This post is in reply of the Argument Thread where it has been stated, seriously or not, that racist jokes are not acceptable but sexists jokes are.
My reply was that racism and sexism are the same.
To those who may disagree or may wonder why I am stating that, here is an explanation, which only engages me and my point of view.
In terms of science, some research demonstrated that Human subspecies or races do not exist. If you are interested in the research and demonstration, it can easily be found on the Internet.
Then we can talk of course about ethnic groups. Racism is the term commonly used to describe the prejudices and the stigmatization of a group of people of the same colour, the same origin, etc. to justify discriminating actions and behaviour arguing that the group in question is inferior, unworthy or what have you. Does that sound different than sexism?
Racism, sexism or discrimination according to one’s religion or sexual orientation are phenomena with the same root, targeting different groups of people. The only difference with discrimination against women is that women do not constitute a minority. I some cases we can even talk of the subdued majority. Indeed, majority does not necessarily imply power. We also know other cases where the majority was subdued like in South Africa during apartheid.
If sexism was different than racism, then why women were forgotten by the Enlightenment movements and the Declaration of Human Rights following the French revolution in the 18th C until they obtained the voting rights for a vast majority of countries after WWII and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights following the atrocities of the Holocaust and thanks to the civil right movements of the 60s and 70s? Needless to say that was not so long ago. And there is still a long way to go in some parts of the World while we can enjoy a certain status and freedom over here. Can human rights be selective? Can we claim equal rights of property, of education, of movement, of voting, of pursuit of happiness, etc. while denying them to another? Consistently, I don’t think so. It either encloses everyone or no one. And there’s no reason to be afraid to embrace everyone's differences.
Getting back now to the question: can we joke about everything? I would say yes. We can be merry, silly, happy and light-hearted even under the worst circumstances. But like with freedom of speech, it is better used with responsibility and awareness. Our words like our actions have consequences. Take a child for instance. Words, even said as a joke, can make a wound in the child’s psyche that may take all of his or her life to heal. Our words like our actions can hurt or kill, even if we don’t mean it, even if it is under the layer of humour. And humour, as we’ve seen with the case of Dieudonné, is a strong political instrument. Under the layer of humour, messages of hatred suddenly become acceptable. This is called propaganda and manipulation.
Our actions and our sayings have consequences. So let us be aware and responsible, especially here on the Internet where our postings are easy and fast.
Let’s question our actions. Let’s use our brains. As far as I know, the human brain has no sex or colour.
And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way! In my opinion, each person has their owns strengths. The trick is to be mature enough to recognise and accept that, whichever way it goes. Trust me, it makes like so much simpler.
