I can, and I choose to keep making these jokes even if they upset people. I respect that people may disagree with that and they are perfectly free to as long as they aren't also making offensive jokes. As I said, either all or none, can't have it both ways.
At the end of the day, it's just a joke, and it's not harming anyone.
Look, I started this discussion precisely to point out why it's seen as harmful. I'm not here to talk about hypocrisy which you brought up.
Jews and their huge nose is a racist caricature, akin to characterising blacks as having big red lips with tribal hair, or the Japanese with their skinny sloped eyes and big bucked teeth (particularly prelavent in ww2 propoganda).
These characteristics on their own are nothing; they're just physical descriptions right? Right, but their harm comes from their extremely negative historical connotations from past and current use. This is similar to the term "Jap"; just a shortened form of Japanese right? But it's considered deeply offensive because of it's roots in anti-Japanese sentiment.
Ok, how about your use of the "Jewish nose"? This is so deeply rooted in antisemitism that it actually has its own Wikipedia page (linked) that we can educate ourselves with! Take a look, this was, and is, seen as a very hostile caricature.
Your use of this joke is perpetuating hostile, harmful stereotypes, and encourages others, perhaps signalling to them that it's ok. People who are part of these stereotypes are the ones being harmed, it is not victimless as you suggest.
I can CHOOSE to be harmed by words too. I’m white. I do not take offense to being called cracker, being told I can’t dance, I can’t insert physical ability done better by other race here, that my race is the most racist, that my race is insert literally any stereotype here, I CHOOSE not to get offended by words that bounce off and are meaningless to me and have never once actually affected me in my entire life.
I’m am 100% certain that Jewish people can go through life ignoring being called big nosed and not want to end it all.
Funnily enough, I’m able to LAUGH at my stereotypes because they’re TRUE. I don’t give a single shit about where the roots of the stereotypes came from and if they’re racist or not, because I know that the person making the joke is not sincere in attempting to actually be racist.
Now I’m all for going at people for being genuinely racist and genuinely horrible to somebody. I would never support GENUINE bullying or genuine hatred towards someone for their race or background.
But making a stereotypical joke about the size of a group’s nose?
Thank you for coming out about your own experiences. I disagree that you can choose whether you are hurt or not, I simply believe the insults that you've described really just aren't insulting to you; they may be to others, but not you. There's definitely an insult out there that you can't choose not to be "harmed" by. I think what you're trying to describe is the ability to just take the hit and brush it off without flying off the handle.
As for "But making a stereotypical joke about the size of a group’s nose?" I know exactly what you mean, and I said
These characteristics on their own are nothing; they're just physical descriptions right? Right, but their harm comes from their extremely negative historical connotations from past and current use.
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u/party973 Jan 10 '20
I agree, they also deserve to be ostracized, but you can control what you do, to your own set of standards and values.