I sometimes remember,long ago, some of the jokes we used to tell one another. Some of them might have been mean spirited. Some groups were not amused, particularly the more sensitive types. But the jokes mostly were screamingly funny. Now, in this age of political correctness, we no longer seem to be allowed to tell jokes about any of a great number of topics. Following is a partial list of those subjects that now are taboo.
Women, Jews, homosexuals,Catholics ( Still fair game ), Mexicans, southerners, blacks,
Indians ( US type ), drunks (Still funny sometimes) ,Germans, French, Orientals ,and perhaps other groups.
Can you think of any other groups that have become sensitized ? Don't you miss the freedom
to laugh at funny things as we used to ?
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2 comments:
How about people with disabilities? Nobody is deaf - they are "hearing impaired", nobody is retarded anymore - they are "mentally impaired". I am not sure I miss the jokes like you do - but political correctness has gone so far it drives me crazy (can I still use that word?).
I *think*, but not sure - that the reason we have moved towards what you call "polical correctness", is that there are enough people who have historically used those terms in such a derogatory manner, that those with sensibilities no longer want to be associated with such cruelty and bigotry.
I do remember those jokes in grade school and high school. What made them funny then, was there was a modicum on truth to them. But that was youth, and as we grow up, we often see that although we can convince ourselves it was all in fun, there is a more insidious effect this has, not just on ourselves and our audience, but on the perpetuation of stereotypes.
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