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[butzopower]

So I came up with a lame joke that I sent in a mass email to my co-workers (long story short, it was an email chain of dumb jokes):

"I went to a free bone density screening in Oakland a few weeks ago. It was not all it was cracked up to be."

Not until later did I realize this joke could be misconstrued as being about crack in Oakland, rather than the lame joke about cracking bones due to low density that I intended it to be.

Am I boned? (hur hur)

 

[johnsmith]

You are already fired.

 

[Onemic]

so you can be racist against a city now? Interesting.

You are fucked.

 

[blamite]

No, it's just bad.

 

[smurfx]

you are history's greatest monster.

 

[Master Thespian]

No, it's just bad.

Yup.

 

[Happypwnstar]

are you referring to crack and Oakland equal black people??? that's pretty racist, not gonna lie.

 

[Yasae]

Saying there's crack in Oakland = racist

 

[Agnostic]

Account suicide?

 

[Slavik81]

What?

 

[Imm0rt4l]

I think the joke may be lame enough in itself to get you fired....

Spoiler

no

 

[Moppet13]

What the hell is wrong with you!?

 

[Fusebox]

Did you have to look around to make sure there are no black people in earshot before telling the joke? If not, then it probably isn't.

 

[Dark Stalkers]

That was terrible.

 

[buy teh haloz]

No, it's just bad.

.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Worst joke I've ever heard.

 

[butzopower]

Saying there's crack in Oakland = racist

Of course there's crack in Oakland, just as there's crack in SF, and everywhere in the Bay Area, and any metropolitan area. It's not about what I said, but about how I'm interpreted that I'm worried about.

EDIT: Jesus Christ, even this post could be taken as implication of racism. I mean to say that people smoke crack, regardless of race or creed or whatever, I'm not trying to associate crack with a group of people, just a god damn thing that happens to bones.

 

[TUSR]

Not only is it not racist, it is also not a joke.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

You should have gone with "I went to a bone density screening in Oakland and I got robbed by black people"

 

[sangreal]

Of course there's crack in Oakland, just as there's crack in SF, and everywhere in the Bay Area, and any metropolitan area. It's not about what I said, but about how I'm interpreted that I'm worried about.

why would joking about crack be racist? While it's an epidemic in poor black communities, I'm pretty sure there are crackheads of all colors. You didn't mention race in the OP

 

[oatmeal]

You should have gone with "I went to a bone density screening in Oakland and I got robbed by black people"

Much better.

 

[TUSR]

This thread might get really serious soon.

 

[Rourkey]

Are you a bone doctor or something?

 

[Zee-Row]

An old coworker of mine got fired for sending a chain email about a joke that involved gerbils and the rectal area. Wasn't a very good idea in the end.

 

[speculawyer]

The people that think it is racist are the racists.

 

[Yaboosh]

Thinking it is racist is racist. It is not inherently racist.

You think it is racist because you associate blacks with crack (and Oakland evidently).

 

[sangreal]

An old coworker of mine got fired for sending a chain email about a joke that involved gerbils and the rectal area. Wasn't a very good idea in the end.

Well that sounds pretty racist, so I'm not surprised

actually, I was on a conference call recently and a coworker made a joke to my boss about the human centipede. Fortunately (i suppose), she didn't get the joke and thought it was about giant house centipedes or something which made it even more awkward. Nobody managed to get fired though

 

[butzopower]

The joke was completely grounded in reality, BTW: http://www.zvents.com/oakland_ca/events/show/248791564-free-bone-density-scans

 

[Yasae]

Of course there's crack in Oakland, just as there's crack in SF, and everywhere in the Bay Area, and any metropolitan area. It's not about what I said, but about how I'm interpreted that I'm worried about.

EDIT: Jesus Christ, even this post could be taken as implication of racism. I mean to say that people smoke crack, regardless of race or creed or whatever, I'm not trying to associate crack with a group of people, just a god damn thing that happens to bones.

I know, and just cause 99% of them happen to be black isn't your fault.



















See now that's racist.

 

[Fusebox]

The people that think it is racist are the racists.

Or PC thugs.

 

[SteveWinwood]

This is dumb.

 

[Yasae]

The joke was completely grounded in reality, BTW: http://www.zvents.com/oakland_ca/events/show/248791564-free-bone-density-scans

Weren't you in The Pursuit of Happyness?

 

[-PXG-]

No. You're just not funny.

 

[butzopower]

Thinking it is racist is racist. It is not inherently racist.

You think it is racist because you associate blacks with crack (and Oakland evidently).

I don't think these things, but that doesn't mean I can't say something foolishly that implies that I think I do.

Albeit, I should have made the thread title "Do you think this joke could be taken as racist?" rather than what I made it.

 

[blamite]

An old coworker of mine got fired for sending a chain email about a joke that involved gerbils and the rectal area. Wasn't a very good idea in the end.

You see, now this is a good joke. Learn from this, OP.

 

[Yasae]

I don't think these things, but that doesn't mean I can't say something foolishly that implies that I think I do.

Albeit, I should have made the thread title "Do you think this joke could be taken as racist?" rather than what I made it.

Uhm...

Do....... Crack smokers have low bone density? That's the only connection I can... Make... I guess....

 

[sangreal]

I don't think these things, but that doesn't mean I can't say something foolishly that implies that I think I do.

Albeit, I should have made the thread title "Do you think this joke could be taken as racist?" rather than what I made it.

What about your joke do you think could be taken as racist?

 

[Complex Shadow]

Today is not your day op. your gonna get fired and banned. I weep for you.

Spoiler

J/k. =P but the joke is still awful.

 

[kittens]

Yes.

It's saying that people who live in Oakland = black people = on crack.

Edit : Also, I'm assuming you're not black. If you're black, then it's just in poor taste, not racist.

 

[Yasae]

Yes.

It's saying that people who live in Oakland = black people = on crack.

Hey I smoked crack in Oakland fuck you

 

[kittens]

Hey I smoked crack in Oakland fuck you

I didn't disparage Oakland or smoking crack.

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

So I came up with a lame joke that I sent in a mass email to my co-workers (long story short, it was an email chain of dumb jokes):

"I went to a free bone density screening in Oakland a few weeks ago. It was not all it was cracked up to be."

Not until later did I realize this joke could be misconstrued as being about crack in Oakland, rather than the lame joke about cracking bones due to low density that I intended it to be.

Am I boned? (hur hur)

Do you live in Oakland? If so, we're neighbors. Stop driving down property values, you racist.

 

[xbhaskarx]

You can't even get good crack in Oakland, trust me I have tried.

 

[butzopower]

What about your joke do you think could be taken as racist?

That I associate Oakland with crack.

 

[BGBW]

Why did the chicken cross the road?

RACISM!

 

[C.Dark.DN]

That I associate Oakland with crack.

You're racist against Oakland? Do you know what the word racist means?

 

[Culebra 64]

That I associate Oakland with crack.

No, that you associate crack with an ethnicity. Something not even inferred in your joke.


So, to sum up...the joke isn't racist, but you sure are.

 

[Acheron]

People dumb enough to continue to "live" in Oakland are actually another species.

 

[jediyoshi]

Why did the chicken cross the road?

RACISM!

I like the way you think.

 

[butzopower]

You're racist against Oakland? Do you know what the word racist means?

I don't think it's that far of a stretch for someone to misconstrue what I said, though obviously I'm sensitive to the connection because I'm worried about it.

I'm not hyper PC, but if I heard someone making a joke about crack and Oakland, it wouldn't be a stretch to think they are referring to the fact that Oakland has a higher density of black people as compared to the rest of the Bay Area, and that they were inferring that said black people smoked crack. I'm worried that my lame joke will be taken in that manner.

No, that you associate crack with an ethnicity. Something not even inferred in your joke.


So, to sum up...the joke isn't racist, but you sure are.

I'm not sure how being aware of stereotypes that people make makes me a racist?