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Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

johannakoll.posterous.com

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Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#21

Post by hedwall »

flexie wrote: post #7

People laugh when they hear a "sexist" joke because it's funny. Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places - I am not sure - but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? I mean, where does this political correctness stop?

Sure, between friends who know each other and where the limits are. But in a professional setting, be it at work or a conference, sexist jokes have no place.

And it's not political correctness, it is respecting that we all experience things differently.

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#22

Post by analog »

flexie wrote: post #7

People laugh when they hear a "sexist" joke because it's funny. Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places - I am not sure - but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? I mean, where does this political correctness stop?

The line is when you're talking to your friends, that's where you can try out your 'edgy' jokes. These kind of jokes are completely out of place in a professional environment.

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#23

Post by ZoFreX »

ansible wrote: post #8

I don't think its too much to ask for everyone to be more conscious of how we talk publicly. You could spend an extra five minutes replacing that sexist joke with something else less likely to offend half the world's population. The "It was meant to be a joke." line is weak sauce. Man up and admit that you were acting juvenile, and just apologize for your behavior. And try to do better next time.

It's encouraging to see that, with polite feedback, many people change their deck to be less offensive.

What I find interesting and scary is that some people will put far, far more effort into defending their choice than it would take to change it to something less offensive (and dare I say it, funnier - most "jokes" that rely on sexism are old and tired)

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#24

Post by kolektiv »

ZoFreX wrote: post #13
flexie wrote: post #7

People laugh when they hear a "sexist" joke because it's funny. Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places - I am not sure - but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? I mean, where does this political correctness stop?

> but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? Why?

For the same reason that there should be jokes about pretty much everything. They're a form of human communication and expression which can be very valuable to group dynamics.

It is perfectly possible to joke about horrific things without intending to condone or support those things. That said, the place for these jokes is unlikely to be in groups of people you don't know at tech conferences. That's insensitive, rude and often intimidating - so don't.

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#25

Post by bane »

ZoFreX wrote: post #13
flexie wrote: post #7

People laugh when they hear a "sexist" joke because it's funny. Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places - I am not sure - but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? I mean, where does this political correctness stop?

> but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? Why?

because purposely offensive jokes can be funny in the right context and when you know the jokester doesn't really believe in what they're saying

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#27

Post by flexie »

ZoFreX wrote: post #13
flexie wrote: post #7

People laugh when they hear a "sexist" joke because it's funny. Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places - I am not sure - but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? I mean, where does this political correctness stop?

> but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? Why?

Because we like laughing. Women laugh about men, men about women.

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#28

Post by marrs »

ZoFreX wrote: post #13
flexie wrote: post #7

People laugh when they hear a "sexist" joke because it's funny. Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places - I am not sure - but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? I mean, where does this political correctness stop?

> but there should be room for jokes about genders somewhere, right? Why?

because they're funny

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#29

Post by theorique »

fireflash38 wrote: post #15
[deleted] wrote: post #6

[deleted]

I fail to see how that is sexist. They aren't implying that their support team is women. It's a play on words. Perhaps they should have a jock strap there instead?

Bra: hey, this is sexist, you're making me think about breasts.

Jock strap: hey, this is sexist, you're making me think about testicles.

Edgy humor is risky because someone will always be offended when you tread in these areas.

Re: Sexism is not funny, let's stop laughing

#30

Post by geertj76 »

There is a difference between sexism and discrimination.

I love a good sexist joke once in a while. But things should be balanced. If a presenter would make fun of men and women in equal amounts, I would not be offended personally. I would have a problem with a presenter that would only make fun of women and not of men. That would be very similar to discriminating based on other properties such as race or religion.

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