Still, I hear such stereotypes often used in jokes quoted as fact at other times by people who can’t tell the difference. As an example, I was discussing Oman with a friend, and he insisted that Omanis are known to be child molestors. He just insulted a country of over 3 million people that he’s never even been to.

Did you watch the movie (Casino), do you know what a joke Joe Pesci tells in the movie calls Arabs ? Sand Niggers !

The other problem is that I think this type of discrimination is part of our culture. If we don’t discriminate based on the country, then it’s the city, if not the city, then it’s the neighbourhood, or the income, or the origin, or the accent, or the religion, or the family, or the tribe. This robs us of our individual identity which I think is the most important factor of all.

You have a point about not having the right to impose my sensitivities on someone else, except on my own blog. For instance I don’t approve of attacking a person as opposed to their ideas since it’s counter-productive to the debate. I also don’t approve of using obscene language, but that’s partly because of the way I was raised, and also because my family read this blog. I have friends that use obscene language, but they tend to do this less around me as they can see I don’t like it at the very least from the way my face contorts when I hear such words. Absolutely, you can look at every relationship as a package of compatibilities and annoyances and determine how to proceed based on your idea of how they balance out. On the other hand part of my choice and the other part of freedom of speech is that when I see a racist joke, I object to it. If I see that the person does not respond, I realise this and move on. As i mentioned since I am half-Nabulsi myself, this particular joke affected me directly.

I think the whole “sensitivity” thing came along with the American “I hate black people” ridiculousness.

We’re sharing the same planet let’s at least make fun of it together

I myself had a fair share of what I consider bad jokes. My childhood friends used to think that hitting each other is a joke. Getting in physical fight is as I previously put “just a joke”!! For them it was a joke, but I insisted that its not a joke and I firmly asked them not to joke with me physically!!

The good thing in life is choice: I didn’t have to put up with their jokes. At first I got along, actually for over six years. They didn’t get into physical fights with me, but I just didn’t like the way they use physical force to show off on one another!! Six years later I had new friends and dumped my old friends.

The lesson here is that I have a choice!! No one stopped me from having new friends. I moved on! I don’t have the right, not even as a friend to impose on them how to joke with one another.. Thats it!!

No one is perfect. I bet none of your friends are perfect. I don’t claim that any of my friends are perfect, not the old ones nor the new ones. But a rational person can weight things… The good things against the annoying things. Like every choice humans have: There are ups and downs, advantages and disadvantages.

All I am saying is that you as a reader -and any reader in general- should weight things, and decide whether he wants to go down that road, and if he does go down the road whether or not at a certain point should turn his back and march another way!! I am not here to tell anyone what and what not to do: readers are people with the ability to make a choice, so I only emphasize the value of this choice.

I am glad that you have been able to pick up the sweet fruits from my blog and avoid the bitter ones (surely this distinction is a personal taste)!

I would have been offended had Fadi posted the joke as a joke, but as he explained again and again, he intended to explain the joke, and does not consider it funny either.

I don’t have moderation on as you may have noticed, I do monitor the comments, and will delete anything I consider offensive as outlined in my policy. If someone wants to practice freedom of speech by posting swastikas, they can do it on someone else’s blog, one you would call “lenient”.

Each person is responsible for his choices… If you choose to visit the more lenient blogs, you would be asking for trouble with an attitude like yours… There are moderated forums\blogs for people who get offended, so its a matter of choice and taste… If something irritates a person, the rational choice is to avoid those ventures!

Plus your intentions even when good, can easily be misinterpreted. I guess on meeting someone, you learn pretty early on whether they have your same sense of humor or not.

Many people joke about many things I do, things that I am, most of which are personal rather than racist… Yet, it does not bother me… I joke back, and laugh at both my jokes and theirs!

Actually, I think that we ought to start pointing out others’ flaws, and it would be nice if they point mine back… I actually wish I meet people who have the decency to tell me my flaws in my face!! And it shouldn’t be too hard to tell a “stereotype” joke from a personal joke! The stereotyped joke is much more easier to handle because it doesn’t necessarily describe you!!

on the top right hand side just type it and if it is mentioned anywhere in the quran it will find it for you..

Some things you should not be secure about.

If someone were to offend your mother whom they have never met, does that break the ice ? or is it your fault they managed to insult you for being so insecure, and respecting your mother ?

It’s like saying it’s a murder victim’s fault that they got shot since they weren’t wearing a bullet-proof vest. That’s beside the point, whether they wore the vest or not, the murderer didn’t have the right to shoot them !

It’s like Freedom of Speech, I don’t think it’s a good thing if taken to extremes.

I totally don’t feel offended if am singled out in a joke, and i appreciate the stereotypes and make fun of them myself . then i will take a jab and other ppl who say those jokes as retribution and just to break the ice.

i think being offended stems from insecurity about the issue that offends and nothing more… so when ur offended by a nabelsi, khalili, tafili, 2odsi, ghizawi, jewish, irbidawi and any of the other stereotypes u can think off is only because you see that in yourself and you hate for others to point it out in the open .

thats my 2p since u asked me on the other thread.

I was more interested in the person telling the joke. Why would they intentionally put the other person in that position? Even if they didn’t intend it to be hurtful, it can bring out hostility from the rest of the group. Such jokes are about exclusion. The “in” group singling out the minority to make themselves feel more powerful.

As I see it, the person telling the joke is belittled much more than the person being singled out, but that’s just my opinion.

We need to learn to accept a joke, even when it hits us. It is just a matter of self confidence. Those with high self confidence wouldnt get offended for having people laughing, even if it is at their own expense.