Racism: That's Funny.

To most Americans, this blog post is going to seem very tasteless.  While I hope that I will be proven wrong, this is a reality that I as the writer have grasped, accepted, and have adapted to.

I'm not racist.  I just hate everyone equally!

Now, while the above comment may seem outlandish and humorous, just think about it for one moment.  Suppose in this world, racism was not frowned upon.  Men and women from their prospective races accepted the jokes flung out them, and everything wasn't taken seriously.  George Carlin, comedian and philosoph in some schools of thought adapted this stance.  Why do we have to take some jokes too seriously?  Why can't we laugh at ourselves?

In the article about racism in advertising, not many of these advertisements were American in origin.  They, infact, were foreign.  Yes, it is my belief that the problem is with us America.  We as a country, are way too uptight and need to calm down.  In terms of free countries, we kid the most when it comes to race. 

In a recent business trip to Great Britain, my dad spent 2 weeks inside an office while observing the landscape of London.  Inside the work place lies the true definition of melting pot.  America doesn't even come close.  Africans, Americans, Jews, Islam, Mexican, Asians... all groups were present.  And together, they made humor based around their own race.  A British guy was talking about how all blacks are good for are robbing banks, "shitty" music, and farming cotton in the field they should of owned.  In America, you can only imagine how this scenario would turn out... tons of bad blood and a possible lawsuit.  In Britain, the jest was treated as it should be, with laughter.   Being an American, this threw my Dad for a second, but suddenly he understood.  Race was simply a non-issue.  And so, throughout the work trip my Dad was subject to American jokes and jokes about his Mexican wife.  He did not scream, or shout.  Instead, he asked the Muslim what target he was going to blow up next.

What exactly is stopping Americans from doing as everyone else seemingly does?  Why is race such an issue that we cannot jest even the slightest about it without the occassional lawsuit happening every now and then?

Race is a non-issue.

P.S.  JMU is a diverse campus when you look at it in this light.  But the higher ups are simply screwing with us if they try and add race to this topic.  It's the inside that counts, or are we still THAT shallow?