Is this joke Racist?

After a debate in work today

I would appreciate your thoughts on this joke and whether its a racist  and how you would feel about hearing it.

I went to a muslim birthday party. It was the fastest game of pass the parcel I had ever seen !

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Comments

  • SuperCazSuperCaz ✭✭✭

    Bad taste, but not any more racist than the Englishman, Irishman and Scottishman jokes.

    I can see how some people could find it insulting and it isn't a joke I would put on a public forum where you don't know who is lurking who might be offended.  I might tell it in private in front of a few select friends who I knew would see the funny side.

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Agree with Caz. I wouldn't post it on a public forum but I've seen worse out on Facebook
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Your joke is that all muslims are potential terrorists. How can that not be racist?

  • SuperCazSuperCaz ✭✭✭

    Actually, scrap that.  I wouldn't tell the joke to close friends as I don't find it particularly funny.

    Stevie, I don't see any accusations that all muslims are terrorists.  You have made that jump in your head.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    that's the implication. Otherwise what do you find bad taste about it?

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    You'd be on safer ground talking about Islamists than muslims.  It's still not very funny though.

    Also, Islam is a religion, not a race.  On the other hand, if you're born into Islam in certain countries, it would probably be more hassle than it's worth trying to renounce it.  So that complicates things.

    Anyway, on that note - I'm out.  Where's the popcorn?

  • SuperCazSuperCaz ✭✭✭

    I focused on the idea of a suspicious package being passed around at a birthday party (the assumption is that it is children, as they tend to play pass the parcel more than adults).  The race or religion of the participants is irrelevant.  It could equally apply to several other groups of people such as the IRA, Taliban, etc, or even to certain categories of mentally ill people.

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Agree with Phil. Better to tie the joke to the extremist trend rather than stereotype all Muslims.

    Like, for example, the Islamist sex doll. It blows itself up.

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭
    SuperCaz wrote (see)

    I focused on the idea of a suspicious package being passed around at a birthday party


    ...amongst muslims.

    SuperCaz wrote (see)

    It could equally apply to several other groups .

    ...except in this case it applies to muslims.

  • If you change the word Muslim to IRA, then it's not racist.

  • If you keep the word Muslim its not racist either! Being Muslim has nothing to do with race.

    But it's certainly bigoted.

    If it's a joke or not is another matter image

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Why is it bigoted?

  • McFloozeMcFlooze ✭✭✭

    Because it implies that all people of a particular religion are terrorists.  How could it not be bigoted?!

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Erm ... it implies that some people of a particular religion are terrorists. Or that a particular religion has a problem with terrorism. Indisputable, I'd say.

    I don't like the word bigoted. It used to mean something, before the PC brigade hijacked it as an insult for instances when they don't agree or don't understand.

     

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭
    Muttley wrote (see)

    Erm ... it implies that some people of a particular religion are terrorists.

     

    Well it's a bit stronger than that though isn't it.  It's saying that amongst a group of muslims, a package is likely to contain a bomb - why else otherwise would you be so keen to pass it on?

    Implication: most muslims are terrorists, or perhaps: muslims generally have a propensity to be terrorists.

    Can't believe I'm still analysing this.  It's like trying to conduct a debate in the comments section on youtube.

  • McFloozeMcFlooze ✭✭✭

    But by far the vast majority of muslims are not terrorists.  Which at least makes it offensive to a large group of people. And why would you want to be offensive towards them?  The people who are not terrorists but happen to share the same religion as some other people who are terrorists.  It's not funny, it is offensive and it is really unhelpful in trying to foster better relationships within a divided society.  

  • McFloozeMcFlooze ✭✭✭

    *wanders off to peruse the comedic works of the great Roy 'Chubby' Brown and Bernard Manning*

  • What word do you use when a "joke" targets a particular group (like Muslims or Christians) but that group isn't really a race, so "racist" doesn't sound quite right?

  • I'm not sure it's actually racist, but its certainly not funny enough to be called a joke. 

  • It is obviously racist and offensive. The comment that Muslim could be replaced with IRA and the joke still works demonstrates this. Whether Muslim is a race or not is irrelevant.



    That someone has to ask just shows how normalised such prejudice is amongst some groups.
  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Where I agree with others is that it is not a funny joke (it's also decades old, btw). But to call it racist and offensive is just silly. Muslims are a faith, not a race - as has already been said. Prejudice? Grow up, please.

    Some people just want to be offended. They're primed to be so.

    If more people laughed at terrorists (who, let's be honest, are often pretty stupid or brainwashed people) then maybe it would be less attractive to become one.

    And the more we take the piss out of a religion, any religion, the better imho.

  • It doesn't imply that all Muslims are terrorists at all, merely that one of the people at the party might be.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    It's certainly potentially offensive.

    Saying that we used to make jokes about the Scots being tight, or the Irish being dim doesn't mean that it's OK.

    I should think plenty of Scots and Irish people were offended by those jokes.

    I don't see why it's a good thing to take the piss out of religions in general, Muttley?  I'm not religious myself, but I wouldn't want to take the piss out of people who are - what's the point?

  • Wilkie - most humour takes the piss out of someone, and if people are offended, tough.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    It's not essential to take the piss out of people in order to be funny.

    There are plenty of things that make me laugh without taking the piss. 

    People take the piss in order to bolster themselves, their views, and make themselves feel superior to others.

     

  • The problem with racism is that its usually the do-gooders who do not represent the group mentioned in the joke, that make the fuss. Most down to earth Muslims I know would probably have a chuckle at it. If the boot was on the other foot and a Muslim said a Joke about a white 'Christian' would I take offence? Probably not, but I am pretty laid back. I really do enjoy a good joke and a laugh. However sometimes a good joke is at somebody else's expense. I enjoy Frankie Boyle, some of the stuff he says is proper out of order, does he really mean it? Plus you know what you are getting if you choose to listen to him. You have the choice, if you will be offended don't watch. Jokes are always funnier when they shock. You just have to be careful when and who you say them to.

    They say a dog is a mans best friend. But I don't even have enemies that would stare directly into my eyes whilst taking a S""t on my carpet.

  • Correct me if I'm wrong but Muslim isn't a race it's a religion - this means it can't be a 'racist' joke .Not to mention either way it's not that funny.

     

  • Islam is the religion Muslims are the people who follow it. My religion is Christianity and I am a Christian

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