NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/rec/humor/37233

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-31 | 1.7 KB

Xref: sparky rec.humor:37233 soc.religion.quaker:371 soc.culture.celtic:8497 soc.culture.jewish:24356
Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!usenet.coe.montana.edu!news.u.washington.edu!stein.u.washington.edu!stalling
From: [e-mail] (Michael Stallings)
Newsgroups: rec.humor,soc.religion.quaker,soc.culture.celtic,soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Seriously, a joke.
Date: 31 Dec 1992 20:16:33 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
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NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu

I find this mildly funny, but not offensive at all.  We all lend ourselves to
stereotypes.  It has been my experience that stereotypes are based in reality.
I would take offense if this was malicious or hateful, or if it propogated
some untruth about a social or ethnic group that cast them in a bad light.

It may very well be that Jews, Scots and Quakers are not "generally" thrifty
or hard bargainers, but it was once enough true in some time or place that
that became a way for other social or ethnic groups to identify them and to
characterize them as different than themselves.

Its a rough world out there, and forming tribal-like groups is one way of
dealing with it, and that is not something that will (or perhaps even should)
go away anytime soon.  Yes, I know it is carried to extremes in places like
Serbia and Alabama, but a joke like this is not anywhere near far enough down
the continuum in that direction to warrant my censure.  I find the
scolding responses more offensive.