[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I still think racism is defined in a historic context. Listen theres a line between comedy and real racism and that line is defined around historic events. When a black guy calls a white guy “white boy” that isn’t racist because that phrase has no contextual weight. Cracker would probably be different. When a white guy calls a black guy “n*****r” that goes back to slavery. Thats truly derogatory.
We’re getting to a point b/ we’ve reached that comfort level where comedians of both races can verbally joke using race where verbal racism is becoming less serious.
I think real racism is where prejudice is evident in behavior and action. Do you truly have some kind of problem with a person of another color ie. you dont want black colleagues, you pick on weak white people, etc.
I don’t mind it when comedians make jokes based on race because that shows you that society is becoming more comfortable with itself. Its basically a I know you know that I know its just a joke and I’m outlining it because we all think about it but some of us leave it inside because of paranoia.
Honestly fuck all the racists out there and fuck all the retards that think one dimensionally.[/quote]
Some of the above is pretty flawed in my opinion. I don’t know how thinks work in NZ, but when a black guy calls a white guy here a “white boy”, his intent is to be racist. Historical context has no bearing at all in my opinion - intent does. I think comedy can go a long way toward healing our differences and making bridges but there really is no serious debate about white v. black comedians and moreoever, white and black media as far as I’m concerned.
If a white comic broaches races, he must do so very carefully. Blacks appear to me to have free reign with it. And black media, like radio in particular, has no such problem like Imus encountered when he broached a racial subject. Each week, I hear something on radio that would get a white DJ fired or suspended.
There absolutely is a double standard in my opinion. And whatever the reason for its existence is unimportant to me but I do believe the existence of a double standard that allows for ANY racism keeps us apart ultimately. It gives the white people that harbor those emotions an excuse to hold on to them. It alienates white people that might otherwise embrace a multi-cultural existence. Comedy has a way of taking the sting away from stereotypes but I’ve seen comedy address it menacingly and cruely too.
Anyway, just my opinions - racism is a pretty complex topic and probably too complex for fair treatment and debate in the confines of an internet chat room.
That said, the premise of the OP is nonsense as I’ve spelled out before. His arguments are weak. And, dress codes exist in the real world, not just the NBA. Hell, my biggest problem dressing for work is casual Fridays or when an employer has been full time casual. Do you wear something that you would normally wear, or do you just put on a more relaxed relatively socially acceptable (for your office) “uniform”. If you’re wise, you do the latter because like it or not, you are socially judged by your “uniform”.
And by the way, it was not that long ago when NBA players were all dressing up. The dress down look is a recent event. We need go no further back than Jordan’s era. And prior to that (Irving, et als) guys were wearing furs, suits, etc. The NBA, its coaches and players, has a long history of “dressing up”. The NBA has an absolute right to impose a dress code and as someone else pointed out, as long as it’s applied evenly, it’s not racist - not even a close call.