When Is A Joke Racist?

From the desk of Filip van Laenen on Sun, 2008-11-09 22:49

Whether a joke or comment is racist or not, highly depends on who makes it. When Barack Obama tells a racist joke, journalists are laughing tears, but when Silvio Berlusconi tries to make a compliment (though as usual in his own peculiar way), they hang him in the highest tree.

When asked about the pet he was going to get his daughters when they move into the White House, Barack Obama answered on his first press conference after his election that his preference would be for a shelter dog. And added that «a lot of shelter dogs are mutts — like me.» According to unconfirmed sources, some pedigree journalist had to laugh so hard at this joke that they had to be carried out of the press room.

On the other side we have Silvio Berlusconi, and he is definitely not funny. Certainly not according to the same pedigree journalists. During a visit in Moscow, the Italian Prime Minister called Barack Obama «young, handsome and sun-tanned», a «racist remark» causing an outrage amongst Italians. Racist remark? I have no idea how Silvio Berlusconi, who is well known to care a lot for his own tan, could make a larger compliment than trying to relate the new president-elect to himself. And outrage amongst Italians? I bet most of them couldn't care less, but the media always like to pretend that the 0.1% of the Italian population that has literally nothing else to do than to try to interpret Silvio Berlusconi's remarks and comments in the worst possible way represents more than itself.

Of course, one could argue that Silvio Berlusconi could have said something else, and for once could have avoided to try to make a compliment with a joke, but my feeling is that no matter what Silvio Berlusconi could have said about Barack Obama's election, the journalists would have tried to make a racist joke out of it. If he hadn't commented or alluded to Barack Obama's race, it probably would have been racist too, just because then he wouldn't have commented it.

Silvio Berlusconi isn't right though when he says that those who didn't understand his joke are «imbeciles», because they aren't. They understand all too well what Berlusconi said, and that it isn't racist at all, but as always, any stick will do to beat the Italian dog. On the other side, Barack Obama isn't funny either, but the journalists like him, and therefore they laugh. And according to them, the rest of the world too. Even if a lot more racism can be construed in the Obama's «joke» than in Berlusconi's comment. After all, exactly what is it that Barack Obama meant when he said he preferred a shelter dog, a lot of them «mutts like him»? Doesn't he like dogs with a pedigree then, just because they aren't like him, or not enough like him? Sounds much more like racism to me, at least if that's what I want it to be. Barack Obama is lucky he isn't half a Berlusconi.

Double Standards

Submitted by Federale on Wed, 2008-11-12 04:40.

The left is all about hypocracy.  Never can they be held to their own standards.  Just look at the moron Joe Biden.  Not only does he routinely use racist comments, but claims that Hezbollah was evicted from Lebanon.  Face it.

The whole world is agog

Submitted by IoshkaFutz on Tue, 2008-11-11 20:29.

The whole world is agog about race. The first black man in the white house.

Berlusconi calls him tanned, just a way of saying "he's just like us only darker in color" and the sky falls.It didn't fall because he said "young"... meaning young is somehow a merit. The old have also been historically ostracized. No one got upset when he called him "handsome" and the ungainly have suffered since time immemorial.

Being rather old and ugly myself, I take umbrage and will soon be marching to the Campidoglio to complain to our ex-Stalinist president (who is even older and uglier than I).

Meanwhile I will dream of a vacation to some tropical clime, where I can call a pretty girl, even if white "mia negrita" or "mia gordita"... and not have to worry so damned much.

Young, handsome and tanned. I can no longer be young, I was never handsome... but I can still get a tan and though I'll never be as dark as Obama, all the olive oil in my genes will allow me to get close to his skin tone.

Actually, I think the message was self-deprecatory on the part of Berlusconi. "Come on, Med, you fellows are young and full of life, unlike us old farts, you can work out your differences.

racist jokes

Submitted by Armor on Mon, 2008-11-10 14:05.

Berlusconi's quip gives comical relief because it mocks and defies the grim, pompous, humorless, politically correct, media fascists. Obama's quip is not terribly funny because it doesn't mock anyone but himself, and it may even be interpreted as a criticism of people who don't want their race to disappear by race-mixing.

Hmmmm

Submitted by Vinegar Joe on Mon, 2008-11-10 13:54.

I've always wondered what happened to all the African slaves brought to Italy by the Romans......they didn't all just magically disappear, did they?

don't you?

Submitted by Nataraja on Mon, 2008-11-10 10:32.

Off course this particular example is quite ridiculous.

But as a principle: You honestly don't see the difference between making jokes about oneself  (Obama) and about another person (Berlusconi) ?

I do.

The reason that Barack can

Submitted by Ernest on Mon, 2008-11-10 09:37.

The reason that Barack can make a funny ha ha and not be criticized in the same fashion is because he is a protected Negro whom Borg whites must defend  & fawn over to get their salvation.

The irony being of course that these white protectors of all that is black exhibit how little they really think of these protected classes because they always must rush in to defend and deflect the helpless deities. In addition like parrots point out all the wrongs against them while hypocritically ignoring all crime, genocide hatred & wrongs exhibited and performed by their saviors   

The great religion of the left(another irony). Salvation from Pope Obama and all that is non white. Bless me father for I have sinned...

 

 

 

 

Blaming the media is old antics

Submitted by mast on Mon, 2008-11-10 06:55.

The reason why Barack Obama could make the mutt joke is because:
1) He is biracial.
2) It is purely in self-deprecation.

The reason why Berlusconi's joke was insensitive is because:
1) He's not black or biracial.
2) White people have a history of racism towards black people in western society.
3) He's not Barack Obama, so the humor was not self-deprecation.
4) "Sun-tanning" as a subject when it comes to race strikes towards the age old chord that black people really are just white people who've spent more time out in the sun.

This is the case of a harmless self-deprecative joke versus a statement giving insight to someone's minimal socioracial interaction. I don't think Berlusconi said it in an effort to be mean; rather it just shows that he probably only hangs around with old rich white guys like himself. You don't have to try to shoehorn this in to a complex narrative of Italian and American journalists teaming up to attack public figures.

If he hadn't commented or alluded to Barack Obama's race, it probably would have been racist too, just because then he wouldn't have commented it.

There were plenty of congratulations and comments about Obama's victory around the world from public figures that didn't mention his race. And I haven't seen any (mainstream, non-fringe) complaints about racism on that. I just think you happen to be someone who is completely obsessed of Barack's skin color and is why you keep writing about it over and over again. You accuse black people and minorities of reverse racism in predominantly white western societies while excusing white peoples ignorance towards those minorities. You might not be a racist, but it doesn't paint a pretty picture judging by the accumulation of your writing on this subject so far.