st place. A neutral similar situation would be when kids hear/see their friends using a new slang term. They may not have an understanding of where the slang came from but can observe (see: reading black twitter, listening to rap and Beyonce, etc.) use of the slang and feel empowered to use the slang with that amount of context alone.
A perfect example during my lifetime was the life cycle of the term "bling bling." To black people with the relevant cultural context of Southern trap style rap music, bling bling is an exclamation of acquiring items beyond the means of your immediate environment. Items representative of lifestyle that is perceived to be unattainable due to systemic oppressions. So when you got some dope shit, it's bling bling. It's use in mainstream rap, which was consumed by white america at large via entities like MTV portrayed it as black people getting shiny things. The previous cultural context never made it those people. I'm pretty sure if you asked a white person about the term they wouldn't give you an answer beyond shiny jewelry from rappers in the late 90s. So the term becomes devalued by their use and therefore played out (read: joke ran into the ground.)
So to bring it back around. This article is about white people making jokes without understand the intended humor and seeing only the surface context of potential situations for appropriate application. Specific to the "________ be like," which I believe originated as "niggas be like" among black people themselves on twitter mind you, the joke is about hypocritical and contradictory behaviors of your friends relevant to a larger event. i.e. "Niggas be like I'm broke, but drivin a BMW." That is the correct use of that joke with correct cultural context. And it's not even like white people can't make jokes with relevant cultural context, you see it in places like /r/AdviceAnimals all the time.
This article is addressing a frustration within the black community specific to appropriation. Whenever black people come up with something new within our communities, there's a legitimate acknowledgement, understanding, and anticipation that white people will eventually try to participate in it WITHOUT gaining the relevant cultural context. Fantastic current example: Twerking & High Fashion coming out with "Urban Caps" aka Durags and gelled baby curls hair styles for women because it's "in." But black people suffered scrutiny under the banner of respectability politics for those same items for YEARS. LITERALLY YEARS. Now /gif/ has twerking porn threads.
- How about we draw a fine line between where jokes are harmful to a group, and where they are not, rather than using this shitty, and incredibly arbitrary (even situational) power definition.
Because, you can't just claim that because a black person is black, they have no power in a situation. People have power over others at all times, and you can hurt anyone even as the most poor, most oppressed, most pushed down member of society. Any decent person looks to others for support and consideration, not just those above them, and not showing them that support at any moment is not a good thing, regardless of circumstances.
No man, this is an honest statement, when white people become aware of cultural developments in black communities, it almost never ends well. History supports this statement quite well. Essays have and probably will continue to be written about it.
No one even claimed black people were powerless, that's not even a point of the article. It's about self awareness of the relevant cultural context required to appropriately make the joke. If you aren't coming from the same place; you aren't making the same statement.
As an aside, how are Starbucks and Uggs considered misogyny? Genuinely curious
I own a pair of Uggs, basically just a black pair of leather boots, and enjoy some starbucks coffee when it's convenient. The boots are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. The coffee is... well ubiquitously available.
TNR has been on a roll lately. This article relates socially conservative values with modern misogyny (pretty sure there's implied references to redpill and MRAs).
Its 3:30 am here. I just got back from an improv jam and read this. On my phone so forgive spelling/grammar errors until tomorrow.
This post is right. It's so right. Its so absolutely positively right.
I hate it. People who beat these jokes to death are the Michael Scott of comedy. This includes but is not limited to
-"I'm not racist, I hate everybody"
-Old Chris Rock joke that idiots use to reinforce their own bigotry.
-"Detroit" jokes that are dog whistling for racist attitudes.
- "I don't get why liking watermelon and fried chicken are black stereotypes they are delicious"
Seriously people don't get it. Louis CK gets it because he seems to be very self aware, you person who saw a comedy special on Netflix don't get it because the joke to you is equivalent to a put down on the play ground.
But I'll regress in the hope that I won't dissect a joke to death. Instead I'll make a further note that Dave Chappelle worked closely with Neal Brennan, who wrote many of the white people sketches on Chappelles show. This is because like Louis, Brennan is painfully aware.
Which brings me here. You aren't allowed to say this stuff to people in polite company. Social rules that nobody really agreed to says that you should chuckle quietly and move on with your day. But if a joke puts someone down or is just "funny" because it's offensive, it's not a joke, it is just a shitty attitude that you decide to share with someone.
But that sucks too, Because I want people to expose themselves to different viewpoints and go beyond superficial white people appropriations. I want to explore why they say what they say. I want other people to understand they are funny and weird and great and don't have to put other people down to show it.
Having said that the best comedy in my mind comes from two ( maybe 3 or 4 depending on how much longer I can write) places:
- The power is being fought or speaking truth to power
" The Koch brothers today have announced a name change fearing that they might be considered something other than a corporate entity."
- The power is incompetent
" The Bush family was spotted hunting eggs after Jeb mistakenly pushed the calendar to Easter Sunday."
- The power has no power
" after two centuries an ancient roman coin has been found, economists say its value is immeasurable, my grandma says it will make a nice edition to my coin collection "
Not great jokes, granted but they are just illustrations of patterns.
Luckily there is an upside. I learned that if you kill a puppy on stage, it better be a satans puppy or similar. The power of a joke is that it gives the speaker the ability to level the playing field, if you are already at the top of mount "rich powerful people" the joke you've appropriated, is not funny. Just by default, you have nobody to speak truth to power to. The Pope can be a funny guy, but the Dali Lama has a lot more material.
In closing blah. I love you all and my thumbs are tired.