So, what is the role of humor, comedy ? Or in history, the fool. ?
IMHO, it's role is to hold a mirror up to society, and ridicule it, by doing so it asks people to look at their views, and actually ask them to look deeply at these views, actually think, and make some choices.
Is this comfortable ?, safe ?, pushing the boundaries ? Well, hopefully, no to the first two, yes to the third.
Are people going to be offended, I really hope so !
Many post's in this thread push the limits, I can think of three on this page ( edit, sorry but the last one now ! ) that are equally offensive to minorities, or equally, majorities. As, why shouldn't they feel victimised by humour ? It should, if applied correctly, equally offend everyone.
Anyway, end rant, but being called humourless by a German really made my day !
Now, back to my deleted image, which will offend alcoholics ......
It depends whether you take the 'target' of the comic to be 'all black people' or 'people who live in ghettos, stuck in cycles of crime and try to use race as a get-out-of-jail-free-card'.
If you take it as the latter then yes, it's a valid social commentary. Unfortunately I have a feeling the original artist had the former intent.
So you think all black people get arrested then? I'm not entirely sure what you were trying to counter there. If 'No' to the previous, then surely that's agreeing with me?
I have yet to encounter a single person of another ethnicity to actually "use the race card". Let alone "using" it to get out of jail "free", as in with the charges dropped and no trial because of it.
What I do encounter here though are both people of other ethnicities being put under a general suspicion by an unknowledgable and oftentimes badly educated public AND a system that doesnt allow many of them to get honest work.
My point is that in the court of law they will and do use their race in a defence case. It's just how the world works now.
Coleus you're basically suggesting that it's ok for people to do dishonest activities because the government has failed them? Or are you just allowing them they priviledge because of their skin colour?
It's very stupid to blame a government practice for someones bad behaviour. Behaviour is still down to the individual choice.
There is a matter of fact that in the current social status people of certain ethnicity are persecuted unfairly but on the contrary people of the same ethnicity use their race as a get of a jail free card. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, but they still do it and it's a fact.
It's nothing against those individuals, if you're facing jail time you'll say and do anything to get off the hook as any one of us would but there's no point ignoring the reality of it to suit some hippie world, where white people are the worst people unquestionably because of our past and we must all live in a big green field having a tea party and jerking each other off.
rant
We don't just look different to each other black from white, we behave different too. There's really no point ignoring the reality of this but when you live in Austria the kind of black people you're gonna get there are adopted into white society by parents who couldn't have kids of their own. So they won't behave like the black people would in Harlem or Croydon for instance.
You notice a big difference between people such as yourself and people such as I. You probably live in a house of 4 to 5 bedrooms in a small town full of hardworking white native Austrians.
I come from a place where minorities are growing bigger and bigger causing more and more tension (what ever the cause of the trouble may be it still happens to be revolving around them). I've been there in this country when black people roamed the street looting the place in the UK whilst white folk hid in their homes fearing for their lives. I've also been there to diffuse situations of a racial nature, [bullying at school etc] where white teens were beating down on a black boy purely on race.
We have different opinions. Funny that isn't it. One has had contact with other social groups and the other hasn't. Yet you sit there from afar saying how black people are treated badly. You're in another social world. You really have no room to comment here. In total how many black people have you even SEEN in person? Never mind how many have you met. You could probably count it on one hand right?
I know your type of person and you think you can judge other white people because you think you understand society in an intelligent way, when in reality you just don't have a clue. There's so many issues socially to one extent you could just say 'white society and black society at large, just don't mix' and you'd be right.
I apologize for going a bit mental but your demeanor on these type of a subjects really pisses me off. You think you have some kind of a valid opinion. You're from Austria where it's most likely 1000 white to 1 black and because you met 3 black guys in college you think that you understand it socially.
So how many court cases have you followed in detail that you can make a sound general assumption? Note: reading/hearing about some in right-wing newsmedia doesn't really count. Also, media tend to report things that are out of the ordinary, so if it were the rule, they wouldn't report it.
Nope, no extra privileges for skin colour. I would be content if they had the same privileges I have because of my skin colour.
And yeah, it is well within the responsibilities of governements to make it possible for everyone to earn "an honest living".
That's a fallacy widely believed modern western societies. While choice is A factor, it isn't THE ONLY factor in it. There are lot's of other factors, like wealth, social status of your family, your environment, etc. that influence the very choices you can make. And yes, in extreme cases there can be only external factors that limit your options to "commit crimes or starve".
That's just absurd. White people are not bad per se, just as black people are not criminals per se. I think it would be best if we tried to abolish those prejudiced concepts of race alltogether and regard ourselves just as people. There are "good" and "bad" ones in every crop (allthough I also reject the philosophy of moral absolutes like good or bad. What's what depends solely on the perception of others, and noone except sociopaths would deem themselves bad with a good consciousness)
That's paradoxical. Blacks and whites are different, yet black people behave like white people if brought up the same way? The latter is what I try to get across. If all people had the same chances from the start, there would be no problem with migrants, "or ethnic minorities"
Also, you're mistaken. Most people of African descent I know, and who are visible in our society are asylum seekers. Many of those are stuck in the process of getting asylum for several years, with accomodation that's about as comfortable and "free" as prisons. If I came to a society that would treat me like a criminal from the get go, I would not have anything to lose by actually becoming one. Especially when I'm not allowed to work.
You're wrong. I live in a two room flat in Austrias second biggest city, with nigerian, ugandan, chinese, romanian, croatian, bosnian, alban and turkish families living in the same house. I struggled with unemployment and precarious working conditions, and am still slowly crawling out of the debt that accumulated from those years. Now I work a job in social work and I study at a university 100 miles away.
Very commendable of you.
And concerning the riots: it could be interpreted as a group of the populace with nothing to lose trying to get a bit from those with a lot to lose. Now I won't proclaim that's the one true way to look at it, but it's definately not limited on individual choice to act "badly"
Again, you're wrong. I make my living in social work. While not working with immigrants per se right now, I work with youths who are partly from other backgrounds. So I dare say I have probably not a lot less to do with people from the "rim" of society than you do, except that I am priveleged not to be part of that rim.
I can't argue against the first sentence, you're right there. But as I study social work and sociology ATM, I try to grasp those problems on an intellectual level. Thus, I might have other (but not neccessarily better) insights on the whole issue as you do.
But concerning "black and white societies don't mix", I have to disagree. They can and do mix very well, but it needs two things, one of which is often forgotten, especially by populistic media and badly educated people. First, as pointed out quite often, there needs to be the willingness to integrate with the dominating society. But secondly, and that's what is usually not publicized, because it would lay some blame for the problems on the reading demographic, the dominating society must also be willing to integrate the new arrivals, and provide the means for them to do so.
No need to apologize. I understand that you're frustrated with the chances life has presented to you. It's just that hating on people for any arbitrary reason like skin colour, religion, nationality, gender, etc., doesn't solve anything.
Well in that case you would be wrong. I'm not angry or frustrated at anyone, quite the opposite. But people don't realize, even myself at times. That these social issues aren't as clear cut as sometimes they seem to be.
There's just alot of people that like to give some sort of high-horse social commentary when the reality is they haven't seen any of these issues at eye level and I was quick to assume you were one of these people and I apologize for this.
Whilst I can't credit or dis-credit your personal story, I probably would still argue that here in the UK we have more issues socially than Austria probably will ever have but then our population in is ten fold so that's kind of obvious.
Though on a side note I find it interesting that more and more Romany people are coming to the UK but why not Austria anymore? I mean it's very close to their 'playground' [for want of a better word]. It's yet another social mystery.
Though regarding integration, it's not possible properly for still another 20 years or so. People are so desperate to force it upon people to mix with each other that they are in denial that it's working. Behind closed doors the majority of white folk don't like any minority coming in and the majority of the minorities coming in don't like those who are 'native' - whether people tolerate the individuals or not - because they don't feel welcome and so on. Proper integration happens over some generations. You can't just expect people to be automatically accepted. In a sense those people coming in have to prove themselves so to speak.
"I wouldn't invite a stranger to live in my home without them gaining my trust first." Is probably the best way to put it.
When I am in another country, or even another town I'm very conscious of my behaviour, littering etc because I feel it's not my place to degrade an area that's not mine. Just like I wouldn't shit on someone elses carpet, but as for my own carpet... well you know... accidents happen.
Why would I PM someone on a forum unless it was regarding personal information? I don't hide anything. If you want funnies where only text is a pun regarding a prior image, then go to reddit. Forums are for discussion. Bite me.
Obviously you have a personal matter with the political view and/or racial view, with ColeusRattus, so therefore it's personal and it has nothing to do with this thread to discuss racial matters.
Stop trying to go into a discussion with me on this, you know that I'm superior to you.
That seems like something you should get tattooed on your forehead.
Frankly, I don't care if you wanted to kill all from a different race or something, I can only help you not to tell people about it, because all the people from that race, and most of the ones disagreeing with you would most likely kill you, and that makes it an unfair fight.
So I'm simply telling you to shut up before you make yourself look like a twit again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again...
