Thread: Racial inequality in comedy?

I was watching Martin Lawrence's Runteldat and he has a short bit about how he hates being stereotyped and discriminated against as a young black male. Fair enough, I know it sucks.

But immediately following his little rant, he segued into a rather long bit that he spends racially stereotyping all sorts of people, focusing on mainly Arab nations and Arab Americans.

He brought out the big guns too. Offensive caricatures of Arabs, complete with really bad accents and talking about smelling bad and cab driving.

He does a joke about when he gets on a plane and sees an Arab man get on he freaks out and yells something along the lines of "Don't fuck with this plane or I'll fuck with you" and that he doesn't think they should be allowed to wear their "towel" on their heads in public.


I'm not racist in the least, but unfortunately I was raised by two racist(not overtly "I hate N***ers!", but the kind that were always extra wary around non-white folks) parents.
Because of the way my parents speak about people I'm kind of hyper-aware of so called "reverse racism" or the "unfair way white people get stepped all over by minorities" that my parents used to point out all the time.

I realize it's all jokes... but there's some truth behind most, if not all stand up bits.
Am I being over sensitive or does anyone else agree that the double standards are kind of bullshit?

And I don't just mean black people, any ethnic group except for white people are allowed to take potshots at other races without even a second thought. But a white dude breaks out racial jokes and he gets more or less labeled racist.

Oh and before people get their panties in a bunch... this thread is in regards to ALL ethnicities that get away with (sometimes very hateful)racial humor just because of their skin tone or the place that they have relatives from. Not just black folks. I only used Martin Lawrence as an example because he's a recognizable name and the one that sparked this thread.

Double standards are bullshit. If what you are saying about Martin Lawrence is true, then I'd have to call him a racist bigot. But I would like to see the comedy bit in context before passing judgement.

From a review...

His big routine about the "coming together" of blacks and whites in the aftermath of Sept. 11 turns into a viciously racist tirade against Arabs and anyone who might be mistaken for an Arab. Presumably, it's supposed to be funny when he talks about accidentally beating up an Indian ("I wanna see a dot on your head or something!"). But I found it more chilling than amusing.

I'll try and find/make a clip and upload it to YouTube


Edit: I also have to say, I have no problem with race comedy. Chappelle, Pryor, Bruce(Lenny, not Bruce Bruce), Carlin and others all did it with style, substance and humor. If it's done right, race humor can be great. Richard Pryor used it to bridge the gap between white and black people. Martin Lawrence and others like him seem to just want to destroy the bridges that gap other racial divides before they're even built.

Yeah double standards are retarded. On sherdog there was a lot of controversy over a fighter that had "Brown Pride" tattooed on his chest. Many people said he was a racist via "a white person couldn't do that and get away with it"

Stupid...

He really isn't anyone of any real importance. So yea, he can pretty much say whatever he wants. So what if he is a racist? People are allowed to be racist.

And for people labeling you a racist. You got to stand up for yourself. Don't ever let a person push you around, by making you feel guilty, by saying your a racist. Don't let people step all over you, and let them get away with it.

Difference: Whites had slaves.


Not something that will disappear quickly like Paris Hilton breaking a shoe heel..

That's how I see it anyways.

White having slaves has nothing to do with it. For a number of reasons. The first being, not all whites had slave. Saying all whites are guilty is stereotyping and in itself racist. What you should be saying is that some rich white guys had slaves. So thats a lame excuse. Secondly if you go to other countries blacks had black slaves. In fact a lot of the slaves were sold to the white men by black slavers. Whats up with that? Third Not all blacks living in this country had any relatives who were slaves. Fourth, a lot of white people came from other countries that didn't have slaves either. Fifth there were white slaves in other countries. And lastly, none of the black people living today were slaves back then.

So that really isn't any excuse for being a bigot and a racist.

Originally Posted by Alric

White having slaves has nothing to do with it. For a number of reasons. The first being, not all whites had slave. Saying all whites are guilty is stereotyping and in itself racist. What you should be saying is that some rich white guys had slaves. So thats a lame excuse. Secondly if you go to other countries blacks had black slaves. In fact a lot of the slaves were sold to the white men by black slavers. Whats up with that? Third Not all blacks living in this country had any relatives who were slaves. Fourth, a lot of white people came from other countries that didn't have slaves either. Fifth there were white slaves in other countries. And lastly, none of the black people living today were slaves back then.

So that really isn't any excuse for being a bigot and a racist.

Oh lawd.

Jeff...even you cant argue with some of those points unless you were supporting him in a round about way

Comedy about race is the best. I love hearing about how black people are different from white people and vice versa to no end.

Originally Posted by Alric

White having slaves has nothing to do with it. For a number of reasons. The first being, not all whites had slave. Saying all whites are guilty is stereotyping and in itself racist. What you should be saying is that some rich white guys had slaves. So thats a lame excuse. Secondly if you go to other countries blacks had black slaves. In fact a lot of the slaves were sold to the white men by black slavers. Whats up with that? Third Not all blacks living in this country had any relatives who were slaves. Fourth, a lot of white people came from other countries that didn't have slaves either. Fifth there were white slaves in other countries. And lastly, none of the black people living today were slaves back then.

So that really isn't any excuse for being a bigot and a racist.

Yep. I totally agree with you on that.

A small minority of white people owned slaves when it went on here, and most of the white people here now are the descendants of immigrants who came here after slavery ended. Plus, since when is it fair to judge people by what their distant relatives did any way? There is not a person in the U.S. now who would not see it as a severe injustice if they were held responsible for what their father did. If I got so much as a traffic ticket because my dad was speeding, I would be bitching so loud in court I would be arrested, and he is only one generation back.

People can only logically be judged morally on an individual basis. Judging a person morally based on race is racism, period.

Originally Posted by Alric

White having slaves has nothing to do with it. For a number of reasons.

Let's take them one at a time.

Originally Posted by Alric

The first being, not all whites had slave. Saying all whites are guilty is stereotyping and in itself racist. What you should be saying is that some rich white guys had slaves. So thats a lame excuse.

By itself, yes.

Originally Posted by Alric

Secondly if you go to other countries blacks had black slaves. In fact a lot of the slaves were sold to the white men by black slavers.

Slavery in the hunter-gatherer cultures that practiced it was radically different from the 'industrial' slavery practiced by the whiteman. It is true that most slaves were captured by other africans.

Originally Posted by Alric

Third Not all blacks living in this country had any relatives who were slaves.

That's true, but they did come into a post-slavery culture. I explain the consequences of this below.

Originally Posted by Alric

Fourth, a lot of white people came from other countries that didn't have slaves either.

Thats true and again, they come into a post-slavery culture.

Originally Posted by Alric

Fifth there were white slaves in other countries.

Are you talking about antiquity or indentured servants that ended up that way largely because of their actions, not their race, and were able to free themselves after a period of time

Originally Posted by Alric

And lastly, none of the black people living today were slaves back then.

True. They are living in a post-slavery culture. What this means is that until a few generations ago, black people systemically got worse education, worse opportunities for income and worse protection of their civil liberties than whites. This stuff percolates down through the generations. When you take race out of the picture, children of wealthy parents live a better life, get a better education and are in a better position to raise their own children. If you were to take a group of people of any race, segregate them from the economically dominant race and leave them in poverty then they would stay that way for multiple generations. Slavery ended about a century and a half ago, segregation ended about half a century ago. That's not enough time for stuff to sort itself out. There have of course been many black luminaries: some people are just gonna do their thing and not let their circumstances hold them back. That being said, the average black person in this country is still feeling the consequences of slavery. Less so than their parents and hopefully more than their children.

So whites having had slaves, and more to the point, the culture that that created, has a lot to do with it.

On the whole though, I've always thought that martin lawrance was an idiot and I'm not surprised that he's a biggot.