Monday, January 18, 2010

my thoughts on people and their racist jokes.



To be honest, I don't really mind jokes that involve my race. Or any other race. However, most people fail to see the distinct difference between "jokes that involve race" and "racist jokes". See, jokes that involve race are smart and on point. Racist jokes are just tacky and unattractive. I'm not even offended by the "race" part, they're more of an insult to my intelligence. I'm offended because the idiot in front of me, thought that I would appreciate something that was clearly below mine, and all rational people's integrity.

Obviously, different people find different things to be funny or smart, but I can only speak for myself, for the same obvious reason. As the listener and possibly the target, you have a responsibility as well. You have to feel out the vibe of the joke, and act accordingly. If the joke is indeed a bit racist, I still don't feel the need to instantly point that out in front of everyone, thus causing a scene. If you do feel the need to say something, be tactical and say it to the person afterwards. That way, you point out the fact that you were offended, without making them feel stupid. I agree, some people deserve to be made fools of sometimes, but if you do choose that line of action, you should know that you're hardly converting anyone. You're placing yourself above everyone else, by publicly announcing the inferiority of that joke. Nobody likes, or respects, people that do that. It just makes you look like a snob.

You also have to consider the fact that maybe the joke wasn't even meant to be racist. Maybe the person just didn't know better. If that's the case, I definitely don't feel the need to get angry. It's like getting mad at a monkey for cheating at chess. It's not like the monkey is evil, he just doesn't know the rules.

I'm just saying, you don't have to get offended every time someone tells a dumb joke involving race. Porn does not necessarily have to be porn, until you start jerking off to it. I want to believe that things like racism have changed for the better, with the help of calm, rational people who tried understanding why a certain problem exists, and then finding the appropriate solution for it. You can't force people to think like you, simply by yelling at them. You can try, but I'm pretty sure it'll have the opposite effect. I guess what I'm trying to say is: If someone in your vicinity tells a stupid, tacky, racist joke, don't start jerking off in front of everyone. It can get awkward.

David Bowie - Life On Mars?


Oh, and these are recent pictures, mainly from London. On Thursday, I'm off to Stockholm for 5 days, and then I'm going to Berlin for a shoot. I'll be back in Sweden on February 1st. Anyway, I hope you'll like the pictures.

David Bowie - Andy Warhol




















pics: robbz

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