Political incorrectness I do miss it!

Raised eyebrows and walking away work quite well, I find. Don't give a shit what they think of me for doing that.

Very difficult JessM, with someone who thinks he is cleverer and wittier than everyone else but in fact makes cruel remarks and likes the last word.

I think people change their names to more English sounding to be helpful!
I know when we are in the States and come across Indian hotel proprietors, they have changed their names and tell us that is makes it easier for their guests !

I think it is fine to be assertive rosequartz and say "I'm afraid I don't find that kind of joke at all funny" But you have to then defend yourself because the "joker" will inevitably go on the attack and accuse you have being humourless. At which point you have to be prepared to respond with a "I don't accept that I have no sense of humour. I find many things funny but not that kind of joke"
Tedious though. Takes energy. Very tempting to do something like: "I am amazed that you think its ok to tell jokes like that - I didn't think dinosaurs like you still existed" or similar.

MiceElf, you have just summed up for me what I have been pondering for a couple of weeks. We have a friend with what he considers is a GSOH, but a lot of it is what I consider to be 'barrack room' humour - some very hurtful indeed. Or can one be too sensitive?

It's astonishing how some people think that their sense of 'humour' is more important than other people's hurt.

On a training course yesterday, there was a superb equality and diversity session. (Oh how very PC). It was really heartening to hear the contributions of many of the participants and to be reminded that not everyone's " thinking" is influenced by the tabloid press. One person said how using the phrases ' chip on your shoulder' and " being PC" were used by people to deflect from a sound argument they hadn't the intelligence to debate

kmschultz.hubpages.com/hub/Why-is-blackface-racially--socially-and-politically-incorrect
Perhaps some of you could stop laughing for a minute and read this. The lack of thought and respect, the unawareness of history, imperialism and colonialism and its impact on various ethnic groups is truly breathtaking and profoundly depressing on ths thread #everydayracism.

Eleothan as usual goes to the heart of the matter.
There are many examples of people who feel confident making jokes about those who may not feel so confident about defending themselves and saying they don't like it. The risk is that you will be told you are being a humourless:
woman
old woman
mother in law
woman from Essex
disabled person
person from a racial minority
gay person
etc
Some of these people respond by "if you can't beat em join em" and even start telling the jokes themselves e.g. irish person telling irish-are-thick jokes.Which makes them look like a good sport, or feel like one, maybe.
If you are not a member of a particular minority you should not make assumptions that they "don't mind".
If you are not a member of a particular minority and you object on their behalf you trying to be sensitive to the fact that they find it difficult sometimes to stick up for themselves.
I think the kind of humour that makes fun of minorities is a form of bullying that can be very public or can be used in the private arena - workplaces, classrooms etc
Talented comedians do not need to resort to this cheap nastiness.
We live in a wonderfully diverse country and this mean and bullying humour is not the way to make everyone feel that their contributions to our society is welcome.

Nankate I think politicians and others who are guilty of hypocrisy and pomposity are fair game for caricature.
But Venus and Serena Williams are brilliant, dedicated sportswomen who through hard work and determination reached the pinnacle of success despite a less than privileged background.
I haven't looked online for the videos you found so amusing. I think that the blacking up adds an extra dimension of distastefulness to an exercise in pointless cruelty.

I consider "chinky", whether intended to refer to a Chinese dish or a Chinese person, as unacceptable and discourteous as using the word Paki, which ignorant people tend to apply to anyone originating from the Indian sub-continent. Perhaps those who mourn the loss of the politically incorrect would let me know if they would be happy with people retro-naming their dogs (or in the case of the Duchess of York, pony) Nigger and buying shoe-cleaning cream in the poetic shade of nigger brown.

Thanks you two, it's good that a sense of humour still exists.

They could hardly have dressed up as the Williams sisters without putting on a bit of brown shoe polish.

Are black people supposed to be ashamed of being black?

I aagree, NanKate, it's getting ridiculous! Presumably if they'd dragged-up as two white women tennis players it would have been deemed OK...

In the newspaper today 2 men have been (quite wrongly in my opinion) accused of being racist for dressing up and blacking up for a Carnival as Venus and Serena Williams.

They look like two Pantomime Dames and I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the photos. Do look online for the pictures.

Right I am behind my barricade.

Black people also call us 'Casper' and some German people call us 'inselaffe' (means 'island ape' or 'island monkey'). I can't imagine many British people getting upset about those, probably more likely to laugh!

Some French people call the English 'les f*ckoffs' - mostly where the less sophisticated Brits infest holiday resorts...

Australians call us a lot worse than that, Nonu!

bloody pommie bastard

Caribbean folk call us "honkys"

Australians call us "limeys "

Well they call us "rosbifs".

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I knew someone would ask that ; I need to look at the dvd and see if it says anything. It must surely have done!

Did the film feature the William Tell overture?

They will because they made a film of The Lone Ranger recently with Johnny Depp ....

There must be a lot of intellectuals around these days then - no one under 50 will have even heard of the Lone Ranger, never mind watched it!