166 - Is It Racist?

[captain_slinky]

I started making a joke today, and suddenly felt like it was racist... even though i can't quite put my finger on *where* it becomes racist. Please help?

It is based upon the age old (racist/sexist) premise of a husband discovering that his wife was unfaithful because the baby she delivers is of a different color. Pinpointing the wrongness of THAT particular joke is difficult, as everyone is capable of infidelity regardless of race and/or sex, and genetically speaking the most likely way to tell that a child is not yours is to see that the color of skin does not match either of the supposed genetic parents.

(I am aware that recessive genes can occasionally pop up, resulting in unexpected coloration in skin and/or hair, but these situations are relatively rare).

Despite feeling like slut-shaming and/or race baiting, I *think* this joke premise stands as a solid, politically correct joke premise.

But then I add in some historical/mythical elements, and it feels even wronger. Here is the joke:

Why are Snow White's real parents never mentioned in that fairy tale? Ask Snow White's little sister, Chocolate Brown..."

So why does this feel *wrong* to me? Is it the name "Chocolate Brown"? I mean, it's been established that these parents name their kids based off their skin color, right?

Comments

[beccy bayne (from livejournal.com)]

The whole premise of these jokes IS racist and sexist -- your initial instinct was correct. Because they are based on the idea that no self-respecting white woman would enter into marriage with a man of color, but they still get "jungle fever" and hanker for a (more animal-like) black man to have an affair with. And the black man, being more physically capable than the white husband, solely because of his blackness ("black people are just naturally athletic!") of course gets the white woman pregnant. Which the white man then doesn't make a stink about, because it's supposedly shameful that the black man "took what's his."
Also calling people of color, or women of any color, by food words is strongly disliked by some people of color. At least when we white people do it. So I err on the side of caution with that.

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

Wait - why did you assume that the woman in the premise set-up was white? I purposefully worded the post so that no racial assumption could be made until the inclusion of "Chocolate Brown". The joke works regardless of race - Black lady gives birth to White child, Mexican lady gives birth to a Chinese child, etc... the premise remains purely about infidelity until the teller and/or the listener assign races to the subjects of the joke.

This is why I think the original *premise* isn't racist or sexist, but the version I came up with naming the second child "Chocolate Brown" may be.

EXAMPLE: Why did the chicken cross the road, vs. why did the BLACK chicken cross the road. Both can have the same punchline, but the Black one is racist.

And then there's the further point to contemplate, when is a joke racist as opposed to being about race? The black chicken crossing the road isn't particularly racist unless you make the punchline emphasize it.

Jokes are really hared to make when you don't want to offend anyone :(

[aurora77]

It's a really good thing to consider. Humor is a great tool for putting ideas and situations in a new light, race and sex included. In part, it's about whether it punches down at someone who's already at a disadvantage or perpetuates harmful stereotypes, or whether it sheds light on a new perspective or mocks something that's wrong in the world.

The black chicken joke can be used to challenge the listener's expectations. What did they hear versus what did they expect to hear?

The Snow White joke falls kinda flat as it is. I'm just not really getting where the humor comes in. I'd just leave it behind as it's mediocre at best.

The infidelity jokes are fine. Not always the most tasteful, but jokes don't have to always be tasteful.